Rent-A Husband

by Everly Ashton

  Camila

  Lucas stares at me wide-eyed and unblinking for a minute.

  Shit. I knew I shouldn’t have said anything. He probably thinks I’m a pathetic crazy woman now.

  “Forget I said anything. It was a dumb idea.” I wave him off and head toward the kitchen. “Do you want a beer? Or something to eat? I’ve got lots of snack foods and I could probably—”

  “Camila.” The way he says my name with authority stops me in my tracks and I turn to face him. “Don’t do that.”

  My forehead wrinkles. “Do what?”

  “Pretend you didn’t say what you just did. You want me to be your boyfriend?”

  “Pretend boyfriend,” I clarify, lest he think I really am desperate enough to beg him to be paired with me.

  “How would that work?” He steps farther into the room, head cocked.

  Hope sparks inside me. Is he really considering this? “You’d be my date for the wedding and we’d pretend that we’re in a relationship. All the events will be in Seattle, I’m pretty sure, so you wouldn’t run into anyone you know from around here.”

  He nods slowly as though he’s actually considering this insane plan. “We’d have to come up with a story about how we met, how long we’ve been dating. Get our facts straight and make sure they match.”

  I nod. “For sure. The only thing more humiliating than going by myself would be having everyone there know I brought a fake date to pretend to be my boyfriend.” A nervous laugh escapes.

  He steps forward and grips my shoulders, looking me square in the eye. “It’s understandable that you don’t want to go on your own, given the situation.”

  I nod slowly. I can’t believe he’s actually considering doing this. He barely knows me. “I’m not trying to pressure you into anything. You don’t have to if you—”

  “There are worse things than spending the night with a beautiful woman.” Our eyes hold for a moment and my cheeks heat.

  “Are you sure?” I bite my bottom lip.

  Lucas nods. “For sure. Camila?”

  I sink into his eyes and wait for what he’s going to say.

  “I’d love to be your fake boyfriend for the wedding.”

  Relief surges through me, and before I can stop myself, I jolt forward and wrap my arms around his neck. “Thank you so much.”

  Immediately, I’m acutely aware that this feels different somehow than when he comforted me earlier. Probably because I no longer have tears dripping down my face. I clear my throat and back away.

  “Don’t mention it,” he says with a strained smile.

  “You don’t understand. I’m terrible at small talk to begin with, and having to do it when I know that everyone in the room has those pity eyes on me would be torture. This way everyone will just be thinking how lucky I am to find a hot guy after Elijah.” I press my lips together and my eyes widen. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.

  A half grin tugs up one side of his lips. “So, you think I’m hot?” He raises one eyebrow.

  “I’m sure you’ve looked in the mirror. You’re obviously attractive. Don’t let it go to your head.”

  “Too late.” He shifts his stance, and when my gaze darts to his groin, I see a bulge forming. I must be imagining things.

  “Well, anyway, I can’t thank you enough. When Elijah did what he did… it was humiliating. Especially because he didn’t miss a beat and made it known to anyone who would listen at work that he’d moved on. The idea that I’d have to go suffer through that kind of humiliation on my own again… I just couldn’t fathom it.”

  “You work with this guy?”

  I shake my head. “Not anymore. He left a couple of months ago to work at one of our competitors.”

  “When is this shindig?”

  “Actually, I haven’t even opened the envelope yet. I was too petrified to see what actual day doomsday was.”

  He motions back to the living room where the unopened envelope still lays on the table. “Okay then. Let’s see so I can add it to my busy social calendar.”

  “I’m sorry. It just dawned on me that I assumed you aren’t seeing anyone. I think you mentioned that you don’t have a girlfriend, but that doesn’t mean you’re not dating someone.”

  He chuckles. “Relax. I’m as single as they come.”

  I nod quickly, not sure what to make of that statement, before heading into the living room and picking up the envelope from the table. “Okay, let’s see what the big day is.” I tear it open and pull out several sheets of paper. I quickly scan them, blinking several times at what I see.

  “What is it?” Lucas asks.

  “There are two invites here. One is for the wedding and the other is for a Stag and Doe.”

  “What’s a Stag and Doe?”

  I glance at him, and he comes beside me to read the piece of paper in my hand. “It says here that it’s a Canadian tradition that the wedding party hosts as a fundraiser for the couple. Makes sense, I guess. Amy’s fiancé is originally from Canada.”

  Lucas shrugs. “All right. Well, that might be interesting.”

  I turn to face him. “You don’t mind pretending to be my boyfriend at two events?”

  “Of course not. I already agreed to one. What’s one more?”

  I can’t believe how cool he’s being about this. “This Stag and Doe thing is in three weeks, at the end of June, and the wedding is at the end of August.”

  He shrugs. “That works. I don’t have any vacation plans this summer. Too busy with work.”

  Tears well in my eyes. “I really can’t thank you enough, Lucas. It’s so kind what you’re doing.”

  “You’re making a bigger deal of this than it is. It’s just a couple of dates.”

  I need to remember that he’s not actually my boyfriend, he’s just doing me a favor. We’re not really going on a date. “Well, thanks. You’re really helping me out.”

  “Don’t mention it.” An awkward silence passes between us. “Well, I’m gonna take off. I’ll see you back here in the morning.” He starts toward the door, so I follow.

  “I might be on my training run when you get here, so I’ll leave the key under the planter out front.”

  “Sounds good.” He grips the door handle and turns to look at me over his shoulder. “See you then.”

  And then he’s gone.

  Lucas seems sincere in his desire to help me. Still, I can’t help but feel like he rushed out of here pretty quickly. I hope he doesn’t regret agreeing to this plan.

  Thirteen

  Camila

  Later that week, I knock on the door of Amy’s office. “You have a second?”

  She glances away from her computer screen and looks at me. “Of course. Please save me.”

  I chuckle and walk in with the small envelope clutched tightly in my hand. Once I hand this to her, there’s no going back. “What are you working on?”

  “Only the most particular client in the world who’s asking for the world in a potential employee but not willing to pay for it.”

  I cringe, knowing full well how frustrating it can be when clients want top-notch employees but are only willing to pay bargain basement pricing to get them.

  “Anyway, you didn’t come in here to listen to me gripe. What do you have in your hand there?” She grins, knowing full well it’s her envelope.

  I pass her the small pink envelope that holds my RSVP for her wedding. “Figured I’d drop this off in person rather than risk it getting lost in the mail.”

  “Thank you.” She takes it and slides the card out of the envelope. “A plus-one? I didn’t realize you were seeing anyone.”

  I clear my throat and shift my weight. Might as well get comfortable with my lie now. “Yeah, I’m dating this guy, Lucas. He’s really great.”

  All right, I think that sounded convincing. Not too braggy, but enough to say he treats me well.

  “Since when? You never mentioned anything when we go out for lunch.” She doesn’t seem disbelie
ving, more offended that I didn’t confide in her.

  Don’t sweat it, Amy, I didn’t know I was seeing anyone either until last Friday.

  I made sure to double- then triple-check with Lucas that he was still on board with the plan, to the point that he was getting a little annoyed with me.

  “I didn’t want to jinx it.” I shrug, hoping to play it off.

  “After what happened with Elijah, I don’t blame you.” Her mouth presses together into a thin line.

  Amy didn’t hide how she felt about what Elijah did back when it happened, but her fiancé is still friends with the guy, so she has to play nice with him.

  “Yeah, that’s part of it. Anyway, we’ll be at the Stag and Doe too, so you can meet him there.” I force a big smile as though I’m excited about the prospect of my friend meeting the guy I’m seeing when in reality, I’m terrified.

  Her hands flop down on the desk. “Ugh, this Stag and Doe. What even is this thing, right?” She chuckles.

  “I did some Googling and it sounds like it’s going to be fun.”

  “I guess. A lot of Greg’s family is coming down for it. He’s looking forward to it. The things we do for love, right?”

  I smile. “You got it. All right, I need to get back to it. I have a call with a new client in twenty minutes.”

  “Thanks for dropping this off. I’m glad you’re coming. I thought maybe that with… well, you know. With Elijah and Sarah coming… maybe you wouldn’t want to.”

  I suck in a deep breath. She knows the name of his new love as though she’s her new best friend. Stab to the heart. They’ve probably double-dated. I smack on a smile. “You’re my friend. No chance I would miss your big day.”

  She nods, and with a small wave, I retreat back to my office to lick the wounds that feel as though they’ll never scab over, let alone heal completely.

  On the way home on the train, I call Amber to tell her what happened last weekend. I spoke to her on Saturday but didn’t mention the wedding invitation. I was already making myself crazy obsessing over it and everything that could go wrong with bringing a fake boyfriend along with me and I didn’t want to get into it with her.

  But she’s my best friend and she’ll probably kill me if I don’t bring her up to speed on what’s going on in my life.

  She picks up after a couple of rings. “Hey, girl, you’ve been quiet. I was gonna call you.”

  “Sorry, work has been busy and with the renos going on at my place and trying to get back into my training for the trail runs, it’s been a crazy week. You busy?”

  “No, I’m just waiting for Henry to get home with dinner. How’s the bathroom going?”

  “Slow, but good. Lucas is only over a few nights a week and once on the weekend to work on it, but he’s making progress.”

  “That’s cool. Hey, did you see my email today with those pictures of the flowers? What did you think of them for the wedding?”

  We chat for a few minutes about the flowers, then after taking a deep breath, I tell her about the invitation that arrived on Friday and the crazy plan I’ve initiated.

  “Wait… so your contractor is gonna pretend to be your boyfriend?”

  “Yes. I know it’s a crazy, stupid idea, but it’s the only way I can save face.”

  “What’s this guy look like? When you told me some man had shown up to fix your plumbing, I pictured some fifty-something with a pot belly sticking out from under his wife beater.”

  I chuckle. Lucas is most definitely not that. “Not quite. He’s probably a few years older than me. Tall, brown hair, bit of beard growth.”

  “Hmm. Something tells me you’re holding back.”

  “I’m not holding back.”

  “So he’s hot then?”

  I smile. “He’s not terrible. Anyway, do you think this is a completely stupid idea or do you think I’ll be able to pull it off?”

  She blows out a breath. “Well, it’s definitely stupid, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to pull it off. You know I would’ve gone with you if you’d asked.”

  I play with a piece of lint on my dress pants. “I know you would have, but that would only make people pity me more.”

  “You don’t deserve anyone’s pity. You’re lucky to be free from that asshole, and anyone who knows him knows that.”

  My lips press together. “Doesn’t stop them from pitying me anyway.”

  “Well, just make sure you go in with a plan, okay? You two need to get your stories straight.”

  “We will. We have a couple of weeks still before the Stag and Doe.”

  “What the hell is a Stag and Doe?”

  I laugh and explain it to her. We chat for a bit more, then I let her go because my stop is coming up, promising to catch up with her on the weekend. A minute later, the train stops and I stand to make my way off of it, taking my purse and computer bag with me.

  I’ve just stepped onto the train platform when a guy I don’t know thrusts a phone at me. “Can you film this?”

  Before I can ask what he’s talking about or just tell him no, he’s pushing the phone into my hand. Because I don’t want to drop it, I take it and see that it’s already recording. I turn when he walks past me and waves for me to follow. I guess I’m doing this.

  “What do you want me to do?” I ask, confused as to why he’s standing near the door of the train while people push out past him.

  “Just keep it on me.”

  I roll my eyes and mutter, “A please might be nice.”

  A few seconds later, a woman about my age steps off the train. Her face lights up when she sees him waiting for her, and he takes her hand and pulls her off to the side, away from the rabid commuters rushing to their cars. I follow them, pulling the strap of my computer bag farther up on my shoulder with my free hand.

  Once most of the crowd clears, he drops down to one knee and pulls a ring box from his pocket.

  Seriously? It’s like everyone in my orbit is getting engaged these days. What the hell?

  I can’t really hear what he’s saying because the train is pulling away, but the woman has tears in her eyes and her hands are covering her mouth as if she can’t believe what’s happening. He slips the ring on her finger and stands. They kiss and embrace.

  He finally seems to remember that he passed his phone off to some random stranger and comes back over to me. “Did you catch all that?”

  I nod. “Yep, here you go. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks a lot. This platform is where we met.” He grins as he takes his phone and turns back toward his new fiancée.

  They’re paying me no attention, so I head down the platform to go find my car, trying my best not to feel sorry for myself.

  Lots of women my age are still single and have had shitty men in their lives who cheated on them. I’m not alone in this, but I’ve never felt lonelier in my life.

  Fourteen

  Lucas

  A couple of weeks have passed since Camila asked me to be her fake boyfriend. We have one week to go before we have to pretend to be in love with each other at the Stag and Doe, but we haven’t discussed it since.

  I don’t know if she’s regretting the idea or thinks I am, but she hasn’t brought it up. I mean, I do have reservations, obviously, but the look on her face when she explained the situation to me is stuck in my head. I’d feel as if I was sending a baby calf to slaughter if I let her go to the events alone.

  I’ve decided that today is the day we figure out our story, whether she brings it up or not. It’s Saturday afternoon and she’s out doing one of her training runs while I’m working on tiling the shower. I did the floor last week and reinstalled the toilet for her.

  The summer sun beats down on me on the driveway where I’m cutting the tile for the shower corners. It’s an unusually hot day and I’ve already sweated through my shirt. I wipe a bead of sweat off my forehead when the saw stops spinning.

  Once all the tile is set on the wall, I check the time and see it’s head
ing into late afternoon. I’ll have to do the grouting another day. I’ve got paperwork I need to do at home, groceries, and I want to stop by Gram and Gramps’s place tomorrow.

  The sweat from my T-shirt sticking to me dries as I clean up for the day. I always have a change of clothes in my truck because I never know what mess I’m gonna get into with my job. I’d rather not get into my truck soaked or filthy dirty, especially since I’m not driving the work truck today.

  Camila still hasn’t returned. Maybe I’ll have a quick rinse in her shower out back and change my clothes. Hopefully she won’t mind.

  I grab my spare set of clothes from the back of my truck and make my way around to the backyard. I strip down to my boxer briefs and turn on the shower.

  It takes a minute for the water to warm, and when it does, I slip under the stream, grabbing the soap she’s left on a holder on the edge of her deck. I wash myself down and run the soap over my body. When I turn again to rinse off, I lock eyes with Camila.

  She’s standing in her sports bra and small shorts, covered in sweat. Her gaze travels up and down my body with obvious desire.

  “Sorry, I hope you don’t mind. I was covered in sweat and just wanted to rinse off before I changed clothes.”

  After blinking a few times, she recovers and her gaze darts up to meet mine once again. “Yeah, of course. No biggie.”

  “I’m almost done. I’m sure you want to shower too.”

  “Right. Yeah, I’ll go get you a towel. One second.” She rushes back into the house.

  I can’t fight the smile that spreads across my face at her reaction to seeing my body. It was both charming and cute. As though she were equal parts impressed and didn’t know what to do about it.

  I know I look good. Not to sound like a pompous asshole or anything, but I work out most mornings before work and I have a physical job.

  She returns with two towels and holds one out for me, which I accept. “Thanks. You sure you don’t mind me rinsing off?”

  “Of course not.” She waves me off, trying to act as if she’s unaffected, but she’s a shit actress.