Page 52 of Things We Fake
I’d just set the beers on the counter when my phone buzzed. It was Craig.
I frowned down at the display. “Sorry, I have to get this. It’s my brother.”
Craig never called just to chat, so something must be up.
“Hey, Craig.” I took the call, walking toward the living room.
“Hey yourself, big brother,” Craig said. His voice was cheerful, but it had en echo as though he was talking on speaker. “You made the news today.”
“Yeah. I’m guessing you saw the newspaper?”
“Everyone has. You kept her top secret, I’ll give you that. She’s a looker, too.”
I couldn’t help a grin as Sue walked back from the bedroom. “She’s even prettier in person. Do you want to say hi? I’ll put you on speaker.”
I tapped the phone and watched Sue try not to bolt.
“Hi, Susanne,” Craig and Carley’s voices chirped from my phone.
“Can I call her Susanne, too?” Luke chimed in.
“Not at school,” Carley said. “But when she’s visiting here, you can call her Aunt Susanne. Is that okay with you, Susanne?”
I had to press my lips together so I wouldn’t burst into laughter. I should have warned Sue that my family had no boundaries and they would absorb her like quicksand.
She looked like she was about to faint. “Uh… sure,” she squeaked.
I wasn’t even sure how she still had functioning vocal cords. She’d just gone from teacher to honorary family member in three seconds flat.
Still, she held her own. I applauded her in my head.
Sue cleared her throat. “How are you feeling, Mrs. Jones?”
“Much better, thank you! And please, call me Carley—we’re practically family now. When Craig showed me the pictures, I just about fell over. How did you and Cam keep this a secret? And how on earth did you two meet?”
I glanced at Sue, saw the panic in her eyes, and gave her a subtle nod. I’d thought about this, so I was prepared.
“One question at a time,” I said smoothly, settling into a chair. “Susanne and I met last winter, that weekyou guys went to Aspen and I stayed with Sebastian. He was running late and told me to grab the key from his neighbor. That neighbor happened to be Susanne. She saidcome in, I did, and there she was. Pink bubblegum face mask, fuzzy chenille robe… No man could resist that.”
Sue nearly dropped the jar of marinara she’d just picked up. She couldn’t know I’d rehearsed this in my head, so to her it must’ve seemed like effortless lying. Actually, it wasn’t a lie per se—just rearranged facts.
Craig laughed. “You always were a sucker for pink.”
“That’s so romantic,” Carley gushed. “You two have to come for dinner.”
“We’d love that,” I said.
“So, when did you pop the question?” Craig asked. “Was that what you were celebrating last night?”
My mouth dropped open. We had just gotten fake-engaged two hours ago. How did my brother know already?
“Craig, how do you know I popped the question?” I asked.
“Brittany told Becky you two were planning to tie the knot soon. She laid bets you wouldn’t make it to church.”
“We can’t wait to see you prove her wrong,” Carley chimed in.
My jaw tightened as Sue and I exchanged glances. My sister, Becky, and Britt had been friendly, and after the breakup Becky mentioned that Britt was trying to hang on to their friendship—even as my sister tried toshake her off. I should have seen it coming. Britt never lost her flair for drama—or sabotage.
