Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55839 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55839 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
The server nods and turns to me.
“Same.”
“Okay, so…” she starts, but her words fall away. She stares at me, and grabs her glass of water to take a sip.
“You’re kind of scaring me. Did you get the case?”
“Sort of.”
“How do you sort of get a case?”
Before she can answer, the server appears with our wine and we place our lunch order. After she leaves, Greer takes a gulp of wine and settles her chocolate-colored eyes on me. “Will you have a fauxmance with me?”
“A what?” I ask her, not sure if I heard her correctly.
“Will you be my fake boyfriend?”
I crack a grin until I realize she’s serious. “Oh, um, why?” I ask her.
She launches into a long tale about how the men at her firm think someone with a significant other should handle the Delgado case. I swear they’re stuck in the Stone Ages, but it’s written all over Greer’s face how important this is to her.
“So, I lied and said you were my boyfriend. It would only be until the end of the trial.” She gives me a pleading look. “Will you do it?”
It’s a bad idea for me to be in a situation like that with Greer. But I ignore the warning signals in my brain and reach across the table to take her hand. “Are you sure? What about after the trial? Won’t they expect you to keep up this persona?”
She blows out a deep breath. “Honestly, I haven’t even thought that far ahead yet.”
I study Greer as I run my thumb over her soft skin. “Are you even happy working there, Greer?”
She looks affronted as she takes her hand back and fidgets with her napkin, placing it across her lap. “Yes. I love my job. And this case is an important one. It could accelerate my career. You do sort of owe me, remember?”
I run a finger over my jaw. “Not really.”
“Yes. I bailed you out that time you skipped gym and needed help getting out of the high school. I never told anyone, even though Mrs. Kellerman asked me point blank where you were.” She points her finger at me. “You know she did.”
“Fine. What exactly will being your boyfriend entail?” I can’t believe I’m about to agree to this. Honestly, just getting an excuse to hold Greer’s hand in public has me jumping up and down like an eight-year-old ready to take part.
“Well…” She fills me in on all the details, and when I mention her brother, she frowns.
“We’ll have to tell them the truth. Maybe we can tell everyone at Brunch this Sunday.”
I nod, excited about the prospect of being her fake boyfriend. Just not so sure how Devereaux will handle the news.
THREE
GREER
I flit around my kitchen on Sunday, like Martha Stewart on steroids. Fresh brewed coffee wafts through the air while I lay crisp bacon slices on a plate next to plump sausage links. The granite countertop holds an assortment of delicate pastries, muffins, cinnamon rolls, and bagels.
I’ve been hosting brunches at my house for as long as I can remember. It was our thing. My mother and I would go to a restaurant for brunch every Sunday. “Just the girls,” she’d say. Now I feel like I’m carrying on that tradition in my own way.
Today has an added motive, though. If Roman and I are going to make this work, we need everyone close to us on the same page. That means telling my brother, Chloe, and Ledger the truth. We need them to play along to sell this story. Shouldn’t be too hard to do.
As I slide a platter of breakfast burritos on the counter, the doorbell rings. I wipe my hands on my apron and rush to it. When I open the door, Devereaux and Chloe’s infectious smiles greet me.
“Hope you made a lot of food,” Chloe says, blue eyes sparkling. “I’m starving.”
“Have I ever let you down?” I step aside and usher them into the house. “I made a feast.”
“Smells amazing,” she says, rubbing her round belly. “I should go easy, though. Dev will need a forklift to haul me around soon, and I still have two months to go until this baby comes.”
“You look amazing, honey,” Dev says, closing the door behind him. “If we need a forklift, I’ll get us the best one they make. Baby needs to eat.” He kisses the top of her blonde hair, his light brown eyes soft with love.
They’re so sweet it makes my teeth hurt. “That’s oddly the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”
He hands me a bouquet with fragrant blooms. “So, what’s the big announcement?”
Dev focuses on me so intently that I shoo away my brother’s question, clutching the array of roses and gerbera daisies tightly in my sweaty hand. “We’ll discuss it over French toast and eggs.”
“Is it about the case?” My brother has no patience. I would imagine having to wait nine months to meet his son or daughter is killing him.