Page 33 of Things We Fake
Cam grinned, releasing my hand. “Tell me about your parents. They sound fun.”
“If you like The Fockers,” I muttered.
His chest rumbled with laughter. “I do, actually.”
“Then you’d love my parents. My dad is Italian, my mom is American. They own a vineyard and winery in Warwick. They’re still hoping I’ll come back and getinvolved in the family business. My mother is hellbent on seeing me married, preferably to someone in Warwick. In fact, she’s trying to pressure me to have dinner with my ex fiancé on Easter.”
Cam was dumbstruck. “What? With the guy who cheated on you?”
I glanced away, uncomfortable. “Well… I was too embarrassed to tell my parents that part, so they don’t know about the cheating. It was too humiliating. Anyway, they’re coming over here for a few days for Easter, and Neil will be here, too.”
“Neil is the Truffle Prince?”
I scoffed. “Yep. Since I left, he married Sally. Now they’ve split, and he’s looking for his next prey—I mean wife. Mom mentioned all of us getting together for dinner. I wanted to get out of this without a fight, so I lied and told her I had a boyfriend.”
Cam’s eyebrows arched. “But you don’t.”
I squirmed under his amused gaze. “Not unless an imaginary boyfriend counts.”
He stroked his chin. “You have a real one now if you want me.” He smiled broadly, crossing his arms over his chest. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I liked The Fockers, and I have a feeling that meeting your family would be incredibly entertaining.”
I stared at him, mouth agape in the most unladylike fashion. Meeting my family was a terrible idea for our relationship-to-be, and he might dump me immediately after that dreaded dinner. But what choice did I have? Not only didn’t I have a boyfriend—my only date this year had been with Sam. I pictured a conversation between prissy Sam and my steak-loving, wine-drinking, traditionally male dad. Hell, no! That was a recipe for disaster.
In my desperation, I’d made Cam my imaginary lover right after I’d met him, and now here he was, offering me the real deal. I’d be stupid not to grab this lifeline.
“Do you mean that? You’d play the role of my fake boyfriend?”
He shrugged. “Why not? How long did you tell them you were dating this imaginary boyfriend?”
“I was vague. A few weeks, I guess.”
“That’s perfect. We’ll have time to rehearse our stories.”
I exhaled. “I don’t know how to thank you for this, Cam.”
“Don’t even mention it.”
“I don’t know,” I said again, fidgeting in my seat. “I feel bad putting you in this position. I mean, I know you said you hate betrayal, and I do too. I don’t want you to think that lying is something I do on a regular basis. This is an extreme situation that requires desperate measures.”
He reached for my hand again. “I understand that. I don’t know you well enough yet, but you strike me as an honest person. And since we’re being honest, I don’t think your family has any right to butt into your business, or force a man you despise on you. When you have to deal with that kind of situation, anything goes. All is fair in love and war, right?”
I sighed. “Right. That’s a good one. I’ll have to remember it every time I wrestle with my conscience. I do love my family, and I don’t want a war with them.”
“Of course not. Besides, we’re not lying about the fact that we’re dating. They might not even ask about the timeline of our relationship, so we might not have to… bend the truth at all.”
I felt a menacing cloud darken my features. “Oh, they’ll ask. Believe me, they’ll ask things you wouldn’t even dream of.”
Chapter Eleven
Cam
The waiter showed up and I reluctantly let go of Sue’s hand.
“Have you decided on your meal?” he asked.
“We’ll have the Land and Sea dinner,” I said.
He beamed, probably sensing this was going to be a big bill and a generous tip. I had no doubt the meal was going to be a production, which was exactly what I wanted. Maybe I was showing off for Susanne, but sometimes the best way to sayI like youis with lobster and excellent wine. Hell, it’s the best way men either have at their disposal, or work for.
