When my plan is successful.
Does that mean after the next season of Gold Digger? Too long to wait.
You'll have to trust me.
Give me something to hang on to in the meantime. Do you still fake love me? I still fake love you. I'll always fake love you. I'll fake love you until the day I die. I hope that was a fake breakup.
I'll tell you I fake love you when I gloat to you about my success and not before. I'm a one-fake-boyfriend girl, and right now I have a fake TV boyfriend/ex-fiancé to deal with. I have to be faithful to him. When I'm free…
I watched the thought bubbles on my phone as Dex typed. Finally, I got his response.
Until I rescue you…
I laughed softly and clutched the phone to my chest. So maybe I hadn't blown it.
That evening, an enormous bouquet arrived—from Jesse and the show welcoming me aboard. How romantic. I half expected a camera crew to be lurking in the bushes filming my reaction as it arrived.
No more texts from Dex. I guess we had a mutual text ceasefire. Each of us were on a mission. And maybe we were a just a little bit competitive. I had confidence in my plan. But the thought of what prank Dex might do made me nervous.
On Monday morning, I called Kayla and asked for the name and contact info of Dick the PI. I started to explain.
She stopped me. "Oh, I know all about it. I really think you're close to breaking Dex's heart. No easy task. For a long time I wasn't even sure he had one. Or if he did, it was made of stone." She laughed. "I'll text you Dick's information, but I insist on adding any billable hours he does for you onto our bill. No arguing. I owe my cousin this much for what he's done for me. He's a great guy, beneath it all. I was just joking about his heart."
I took her up on her offer and wasted no time contacting Dick. "I hear you're an expert at getting old security video, talking to witnesses, that kind of thing. I'd like you to do some investigating for me.
"I need you to track Jesse Parker and me from the time we met in Vegas two years ago until I ran from the wedding. I'm particularly interested in how we met and where and how we purchased my dog Bella. And how we decided she'd be my wedding bouquet. If there is any proof she was specifically purchased to be my bouquet, I definitely want that. That's the first thing.
"The second thing is that I hear you've been looking into how Dex hit his head. That Jesse Parker shoved him into a slot machine. I was at the casino just prior to that. I hid out there when I ran from my wedding. Dex helped me out. I'd like any footage you can find of Dex and me together. It's a surprise for him. I want to fill in the gaps in his memory."
Then Dick quizzed me, and I gave him all the information I could remember.
By Monday afternoon, I had the TV contract in hand. I had an entertainment lawyer friend of mine look it over and negotiate for me, make sure I'd really gotten everything I wanted. No sneaky clauses that only made it look like I had. She was fierce. I knew she'd protect my interests.
I wanted it in writing that Jesse agreed to drop all allegations of dog theft and claims to Bella if I did the show. The show claimed they had no power over Jesse and his actions, that I'd have to negotiate separately with him. Jesse remained stubborn, saying I had his word and that should be good enough.
By Thursday, we had reached an agreement with the show. There was no mention of Jesse's promise in the contract. Friday I met with Luke and signed the contracts. Jesse was supposed to be back in town, but problems at his mine site kept him in the Yukon.
On Saturday I had a wedding to do. Another on Sunday.
I kept myself busy. Plotting. Planning. Being busy kept my mind off Dex.
As part of the deal, Gold Digger made a promo out of the old footage of the dumped Jesse after I ran out on him. The tagline? His runaway bride is back for Jesse's heart. This time she wants a heart of gold.
Not exactly flattering and definitely not true. Also, not really protecting my business image. Not when it was finally revealed that I was the runaway bride. For now, I was still a mystery woman.
The voice-over:
Don't miss the new season of Gold Digger—Jesse's been looking for love in all the wrong places. There's one woman who ran away with Jesse's heart. One woman he's never forgotten. She's back and more beguiling than gold fever. Jesse's got the fever, all right…
I rolled my eyes every time that promo came on TV. Bella didn't like it either. She barked and bared her teeth when Jesse's picture came up, then ran around in frantic circles, wearing a pattern in the carpet. So maybe she did remember.
Running around in circles pretty much described my life.
The Gold Digger format was simple—they filmed the mining crews during the season. At certain points during the season, they filmed a special interview show in a studio where they talked to the miners about their lives and the business.
Luke put me on the schedule for the interview right around the time Bella's puppies were due. I expected him to make plans to fly me to the Yukon for a few dating episodes. Show us on a few dates, that kind of thing.
I told him he'd better make it soon, that the closer Bella got to her due date, the less likely it was that I would agree to go to the Yukon. I had puppy maternity leave in my contract. Bella couldn't fly pregnant. We were bound by time.
Personally, I didn't want to go to the Yukon for a multitude of reasons. But the main one besides Bella was that I had no intention of going on more than one date with Jesse. Or staying in the Yukon for more than a few days. They could slice that up into however many episodes they wanted.
I had what I wanted—Jesse's promise that if I did the show, he'd take a puppy in lieu of Bella and drop all claims. But it was only his word. Did I trust him? No. I wasn't that naïve. I'd seen what ugliness happened to two people who'd been truly in love before things went sour.
I had an ace up my sleeve that I was trying to play. Double redundancy protection.
If the show hadn't specified how many dates I had to have with Jesse, that was on them. All the contract said was that I had to appear in at least one episode. That fake kiss might have been enough to get me out of the contract. But I'd probably have to litigate. They now had permission to air it. So I'd do their one episode.
I was kept mostly out of the production loop. Hearing rumors was as close as I got. My date with Jesse kept being pushed back. He was having a bad season, apparently. He didn't have time to take time off for dating. Not even for a long-distance relationship. Longed for me tragically? Right. Accommodations were apparently another problem. Luke talked about the dating happening in Seattle and filming it here.
Three weeks passed. Three lonely weeks where I missed Dex. I was beginning to get nervous. Bella was getting large with pups. If I had to whelp the pups by myself…
I needed Dex. I wanted Dex. Patience. Patience, I told myself.
Then I got a text from him. Your plan is moving much too slowly. If you don't enact it soon, I'm going to be whelping Bella's puppies while we're still "estranged." I know you need me ;-) In the meantime, I've signed you up for a puppy birth class. On me. There aren't many offered. This one is given by a vet we recommend. Here's the link. I left it to you to pick a time that works. You're welcome.
I almost broke my face smiling so hard. My heart did a little dance. No wonder I thought I loved him. This was the best gift.
I replied, Thank you. When is your plan happening? I've been walking on eggshells. Peeking around corners. Looking for Dick the PI hiding in the bushes. Is a paper snake going to jump out at me sometime?
Ha, ha. No paper snakes. Soon. I'm waiting for a certain event to happen first.
Then, as in so much in life, nothing for weeks, so much so I was almost bored, and suddenly everything happened at once.
Dick called me as I got home with Bella from our puppy birth class.
"I got lucky," he said. "I have what you want."
I set Bella and my purse down. I nearly actually jumped for joy. I punched the air.
<
br /> "I put it in the cloud for you." He texted me a link. "Your money shot is about three minutes in."
I collapsed with relief onto my sofa. My fingers shook as I clicked the link and scrolled to the gold. There it was, Jesse and me in the lobby of the hotel meeting a breeder carrying a tiny Corgi puppy.
Jesse paying for Bella. "For my girl," he says, pulling a drunken me close. "We're getting married. This little pup is the bouquet. She thought flowers, but I insisted a dog was more awesome."
His words were slurred, but the video was clear. I had to translate drunken English into intelligible speech.
My mouth fell open. "Dick, you are a genius!" I got tears in my eyes. "How—"
"The breeder apparently always takes video of her pups and their new owners. She was a little reluctant to give it to me in this case because you were both so drunk. She was afraid of repercussions from other breeders. It wasn't fully responsible of her to sell you the puppy. Not when you were in that state.
"She was hard up, she said. And you two were so cute together—her words. She thought you'd make good dog parents once you sobered up. She claims to be an expert on judging people's character and telling a good dog person from a bad one. There you go. Once you gave me the details, it wasn't that hard finding her."
"I think I love you," I said.
"You're easy to please. I wish all my clients reacted this way."
"I suppose video proof that your spouse is cheating doesn't get the same reception. It's not as fun."
"You'd be surprised. The people who are looking to nail their partner can be very happy. Scroll to the ten-minute mark and you'll see security footage of you entering the casino in your wedding dress and meeting Dex." He hesitated. "I shouldn't really say. But that first meet of yours is powerful stuff. Like a romcom the wife might watch."
I had the feeling that this was a hard thing for him to admit.
I laughed again, happy laughter as I blinked tears and scrolled. "Thanks. Maybe Hollywood will be interested." I scrolled to ten minutes in. Dex was sitting at a slot machine. Then footage of me walking in. He saw me before I saw him. The way he looked at me…
I cleared my throat. "Is there such a thing as a super genius? You're pure magic, Dick. How in the world do you do it?"
"Just doing my job, ma'am."
"Well, keep doing it."
"I'll drop a thumb drive in the mail for you. It's always good to have a backup."
After I hung up, I watched the entire video. Twice. Tears in my eyes both times. I looked terrible, disheveled, tear-stained, frightened. Bella shook in my arms, so tiny and vulnerable. And then along came Dex.
Seeing myself see him for the first time was like magic. A gift. An out-of-body experience. The way my face lit up when he walked toward me. I'd never seen myself look so bad yet so radiant. I almost glowed in his presence. He was so hot. He made everything better. Looking at the video now, I realized just how beautiful fate was for guiding me back to him. And how important it was that I succeed.
I had to show him just how much I cared. I wanted this gift of the first time we met to be special. How many people capture the first time they meet on film? So, yeah, it was security video. But I knew someone who could work miracles. I phoned a wedding videographer friend of mine and called in a favor.
I watched the video a third time before finally forcing myself to go back to work. Hand lettering calmed me and helped me think. I needed some calm right now, but I was almost too excited to work. I had just settled into the zone on a project for an upcoming wedding when Luke called.
"Shelby, Jesse finally caught a break. I mean a real breakdown. He's got a three-day delay to fill while he waits for parts. In the meantime, he's dead in the water. We're flying him to Seattle for your date. Are you ready to have a film crew follow you around? We'll have one at your place at eight tomorrow morning. Jesse will call you then and ask you out. Play along. Sound excited. And clear your weekend for shooting and your date with Jesse."
Finally.
Dex
I was used to being a workaholic. To not having a girlfriend. But the weeks without Shelby were killing me. Fortunately, work was slammed. And owning a dog-sitting/pet services company proved to be advantageous. Because when a certain film crew arrived in town, with their dogs in tow, I got word of it. And made sure one of my best, most loyal sitters got the job of caring for their critters.
After weeks of silence, it looked like Jesse and the show were ready to make their move. And so was I.
If Jesse wanted drama, I was ready to give it to him. I was ready to commit.
Shelby
As promised, the film crew arrived the next morning just as I was finishing my second cup of coffee. They arrived with lights and a mic pack. And cameras and makeup, in so far as it went. A bit of powder to take the shine off the nose. Fortunately, my makeup artist friend, Nora Nash, who had done plenty of makeup for TV, had had time to swing by and do mine on her way to a job. I'd seen Gold Digger. They didn't make the woman on the show look glamorous. I wasn't going to look like I'd just rolled out of bed on TV.
Nora had given me a natural daytime look, like my best "natural" self who might be on her way to meet a client. Gold Digger was going to have to live with that.
The filming began with me going through the pretense of making my "first" cup of coffee, pretending to be all alone in my kitchen, when in reality it was crowded with lights and a cameraman. Taking a fake call with a client while the camera followed me around the kitchen. I made sure they got plenty of my work in—my wedding kitchen towels with my lettering on them, the quotes I'd lettered. I put my coffee in one of my most popular bride mugs. I was using them for PR, too.
Finally, I hung up and set my phone on the counter, as instructed. It rang again while I was pouring foamed milk in my coffee—a video call. Then the charade began. Fortunately, I had experience as a fake girlfriend. When I answered, the crew zoomed over my shoulder on my phone screen with Jesse smiling his heartthrob smile at me. His beard was shaggier than I remembered. He was wearing a t-shirt and cap. Definitely not urban chic.
"Hey, baby. Miss me since that great reunion kiss?"
I held the phone up and made a kissy face into it as I took a seat at my kitchen table with my coffee. "Does that answer your question?" I took a sip of coffee and made a show of licking the foam off my lips.
"Damn. You look hot. Especially when you're kissing me."
I batted my eyelashes at him. "Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself. You finally have time to spare for me? That must mean things are going better?"
He sighed. "Not better. But I've got some downtime." He explained about the equipment breakage while I pretended to listen and care. "I have to come to Seattle to pick up a part. Clear the weekend for me, baby. We'll pick up where we left off…"
Chapter Nineteen
Big Bottom Girls
Shelby (Habitual wearer of short, flirty dresses. Loving dog mama. Woman taking lessons on how to strut from her preggo Corgi with a momo that won't quit.)
The crew from Gold Digger followed me around for two days, filming me with clients, showing my regular life. Including caring for pregnant Bella, who was getting comically fat and wobbly. Her little legs didn't leave much ground clearance as her belly got big.
The show also filmed four more calls between Jesse and me. Calls where I got to know Jesse better. He was surprisingly easy to talk to.
I actually liked him, in a friend sense. He could be funny. I could laugh with him. He was smart and ambitious. He knew more about gold mining than I had an interest in hearing or learning. It was hard to not to fan myself over his sexy voice.
And yeah, we made sure to bring up the story of how we met in Vegas and almost got married. How I ran from the wedding. We talked out our feelings, which was great and very healing for both of us. I apologized and told him about my history of breaking off engagements. In other words, it's not you, it's me. Pretty standard breakup stuff to blame yours
elf. In this case, it was perfectly valid. I really believed Jesse would have gone through with the wedding.
I was tired of hiding. I wanted everything out in the open. For myself and my clients.
Jesse told me how heartbroken he'd been afterward. The show caught up to him, still in his tux, when he went back to his hotel. He hadn't wanted the show to film him. He was too embarrassed, heartbroken, and devastated. But Luke insisted on at least the one shot. Which now was going to be solid gold for us. A good thing, given the way Jesse's mining season was going. It might be the only gold he got this season.
Beautiful women, women Jesse was attracted to, any women, were hard to come by in the Yukon. So he didn't get much chance for a rebound relationship. And things were trashed with his barmaid girlfriend when she found out he'd tried to marry me. So he threw himself, and all his passion, into his mining, and that was when things really took off for him.
Of course, I joked that some good had come out of it. As for me, all I'd had was another failed engagement.
I wondered just how much Jesse's heartbreak was true and whether he was more in love with a version of me he'd created, a fantasy version, than who I really was.
He brought up how he'd found me again. How both excited and angry seeing that video of Mitch carting me off from another wedding had made him. But that fact that I'd broken it off with Mitch so late in the game emphasized my point about how leaving Jesse at the altar was nothing personal. Again, it's me, not you.
I also got the impression Jesse was playing our situation for the camera. He was a pretty decent actor.
As cathartic as talking with him was, the more we talked, the more I realized that my decision to run from the altar had been the right one. That I needed to trust my instincts.
Our lifestyles didn't mesh at all. I wouldn't fit into his world, and he wouldn't give up mining for mine. He was an outdoorsy, rough-and-tumble, didn't-care-about-fashion-or-style, dirt-beneath-his-fingernails kind of guy. He liked to dirt-bike and drive big rigs. Hike. Camp. He enjoyed living in a trailer on the mining site. He loved mechanics and machines. He loved the long summer days of the Yukon. He didn't mind the cold or the long dark of winter. He drank bad black coffee. He didn't see the need for froufrou coffee drinks.
Loves Billionaires and Corgis: A Feel Good Romance Page 15