Page 62 of Things We Fake
“I’ll see you later, honey.”
He left the apartment, closing the door behind him.
Everyone whooped. Even my mother gave a little smile of approval.
“What a kiss,” Michelle said. “I can just tell he’s an amazing kisser.”
“How could you tell that?” I sat back down on the couch, suddenly too warm for my clothes.
“By the way he looks,” she said, and they all laughed.
“He sounds lovely, Susanne,” Mom said. “I am so happy for you. Have you set a date?”
“Mom!” I couldn’t be more exasperated if I tried. “We just got engaged last night. Give us some time.”
“Well, there’s only so much time available, dear. We need to book the church and a hall... You are planning to get married here, aren’t you? You wouldn’t dare run off like Elsie Morgan did and get married by some Elvis impersonator in Vegas?”
“No, I—”
She continued like I hadn’t spoken. “Your father and I have waited all of our lives to plan your wedding. You can choose your own dress, of course, but I’ll look after everything else. Will Cam’s mother want to be involved? I’ll have to talk to her and get names for the guest list. Maybe we can do some dress shopping when we’re in New York—”
“Mom, settle down.” My head was pounding, and I reached for Cam’s beer. He’d only taken a few sips. I drained the rest in two gulps. Great. I let my mother turn me into a compulsive liar, and now into a drunk.
I took a deep breath. “Cam and I just got engaged. We do not want to be rushed. We’ll get married when we decide to get married.”
“It didn’t sound to me like Cameron wants to wait too long,” Dad said thoughtfully. “I know a man in love when I hear one, and that fellow sounds like a man in love.”
Mom chuckled and went on to give me the news the way she usually did. My engagement would be all over Warwick before the night was out.
“When are you arriving in New York?” I asked when she paused to take a breath.
“We’re coming in late Thursday night,” Mom explained. “I know you have to work on Friday, but I thought we could meet for dinner. Would that work?”
“It should.”
After a few more minutes of gushing about how happy she was, Mom ended the call before the “roast was overdone.”
I set the tablet aside and threw myself back on the couch. I should have known my mother’s reaction, yet somehow I’d let everything spiral out of control. I was going to burn in hell for this. And right now that didn’t sound like a bad alternative to my current situation.
Chapter Twenty
Sue
I’d just opened my briefcase to grade some papers when someone pounded on my door.
“Susanne Morelli, I know you’re in there,” Jesse called. “Open the door.”
I scrambled to my feet, already dreading the ambush. Jesse never read the Weekender, but one of the other girls might have. I’d avoided their texts in the past couple of days. I should have known this was going to bite me in the ass.
“Coming!” I called, yanking open the door.
Four women—fully pressed against it—toppled into my apartment like a human avalanche.
“What the hell?”
Doors opened across the hall. Cam poked his head out of Sebastian’s place, and Mrs. Vicars squinted menacingly from behind her bifocals.
“Is everything okay?” Cam stepped into the hallway with a polite smile that barely masked his amusement as he looked at the tangled pile of legs, arms, torsos, and heads.
