Page 64 of Things We Fake
She narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re joking. You are not standing here wearing a ring that could cover both our rents for a year. Nobody drops Tiffany money after one date, unless you’ve got some magical powers in the sack.”
Lily cocked her head. “I thought you said he was a computer geek. Did he win the lottery or invent a new crypto currency?”
“He’s not just a sales rep. I thought he was, but it turns out he owns the company, Omega Software.” I turned to Jesse. “And for the record, we didn’t get in the sack, so keep your mind out of the gutter. The ring is not real. I mean, it is real, but…”
I let out a long sigh, looking all four of them in the eyes. I couldn’t lie to them, even if I did have grounds to fabricate a story they would believe—which I didn’t. But these women were like sisters to me, and knew me better than anyone.
“Guys, let’s sit down,” I said.
I refilled their wine glasses and we all sat—the girls squashed together on the sofa—and I sat cross-legged on the floor in front of them, like a defendant facing a jury.
“Here’s the thing.” I took a huge sip of wine. “It’s a lie. Cam and I are faking an engagement.”
Four pairs of eyes stared at me unblinkingly. I reached for the newspaper on the coffee table and passed it to them.
Then I told them everything, from the moment Cam had picked me up last night, to the moment he’d disappeared into Sebastian’s apartment minutes ago.
“Holy shit.” Jesse emptied her wine glass. “You people watched too many movies. I mean, a fake engagement, for real?”
“Well, that’s technically a contradiction of terms,” Lily added, ever the voice of reason. “But she’s got a point. Susanne, this isn’t a white lie. It’s a whole wedding aisle of them. I get Cam’s reasoning, but what are you doing? You need to set some serious boundaries with Mama Morelli before you lose track of where you end and her expectations begin.”
I shook my head. “You think I don’t know that? This wasn’t some grand plan. Things just... snowballed. It’s not only my family—I’m trying to protect my job. And Cam needs me to rescue him from Britt.”
“Ugh, I remember that bitch.” Nikki crinkled her nose. “All the boys back in Warwick were chasing her like a bitch in heat every time she and her parents came there. Thank God it wasn’t often. Miss Howard didn’t like the countryside.”
“Cam is a big badass piece of man candy,” Ange said, crossing her legs. “It didn’t look to me like he needs you to rescue him. How platonic is this fake engagement?”
I shrugged, staring into my empty glass. “He said he’s attracted to me, so I don’t know. We’ve only had one date. I don’t really have a plan here. But we’ll be together for a few months at least. Things could heat up, I guess.”
Lily shook her head. “I don’t know what to say about this, Sue. This kind of lie has a habit of coming around and biting you in the ass. I’m afraid you’ll get hurt. How do you feel about him?”
I raised my puppy eyes, and they all groaned.
“I’m crazy about him,” I confessed.
“I knew it.” Nikki looked furious. “God, I could kill that son of a bitch Neil for pushing you to do this.”
“Nikki,” I said sternly.
“No, I’m serious. That guy is a plague. Mom told me all about Neil’s and Sally’s war. The only way he’s going to be rich again is if he marries someone enterprising, and he always had a thing for your daddy’s vineyards. He’s bragging that he’ll have you eating out of his hand soon. I really want to see that moron get what he deserves.” Her eyes narrowed to slits. “I might just tell Sally how to get rid of him without leaving a single trace.”
I shook my head. “You scare the bejesus out of me sometimes.”
She grinned. “You’re safe, as long as you stay on my good side.”
Lily laughed. “I have to remember not to piss you off.”
Ange blew out a breath. “So you’re in love with him, huh? How does he feel about you?”
“I have no idea. We didn’t have time to delve into it. He did imply several times that he’s been interested in me for a while. He said he asked Sebastian about me.” I zeroed in on Jesse. “Speaking of Sebastian, Cam said he saw you coming out of his apartment a few years ago. What’s all that about, Jessica?”
Like a deer in the headlights, Jesse looked at me, then at the expectant eyes turned to her. She hunched her shoulders.
“It wasn’t anything memorable. That was the night I met Sebastian.”
She’d hoped we would stop there. Silly girl.
“And?” Nikki prompted. “If Cam remembered it, it had to be memorable.”
