Page 40 of Hoax and Kisses
James stares at me, unblinking.
I’m growing impatient, ready to tell him to get to the point, when Lola sucks in a breath. “Oh,yes.”
He shrugs. “It’d work.”
“It couldabsolutelywork,” she agrees. “I can’t believe you were the one to come up with the idea.”
Annoyance rolls through me. “Can someone fill me in?Please.”
Lola gestures for James to go ahead.
He draws a slow sip from his beer, taking his sweet-ass time. Eventually, he sets it down and narrows his focus on me. “You could pretend the two of you are dating.”
My stomach lurches. “Absolutely not.”
“Why not?” Lola exclaims. “As a romance bookstore owner, I’m an expert in the subject, and if I say it works, then it works.”
“Actually, Matt, it could benefit you as well,” James says, more pragmatic. He tips the bottle to his mouth. “Maybe she’d accept you into her mentorship program. I’m sure she gets hundreds of applications every year. There’s no way she can go through all of them herself. Request an in-person interview at their office. Bypass the pre-selection process but still plead your case. This could be exactly what you need now that you’ve lost your investment opportunity.”
This is what I meant when I said James thinks about everything. He’s always ten steps ahead of the rest of us. I don’t love this plan, but it’s hard to deny that it makes sense.
I retrieve the school invoice from my back pocket and drop it on the table. “I got the bill for Daph’s tuition fees today.”
Lola unfolds the paper and winces. “Ouch.”
“Yeah.” I blow out a breath. “Three months to settle it.”
“That’s a lot of money, man.” James exchanges a look with Lola, then snaps his fingers. “Hey, you know who could help? Zoey.”
“She’ll never get on board.” Not after tonight.
Lola shakes her head. “I disagree. And it’s the two of us against one. That means you have to try. Group rules.”
My chest tightens. “I can’tfake datethat woman.”
Can I? The pressure of my precarious situation is forcing me to consider it. But is making it happen worth putting my integrity in question? Worth fooling the people I love? Could I get close to her and live with myself, knowing who she is?
I suppose I wouldn’t be bound to anything. Neither would she. And I already know the chemistry is there. It wouldn’t be hard to sell it, though I’d need time to work past the mental hurdle that comes with the knowledge that she’s Oscar’s daughter.
We’d need to set clear boundaries. No crossing any personal ones, and Daphne is obviously one of them.
Fuck. I’m actually considering it. As if I need something else to make my already overcommitted days more complicated.
Before I entertain the idea of lying to the folks of this town, I have to know what Zoey’s plans are for Emile’s land. But other than that?
If being seen with me is enough to change people’s minds, if I have this much sway and influence, if her project really would benefit Pine Falls, then why the hell not? If it means securing thefuture of Daphne’s Wildflowers, thus allowing me to pay for my sister’s tuition, what do I have to lose?
“I don’t think it’ll be the solution to my problems.” I smooth back strands of hair that have escaped my bun. “But I don’t have any other grand ideas for how to come up with the money, so might as well run it by her.”
“It may not be a solution,” James counters. “But it’s definitely an opportunity for the store and for you.”
I look at the price of Daph’s tuition again. It’s an inescapable reminder that I don’t get to be picky. “Chances that she’ll agree are as high as the likelihood of the Cleveland Browns going to the playoffs.”
Lola tilts the whipped cream bottle to her lips again. “I don’t know what that means.”
I huff a laugh. “Nonexistent.”
Chapter Eleven
