Page 6 of Staging Love
"We do have a knack for business," Camilla agreed. "It's been both a blessing and a curse, to be honest. There's a lot of pressure to succeed."
“That’s understandable. Is there anyone I should be particularly wary of?” Jade asked. Anyone who might give us a hard time?"
Camilla's expression darkened slightly. "I’ve never brought a date to a family gathering so I expect them all to be skeptical. But I’m mostly worried about my cousin Theresa.” She hesitated, not sure how much to share. She couldn’t mention the part in the will that stated she’d have to be married in six months. Jade would freak out. But maybe once they got to know each other better, Jade would agree to a short marriage of convenience that would bulk up her bank account nicely. “Theresa’s always been... competitive, to put it mildly,” She finally said. “And she doesn’t believe I’m engaged."
"Well, we're not," Jade pointed out with a smirk, then quickly sobered at Camilla's sharp look. "Sorry, bad joke. Don't worry, I won't let her catch us out."
Camilla sighed. "There's something else you should know," she said hesitantly. "I'm not actually gay. I sort of... blurted it out in the heat of the moment when..." She stopped herself. God, she really had to be careful around Jade, and she sincerely hoped her family wouldn’t mention the will to her. “I mean, when I realized that they expected me to bring someone to the family Christmas gathering.”
“What?” Jade burst out in laughter. "That's... a bit complex, don't you think? I mean, it would be much easier to fake the chemistry if you were actually into women. Or if I was a man."
"I know it complicates things," Camilla admitted. “But they commented they’d never seen me with this so-calledfiancée, so I told them that was because I was engaged to a woman, and I’d kept my sexuality private until now. Somehow that felt more believable than me being engaged to a man who wasn’t even there with me at the reading of the will.” She shrugged. “Anyway, it will be fine. I've never really had chemistry with men either. I'm just not interested in relationships, period. So in a way, it's all the same to me."
Jade studied her for a moment, her head tilted slightly. "Okay, in a weird way that sort of makes sense. Why go through all this effort though? Why can’t you just go there solo?”
“It’s complicated. And private,” Camilla added. “Just trust me when I say I had to bring a fiancée. That’s all you need to know.”
“Okay. As long as you don’t expect me to actually marry you. “Jade chuckled. “Imagine that.”
Camilla felt a blush rise to her cheeks. “Yeah, imagine that,” she echoed. This situation was already turning more complicated than she’d anticipated.
“Anyway, we'll need to discuss how we’re going to make this convincing. Maybe run through some scenarios, figure out how we'd react in different situations," Jade said.
"That's a good idea,” Camilla agreed. “We have two hours. Why don't we use that time to get our story straight and work on our couple dynamics?"
For the duration of the flight, they role-played various scenarios they might encounter with Camilla's family. They practiced how they'd react to nosy questions, how they'd show affection without overdoing it, and even came up with a few inside jokes to make their relationship seem more authentic.
Camilla was impressed by Jade's quick wit andadaptability, and she suggested little details that Camilla would never have thought of on her own.
"So, what's our song?" Jade asked, curled up in her seat with her third cup of coffee.
Camilla blinked. "Our song?"
"Yeah, you know, the song that was playing when we first met or one we both love. Couples usually have a song. We’ll probably have our first dance to it at never-going-to-happen wedding."
"Oh," Camilla said, caught off guard. "I hadn't thought about that. What do you suggest?"
"How about 'La Vie En Rose'? It's romantic without being too cheesy, and it fits the story about how I proposed to you at that French restaurant in Hollywood.” Jade winked. “After dating in secret for three years.”
“Sure, that works. I like that song.” Camilla connected her phone to the jet’s speakers and put on the song. She was surprised when Jade started singing along in French. She had a beautiful voice.
When the song finished, she was momentarily speechless. “You can sing,” she said after a pause.
“I can play piano too.” Jade wiggled her fingers. “I’ve done musicals. It’s not like I’ve never worked… I’ve had some cool jobs throughout my not so very successful career.”
“Huh…” Camilla stared at her, a smile spreading across her face. “Well, that makes you even more charming,” she said, pleased with her brand-spanking-new talented fiancée. I think this could actually work."
Chapter Five
As the SUV wound its way up the snow-covered road, the Parkes family estate came into view. Camilla felt Jade's sharp intake of breath beside her and allowed herself a small smile. The sprawling mountain lodge was indeed impressive, its wooden exterior blending with the surrounding landscape while still exuding an air of luxury and grandeur.
"Welcome home," she said, giving Jade's hand a gentle squeeze.
As they pulled up to the front entrance, Camilla could see several figures waiting under the heaters on the wide, covered porch. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the introductions to come.
The driver opened the door, and Camilla stepped out first, offering her hand to help Jade. “Don’t worry about your luggage,” she whispered. “The staff will bring it in.” As they approached the porch, a tall, distinguished-looking man with salt-and-pepper hair stepped forward, his arms outstretched.
"Camilla, sweetheart!" he boomed, enveloping her in a warm hug. "It's so good to see you."
