by Chelsea Hale
Janice shook her head. “You know how much they want to tell me. Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that I give you a heads up on the conversation and then you push them off.”
James groaned. “Fine. I’ll talk to them. I really don’t have time for this tonight.”
“Or any night,” Janice said. “Should I send them through right now?”
James shook his head. “I have to make a phone call first. Give me ten minutes. I have to cancel my … dinner appointment and I don’t want to do it quickly.” He scrubbed his hand over his face, knowing that tomorrow would be just as busy and he wouldn’t be able to see Emery again until they left for her parents’ house.
Chapter 10
Emery picked up her phone after the first ring.
“Hi,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound completely desperate to talk to James. She didn’t need to look more pathetic than she already knew she was.
“Hey,” he said back. “How has your day been?”
“It’s actually been really nice. What about yours? Where are we meeting for dinner?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been in meetings all day, and … my boss … well, really the Board isn’t going to let me leave early. I’m sorry. The week before Christmas gets a little crazy, since next week everyone pretty much takes the whole week off.”
Emery tried not to be disappointed. Maybe he just needed to move the time they met for dinner. “So a late dinner then?”
“I wish I could predict when my phone call will be over, but I think I better take a rain check.”
“That makes sense,” she said, feeling the weight of disappointment settle around her.
“It does? I’m feeling really bad about it.”
She pushed through her feelings. “Don’t feel bad. It’s not like we’re really together. And this fake relationship is brand new to both of us. Of course you wouldn’t have limitless time, that makes sense.”
“You’re the most understanding fake girlfriend I’ve ever had,” he said, with a hint of a laugh in his tone.
“And you’re the most considerate fake boyfriend I’ve ever had.”
“Tomorrow is going to be worse for me,” he said.
“I hope you love your job with those kind of hours.”
“I really do.”
“That’s good,” she said. “So, just so I can imagine what going out to dinner with you a second time would be like, where would we have gone?”
“Do you have a preference?” he asked her. “You’re designing a fake date, what does it look like to you?”
“Hopefully for our second date we go some place casual,” she said, biting on her lip a little.
“More casual than last night?”
She laughed. “Yeah, I think we would have a balance between fancy and casual dining in our relationship. We can’t just go to the coffee shop for breakfast and long, fancy dinners in the evening. Not everything needs to be over the top.”
“Good to know. I was thinking pizza.”
“I love pizza. Could we make it a dive of a place, in a basement with dim lights? Those places always have the best crusts.”
He laughed. “Sure, you pick the pizza place. I’ll probably order four different pizzas so we can compare which ones are the best.”
“I could see you doing something like that. Remember they are deep dish, so one pizza would be plenty.”
“I’m still ordering four.”
“Then I’m still rolling my eyes at your decision-making skills.”
“Speaking of decisions—for purposes of being a good fake boyfriend—what were your real thoughts about the flowers and chocolates today? Were they too over the top?”
“It’s the biggest gift I’ve been given at work after a fake date … or any date.”
“So, too much then?”
“No, it was really sweet and thoughtful. Thank you. And those chocolates really are the best. I was going to share with you tonight, but maybe I’ll just have to eat them all myself.”
“Okay that’s good to know.”
“I suppose I should let you get to your other call,” she said.
“I suppose you should. We can spend the whole plane ride asking and answering more questions, if you want.”
“I think that sounds like a plan. Thanks, James.”
“Goodnight, Emery.”
After Emery hung up with James, she spent the next hour daydreaming about what their date together would have been like. It seemed exactly perfect in her mind, and it only made her anticipate spending time with him on Saturday more.
Chapter 11
“Did I offend you, sir?” James heard his pilot’s voice through his phone.
What time was it? He pulled the phone away from his ear to see the number 3:00 a.m. stare back at him from the illuminated screen.
“It’s the middle of the night, Parker,” James said, stifling a yawn.
“Yes, sir, but if I’m going to take you to Boston in the morning I need to be up and ready for it. That is, if I didn’t offend you, sir.”
James groaned. “You didn’t offend me. How do you even know I’m going to Boston in the morning?”
“I know everything connected with your name at the airport. It’s my business to know.”
James scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to wake himself up. “I’m going incognito. Otherwise you’d know if I needed to get somewhere. I’m traveling with a friend, and well, she’s not aware of my financial situation.”
“I see, sir. You’re sure it wasn’t the return trip from Seattle? Those turbulences took me by surprise.”
“Parker, you are the best. Truly. But I don’t want her thinking of me as the guy who owns the private jet.”
“If you’re sure, sir.”
James rolled his eyes. “I’m sure. Take the week off. I’m not going anywhere else during Christmas.”
“I’m always on duty, sir. If you need me, I’m here.” His voice sounded proud about that fact, and James appreciated his loyalty.
“I know. Thanks.”
James hung up the phone and tossed in bed for another hour. Sleep had completely fled from him so he might as well get up and start his day.
* * *
James followed Emery's directions and drove the rental car straight from the airport to Woodland Hills, an upscale community in Boston. The mature trees lining the streets were blanketed in snow. The sun gleamed on the yards that James had no doubt were pristine when the snow melted. Dark red brick houses graced the entire street.
He parked the car and looked over at Emery. She had spent most of the drive looking out the window and he hadn’t felt the need to break her thoughts up by making small talk.
“Here we are,” he said, pausing for her to say something. When she didn’t he asked, “Is everything okay?”
She nodded and took a deep breath, her eyes glazing over. “I love seeing my grandpa. But I worry about the rest of the people who might be here.” She scanned the road. “I don’t want to visit him when others are around.”
James nodded. “Okay.” Was it so she could introduce James to him without everyone else around? Maybe she’d tell her grandpa that she wasn’t really dating him? He wasn’t sure.
“So, the plan is to visit with him, and then we’ll stop by my parents’ house quickly. We’ll maybe have dinner, and then we can stay at a hotel close to the airport so we can leave early in the morning.”
“That sounds like a plan,” James said.
“Did you pack extra clothes?” she asked.
“A whole suitcase worth, including formal clothes,” he said, though he still wondered about that.
“Okay, great. That way it will be believable that we are heading straight to visit your family on the West Coast from here.”
James wasn’t prepared for a Christmas with his family. It would never work. “With a layover in Chicago, right?”
“Right. A permanent layover,” she said.
They got o
ut of the car, and James took her hand in his. “This is going to be okay. It will be fine.”
He squeezed her hand slightly, wondering if he imagined that she squeezed back. Most of the time they’d held hands outside they’d worn gloves, but this time he enjoyed the feel of her soft hands in his own.
For a moment he allowed himself to savor the sensation as he got into the frame of mind of meeting his girlfriend’s family for the very first time. Suddenly nerves hit him, and he realized that he was sorely unprepared for this.
She nodded. “You’re right. It will be just fine because we have a plan. No one is going to find out we’re just pretending.” She lowered her voice on the last sentence.
And just like that his nerves and anticipation spun and took a nose dive. His nerves had been about how real the whole thing felt, about how his cold hands were suddenly warming with nervousness, which was probably helpful in pretending.
But now, the deflation of the moment hit him. She really didn’t see him as anything but someone to fill a role.
They knocked on the door, and a woman in a black and white uniform opened the door. “If it isn’t Emery, on a day when I wasn’t even expecting company. How are you doing, baby girl? I’d give you a hug but I’m probably covered in dust.”
Emery moved closer. “I’ll take a hug anyway. It’s so good to see you, Roberta.”
“And who is this with you?” the woman asked, wiggling her eyebrows at him.
“Hi, I’m James, Emery's boyfriend.”
“My, my, you are more than over your ex and that is so fantastic to hear. I’ve been hoping things were going well for you. It looks like they are.”
Emery's cheeks pinked, and Roberta drew him into a hug too. James returned the hug, feeling like Roberta was letting him into the family with that small gesture.
James stepped back and put his arm around Emery. She looked up at him with raised eyebrows. He couldn’t explain it, but it felt right to have his arm around her as they stood on the doorstep. He gave her a small, encouraging smile.
“Is Grandpa here?” Emery asked Roberta.
Roberta shook her head. “I’m sorry, maybe it was a last minute decision, but your grandpa is at your parents’ place already. He said he would be there until New Year’s. I’m just finishing up the last of my work before I leave to spend the week with family in North Carolina.”
Emery's whole body crumpled against James. “He already left? I was hoping to spend time with him … alone.”
Roberta gave Emery a smile, but said, “I’m sorry, sweetie. And I’m sorry you made the trip a full hour out of your way to see him here. Like I said I didn’t expect to see anyone today, so it was a treat for me that you came by. Would you like anything before you leave? I could whip up some of my famous gingerbread cookies.”
Emery smiled, giving Roberta one last hug. “We better not wait for the cookies this time. We have a longer drive and we don’t have much time to see everyone. Better not keep them waiting.”
“It was nice meeting you, James,” she said. “Next time you’re in town, please stop by again and visit.”
James thanked Roberta and nodded. She was nice, and he imagined that she liked working for Emery’s grandpa. They drove for a mile or two listening to Christmas music playing through the car speakers.
“So, we probably should go back to the tabled topic,” James said, his face feeling the awkwardness with a rush of heat as he drove the rental car to Emery’s parents’ house.
“Which one now?”
“The physical affection topic.”
Thankfully she looked as awkward as he did. “I don’t usually think about this in terms of showing other people, but we should figure it out.”
“Are you … I mean … are we an affectionate couple? What would your family expect? Do we kiss in public, do we kiss at all?”
“Yeah, it should be natural for us to kiss in front of people. We’ve been dating for two months, and we’re getting serious.”
His eyes widened even as his heart slammed against his rib cage. “I didn’t realize we were already so serious.”
She played with her purse strap in her lap and finally said, “We really should practice before we get to my parents’ house. I didn’t realize how much a bad kiss in front of everyone could unravel our whole story, even in just a weekend.” She blew out a breath and looked at him.
He could tell that something bothered her, he just wasn’t sure what. Was the idea of kissing him such a bad idea? He’d grown closer to her over the last few days since he first met her. He needed to figure this out. He didn’t want to look like he had no clue how to be a good boyfriend in front of her family.
They wound through streets and finally at a light he adjusted the GPS screen and took a right.
“Where are we going?” she asked, knowing that he’d obviously taken a detour. He parked the car in front of a snowy field. A sign at the entrance said, “Oak View Park.”
He helped her out of the rental. “We can’t have our very first kiss in a rental car now, can we? That’s not a story to tell.”
“I suppose that’s true.” She blushed, avoiding his eye contact. “So, what … we just … kiss in the middle of the park? Get it over with?”
He’d never had such a strange conversation about kissing before minus the texting conversation they’d had about it. He’d certainly never verbally said all of these awkward things.
But this was a fake relationship. They were pretending. He could at least try to pretend that this was natural, though she was obviously not excited about the kiss. He took her head, threading his gloved fingers through hers. “Why don’t we walk for a minute.”
She nodded and they chose a path meandering through trees. People with dogs passed them, but mostly they were by themselves. The sun glistened on the snow, making everything sparkle.
They walked in silence for a few minutes. Every time James glanced at Emery her eyes were straight ahead on the path, worry lines on her forehead. Suddenly he laughed. “You look like you’re in pain over this whole situation.”
He could feel the tension in her arms dissipate as she adjusted their hand hold. “Aren’t you?” she asked. “I feel like this whole thing is my fault. I wasn’t thinking about kissing when I thought about bringing a date. Matt said you weren’t dating anyone else, but that still doesn’t answer if there is actually someone else you’re interested in. I don’t know—this whole situation is new for me.”
“This situation is new for me too.” The fact that she worried about it was a relief, come to think of it. They had stopped walking, just stood in the middle of the path, just staring at each other. “As far as your concern, I take my fake boyfriend responsibilities very seriously.”
She snorted. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“Well, it’s a thing. I’m not looking for other fake relationships right now.”
She rolled her eyes, her eyebrows lifting causing another worry line to appear. “Be serious. Do you have someone that you are really interested in right now?”
The way she worded the question caught him off guard and his breath hitched a little as his eyes widened. He was interested in her. But he couldn’t admit that. Not before they were about to have their first pretend kiss. He didn’t need to add that kind of pressure. “No one but you,” he said.
“Wow. You really are quite the charmer. I’m surprised you haven’t been snatched up several times.”
“Who says I haven’t? Maybe I don’t want to be snatched up by all the other girls I’ve dated.” Especially not when the reason was because of his net worth.
She shook her head and tsked. “I knew you’d left a string of broken hearts in your wake. Lucky me that all the others couldn’t catch you.” A sassy grin was on her face as she said the words. She was flirting with him and the awkwardness that had stilted their conversation from earlier left.
A string of broken hearts? He almost laughed out loud, until he saw the look in
her eyes. If only she knew the reason for all of the broken hearts. The reality was they were more broken up over the loss of his money, not him. He shrugged.
It was silly to ask her the same question back. Of course she didn’t, that’s why he was with her for the weekend.
He should reassure her that he was where he wanted to be. Besides, he never really went home during Christmas. And most of the time, he wasn’t visiting a girlfriend’s family. “You’re the only fake girlfriend I’ve had that has taken me home to meet her family, so I’d say our relationship is getting more serious.”
She laughed. “You’re the first fake boyfriend I’ve brought home.”
“I’m honored, really.”
She stepped closer, her shoes bumping against his on the frozen sidewalk. “Thanks for coming with me. I know it must seem silly and halfway to a little crazy on my part.” She stopped talking, her lip trembling in the cold.
He was mesmerized by her lips and how much he wanted to kiss her for real and not pretend. “I wanted to come. It’s good to get away from the city and—”
She brushed her lips against his, not allowing him to finish his thought, which he forgot as soon as she started kissing him.
He wrapped his arms around her, brushing his hand through her curls. His head swam with emotions as he enjoyed kissing Emery. When she pulled back, he wanted more. He was about to kiss her again, but she stepped back.
“The tension was killing me,” she said. “Now that that’s over, let’s go. We’ll be able to convince my family we’ve kissed before.”
She turned and headed back toward the rental.
James mentally smacked himself. That was the most real pretend kiss he’d ever had. And he needed to remember what he was here for. He was helping her out.
He could think of only one thing as they walked back to the rental. Emery was way too good at pretend kissing, and he was going to have to be careful to remember that this wasn’t as real as it felt.
Chapter 12