Page 3 of Dirty Secret Love

Jez chuckles knowingly. “Ah right, I remember that you made up some sexy gazillionaire fiancé to get them off your case. Smart move, I endorsed it—Regina was totally against it.”

She was, and I’m glad she’s out of town, or she’d be telling me I should lie more responsibly.

I groan, throwing an arm over my eyes. “No one should tell her that she was right. Everything was working well until my mother called to say, and I quote, ‘We have an issue with the house, and we need to move back to Heartwood temporarily.’”

“Wait, why are they coming back?” Wren’s voice is now worried. I think she’s getting the idea.

“They didn’t explain, but that’s not the main issue. Let’s remember that I don’t have a fiancé.” I glare at her, hoping it will sink in. A few minutes later I say, “Can you see the problem now?”

“No biggie whatsoever, we’ll just get you a fake fiancé,” Jez says, as if she can just grab a catalog, choose the right model, and ship it from anywhere in the world.

“Why didn’t I think about that? Mail-order fiancé, voilà,” I say, but I don’t think I’m able to deliver a good sarcastic punch. It’s probably the alcohol.

“I’m just trying to come up with something helpful,” Jez says. “You can always try someone in town.”

I let out a sardonic laugh. “Ha, yeah, right. Who’d want to date me?” I glance around the room blearily. “And it’s not like there are any available guys in this town anyway.”

“Drake’s brothers could help,” Jez offers brightly.

I smirk, maybe she’s onto something. “Ooh, right, he has what, like six to choose from?” I say, almost animated at the prospect.

“We could choose itBachelorettestyle,” Jez offers. “I’ll give them roses after the dates.”

“Stop.” Drake shakes his head vehemently. “That’s a terrible idea.”

“No, it might work,” Wren muses. “It’s not like your brothers have anything to do. This could be like a good deed your brother does for someone from this town.”

“We might be here for years. What’s going to happen if it takes that long?” Drake argues.

“My parents might only be here a few weeks,” I say, thinking about the logistics. “I bet they’re just renovating the house or doing something frivolous like that.” I wave a hand flippantly.

“Why don’t you just tell them the guy left you?” Drake suggests.

I roll my eyes. Clearly, he hasn’t learned how this town survives on coffee and gossip. “Because everyone here will confirm I totally fabricated the whole thing.”

“One of your brothers could do it,” Wren insists, looking hopeful at Drake. “What about Magnus? He’s old, seems like a reliable person, and could look the part.”

Drake exhales heavily, shaking his head. “You can’t ask Magnus, Callahan, or Bach. If you do, their mother will have to get involved. You don’t want Donna to be a part of the façade.”

Do I really want to get into this? The Kershaws are a very complicated family. I’m not supposed to know they’re part of a private witness protection program. The story is that they’re just here to help Regina and her dad with their ranch. We all pretend to believe the nine siblings and their mothers moved here out of the goodness of their hearts. Let’s just say no one in town buys that story, but we play along anyway.

“That rules out Gael and Genevieve,” Jez says. “Flora, their mother, is a bitch. You don’t want to deal with her.”

“Not to mention, I’m supposed to be dating a guy,” I remind her. “Your sisters are out of the running. Can you imagine how my very Catholic parents would react if I were to marry a woman?”

Jez smirks. “What if we pretend it’s me? I’m your fiancée.”

Jez seems to forget that my parents are homophobic, misogynistic, and … well, not good people. I believe they lost their kindness while smelling the rubber of the shoes they invented and never got it back.

“Though it’d be fun to see how you make my mother squirm and cringe, I’m trying to keep them off my case.”

Wren’s eyes light up. “So that leaves River and Slade in the running.” She taps her chin. “Slade will remain in the clinic for another week or so, and he has a long way to recover—he’s definitely not your guy. River . . . Your only hope is River Kershaw. I think it’ll work. He’s handsome, seems charming, and looks the part of the brooding rich guy who wants to be left alone.”

Drake shakes his head adamantly. “This is still a terrible idea.”

“But if it works, it could solve all my problems,” I plead.

“When exactly are your parents getting here?” Drake asks.

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