Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 67991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Their laughter is contagious, and despite the initial sting of their jests, I can’t help but join them. It’s clear they’re all in, ready to back up my crazy plan. As the chuckles subside, the camaraderie among us solidifies, turning from teasing to a supportive ribbing that reassures me I’ve got the best teammates anyone could ask for.
But we have work to do and I eventually get them to focus. “Okay, let’s head over to Tempe’s. Who has easy access to power tools?”
Atlas rises from his seat. “I’ve got it covered. Got a fully stocked box in my truck.”
“Let’s do it then,” I say, excited at the prospect of not just seeing Tempe but actually helping to alleviate some of her burden.
And that desire alone tells me that this fake girlfriend thing might not be as fake as I planned it to be.
CHAPTER 7
Tempe
After hanging up with Rafferty, I take a moment to process everything. My heart hammers harder than usual—not just from the sudden influx of afternoon plans, but also from what I’m about to admit to my mom. She only knows the quirky story of the man who kissed me in the grocery store, but there’s a lot more to the tale now.
Pushing up off my bed where I’d been reading a book, I go down into the kitchen. Mom’s at the table, her wheelchair snug against the edge, absorbed in a crossword puzzle on her tablet. She gently taps the pen against her temple, a soft hum of concentration audible in the silence of the room. Cooper’s still at school and it’s always so quiet when he’s not here.
She doesn’t look up as I grab a bottle of water from the fridge. As I open it, I take the chair adjacent. “Mom,” I start hesitantly.
She looks up, a smile brightening her face as she sets her tablet aside. “What’s up, honey?”
My mom is the type I can tell anything to and always has been. It’s with no trepidation that I launch into the story. “We have some company coming over in a bit.”
Her eyebrows lift in surprise. “Oh? Who might that be?”
“Do you remember that guy I told you about last week? The one who kissed me at the grocery store?”
Natalie Martin laughs, a sound that hasn’t come out of her much in the last several weeks. “That was an epic story. Is he the one coming over?”
“Him and a few others,” I murmur, taking a quick sip of water. “Okay, this is a bit of a story, so buckle up.”
Adjusting her wheelchair, she angles toward me so I have her full attention. “Lay it on me.”
“So the guy, Rafferty, came back to the store the next day—”
“To ask you on a date,” she exclaims with sparkling eyes. Hands clasped to her heart, she croons, “So romantic.”
“Not really,” I deadpan. “Turns out, he needed my continued help to convince this crazy woman who won’t leave him alone that I’m truly his girlfriend. He asked me to go to a photo shoot with him, and that’s where I went after I took you to your doctor’s appointment on Monday.”
My mom’s face scrunches up. “Photo shoot? I’m confused.”
“Rafferty, well… he’s a professional hockey player with the Pittsburgh Titans.”
I didn’t know a person’s eyes could go so big and wide, nearly threatening to pop out of her head. “No way.”
“Way,” I agree with a smirk. “I went to the shoot and it didn’t work. So he asked me to continue to be his fake girlfriend and I’m going with him to a wedding for one of his teammates day after tomorrow.”
I can see the wheels turning behind her green eyes. “So it’s a date?”
“No, it’s fake,” I assure her. “And he’s paying me too. I got a thousand dollars for going to the photo shoot and I’ll get another five after a few weeks of fake girlfriending it.”
Yup. Eyes can get bigger. “He’s paying you?”
“It’s a job, Mom. Nothing more, and we need that money. Rafferty’s in a tough spot. This woman—he slept with her once without knowing she was related to the owner of his team, and now she’s making his life miserable. She even threatened to go to his boss if he doesn’t play along with her. I’m doing him a solid and he’s paying me for it, and that will in turn alleviate some financial stress.”
Her expression crumbles, mouth turning downward. “I’m so sorry that all this burden has fallen on you.”
“No, Mom!” I push up out of my chair, bending right over her to give her a quick hug. “You have nothing to apologize for. None of this is your fault, and we’re getting through it like we always do… as a family.”
“But you had to drop out of school—”
“I’m going back.”
“But we have to eat boxed mac and cheese as Cooper insists on helping to feed us,” she whines.