Page 1 of The Love Lie
CHAPTER ONE
sam
You aresuch a great guy and I’m sorry to do this to you right now, but—
No.Sam shakes her head.Don’t apologize.
The past few weeks with you have been absolutely magical, and I will cherish these memories for the rest of my life—
Blech.She gags at the thought.Too over the top.
I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you, but I need to focus on myself right now, and blah, blah, blah…
Sam sighs.Too selfish. I’ll lose the audience.
I never wanted to hurt you, but we can’t get engaged. It wouldn’t be right to either of us when I know in my heart that you’re not my perfect match.
Sam grins. It’s excellent—succinct, to the point, riding that line between kind and unapologetic, and, added bonus, it features the show’s tagline.
Go, me!
Now…
She drops her head back against the seat and tilts her face toward the sun as a cool, salty spray tickles her cheeks. Glimmering cerulean water surrounds her on all sides, thequintessential image of the Maldives. Lulled by the humming motor and splashing waves, she takes a deep breath to soak it all in. Most people would probably be nervous right now, but Sam is perfectly at ease as the speedboat carries her closer and closer to the man whose heart she’s about to break.
It’s a showmance, she reasons.Emily said he already agreed to the plan. And he was probably just here for the likes anyway.
No harm.
No foul.
No use worrying when for the first time in she can’t remember how long, she has a few minutes to just sit and be.
Forty-eight hours ago, she’d been crammed into a cubicle, elbow deep in financial spreadsheets, lucky to catch a brief inhale of garbage-infused New York City air on her way into and out of the office.
Now, she’s in paradise. Blue skies. Pristine white sand beaches. Endless ocean views. The only thing missing is a freshly blended piña colada, heavy on the rum. But still, a great trade up, even if it comes with a few unavoidable consequences—namely, the fact that she’s on her way to turn down a perfectly nice man’s proposal…in front of ten million viewers…while pretending to be her identical twin sister on national television. Oh, and this skintight sequined ivory gown the producer forced her into isn’t helping either. The fucking thing is getting itchier and itchier by the minute in this heat. But that’s beside the point.
How the hell did she end up here?
It’s a long story.
Eight weeks ago, her mother caught the attention of theWake Up, America!hosts while standing in the studio audience sporting a bedazzled sign that read#EmilyAnnNeedsAMan. The clip went viral, and somehow, against all reason, her twin sister, Emily, ended up as the lead on their favorite reality TV datingshow,The Love Match, set to have thirty men fighting for her heart. Except unbeknownst to Emily, her ex-boyfriend slash love-of-her-life Jake was one of the producers of said show.
Naturally, things got a little dicey.
Flash forward six weeks to Sam’s arrival on location in the stunning Maldives. She and her parents were supposed to meet Emily’s final two suitors before the proposal, but instead, due to a delayed flight, Sam missed the entire first day of filming, got pulled into a dramatic late-night reunion with her sister, and then slept over in Emily’s suite. The second the cameras were gone, her twin broke down and explained how she’d fallen for Jake again. Not ideal, considering she was supposed to get engaged in two days to another man. (Side note—thirty hot guys had been fighting over her, and she went back to Jake? The guy who ghosted her at eighteen? Seriously?) Sam must not have been the only one annoyed by his mere presence, because before her arrival Jake had been fired and kicked out of the resort. Emily was desperate to go after him (Again…really?), and Sam might’ve said no if not for one tiny detail—while Emily was on a complete communication blackout during filming, one of her doctors called explaining they needed to get in touch with her. Sam was her emergency contact, and though she tried and tried to get through to Emily, she was both blocked by Jake and stonewalled by the producers.The only way to get her sister access to a phone so she could check in with her doctor sans cameras was to get her out of the resort, and there was only one way to make that happen.
A twin swap.
Cliché? Yes.
Doable? Absolutely.
Call it jet lag, call it sisterly devotion, call it complete insanity, but Sam would do anything for Emily, which is how she ended up here, on this boat, on the final day of filming, onher way to break a man’s heart. Not that she minds, really. She gets a free week in paradise out of the deal—her first vacation in years—and breakups are sort of her thing. She’s perfected the art of letting them down easy…or ripping them a new one, depending on what the situation demands. Yesterday had been a soul-crusher kind of day. Ethan, Em’s runner-up, was a grade A asshole and tearing him apart in front of ten million viewers while she kicked his ass to the curb had been a complete delight. But Cooper, the Midwestern cowboy about to propose to her on a private island in the Maldives, is apparently a sweetheart, so she’ll be gentle. Well, as gentle as an up-and-coming New York City investment banker knows how to be…
Nice. Nice. I can be nice. All I need to do is channel my inner Emily. Sweet. Soft spoken. Kind. I’m the good twin. I’m—
“Emily!”
