Game On the Verge

by Jamie Summer

  “My cousin, Trish… She had a baby. Ella. Such a cute little thing. Anyway, they are having her christened and want me there.”

  I nodded. “Okay… What does this have to do with me liking babies or not?”

  “Well, my family expects me to show up…with my girlfriend.”

  “Then bring her,” I told him, ignoring the small stab in my chest at the mention of his girlfriend. I didn’t care, right? I busied myself with the beer glasses in front of me, no longer wanting to look at him.

  “Yeah, it’s not as easy as that. See, I don’t actually have one.”

  That made me meet his gaze again. “You don’t?”

  He shook his head. “Nope. My family always pressed me about having a girlfriend. I got so sick and tired of it that I told them I did. While I’ve successfully avoided having to bring her to family brunches, they want her at the christening. So now I have to present a girlfriend I don’t actually have.”

  A laugh escaped my lips. I couldn’t help it. “You pretended to have a girlfriend to get your family off your back?”

  He frowned. “It’s not as funny if you’re the person who now needs one.”

  “Oh, I believe that. It still is kinda funny. However, I know what it’s like to be pressured by your family.” Tyler’s brow arched at my remark, and I cursed myself. I wasn’t one to reveal too much about myself. Another reason I liked working at a bar. As a bartender, your job was merely to listen.

  “Then you’ll do it?” he asked.

  My brows furrowed. “Do what?”

  “Be my girlfriend?”

  I stared at him.

  “Perfect. Thank you. I’ll let you know all the details soon, okay?”

  I held up a hand. “Hey, I didn’t agree to anything.”

  Tyler merely shrugged. “You also didn’t say no, so I’m taking your silence as agreement. Thank you. You’re truly helping me out here.” He gave me another smile, threw money onto the bar and walked out before I had a chance to complain.

  His girlfriend? I couldn’t be his girlfriend. Fake or not. Anyway, how did he know I didn’t have a boyfriend at home who would pummel him to the ground the moment he heard about this?

  “Tyler!” I called out, but it was no use. He was already out the door.

  And I was stuck here with a promise I hadn’t actually made.

  And a boyfriend I didn’t have a minute ago.

  What just happened?

  Tyler

  It was a bold move on my part. It had taken four beers and a lot of encouragement from myself to ask Jo if she would be my girlfriend. Well, fake girlfriend, but still. I always liked her, and she was the first one who had come to my mind when I searched for possibilities in the girlfriend department.

  Once I asked her and she didn’t answer right away, I made a mad dash for the door. I didn’t want to hear her rejection.

  After a night’s sleep, I still wasn’t sure if what I had done was exceptionally stupid. In the end, she could still tell me to go screw myself when I stopped by to give her details of the christening.

  We also couldn’t let this be the first time we met up just the two of us. That was a disaster waiting to happen. So I needed to ask Jo if she would be willing to meet up beforehand to go over some basics for our “relationship”.

  Yeah, not sure that would go over well.

  Thinking about what I had gotten myself into, I walked to practice glad when I saw Gavin and Devon in the changing room. Anything to keep my mind from thinking about Jo any more than I needed to.

  “Hey, guys,” I greeted.

  “Hey. How was brunch yesterday?” Devon asked.

  “Pretty good. Saw my cousin’s baby for the first time. Did you know those things are really small?” They laughed.

  “So I heard,” Gavin explained. Just a few weeks ago, he had found out he was dad himself, but his kid was already six, a far cry from the baby I had seen the day before.

  “Anyway, it was fun. Nothing out of the ordinary.” I had no idea why I didn’t tell them about the christening or my issue with my fake girlfriend. Probably because they wouldn’t stop making fun of me.

  “Anyway, what are you doing here, Gavin? I thought you’d be with the second team by now.”

  “Coach sent me here today to train with you guys. Seems my performance has improved enough for me to practice with you guys twice a week. He didn’t promise me a spot back on the first team, but I’m taking whatever chance I have.”

  About the time he found out he was a dad, Gavin’s performance had started slipping to the point that he could either quit or be pushed down to the second team. Not that he minded. It gave him more time to spend with his kid and his girlfriend.

  “Sounds good,” I replied.

  "Move your asses out here," Coach called and I followed my friends outside. Practice kept my mind off my problems, but the moment we were done and I walked out of the shower, the dread was back.

  As much as I wanted to hide, I needed to go back to the bar tonight and talk to Jo while I was sober. I hadn’t been drunk yesterday, but I required the liquid courage the beer had given me. Maybe Jo thought I was joking. She needed to understand I wasn’t.

  I truly needed her to play my girlfriend.

  I said goodbye to Gavin and Devon and made my way over to the bar. It wasn’t far from the stadium, so I got there ten minutes later. It was still early, so I didn’t see too many people sitting around.

  Jo stood behind the bar, stocking shelves. When she caught sight of me, an eye roll was the only greeting I got.

  Here we go.

  I walked over. “Do you need a hand with that?” I asked. She didn’t turn from her position on the step-stool she currently stood on and put a bottle of Tennessee Whiskey on the top shelf.

  “Nope, I got it. What are you doing here again, Tyler?” There was annoyance in her voice, and I couldn’t blame her. I deserved it. Kind of.

  “I wanted to apologize for last night.”

  Nothing. No reaction. She went on with her work as if I hadn’t said anything.

  “I shouldn’t have blindsided you the way I did.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jo said.

  I blew out a breath. “I wasn’t drunk, so I know what happened, Jo. I’m sorry for what I said, but I’m not sorry I asked you. I would truly appreciate it if you could help me out. It would only be for a day, no longer. My family isn’t as bad as I made them out to be yesterday. They are sweet people who just want me to meet someone.”

  Halfway through my speech, Jo had stopped working and watched me. I wasn’t sure if that were a good or bad sign. With her, it could be anything.

  “So while it may have sounded like a joke to you, it was a very real question. Would you help me? Be my girlfriend for a day?”

  I waited for her to say something, but nothing happened for the longest time. I nervously shifted from one foot to the other, hoping no one walked up to the bar now and wanted to order something. Not until I had my answer.

  Eventually, Jo got down from the stool she stood on and turned toward me, hands on her hips.

  “Your girlfriend? For a day?” she asked.

  I nodded. “It’s crazy, I know. But you’re great and my family would love you.”

  “Flattery isn’t helping.” I mimed zipping my lips shut. She groaned. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but okay.”

  “Okay?” I wasn’t sure I had heard her right.

  “Yes. I won’t say no to free food and some baby cuddles. Can you make sure I get baby cuddles?”

  Dumbfounded, my eyes widened as I nodded. “I’m pretty sure that can be arranged.”

  “Okay. It’s a date. Don’t get any wrong ideas, though. One day. That’s all I’m going to give you.”

  “Deal. One day is all I need,” I hastily agreed, hoping I hadn’t just made a deal with the devil. With my family, you never knew if one day was going to be enough. But I wouldn’t tell Jo that.

  �
�Just let me know when and where.”

  She was about to turn back to continue stocking the shelves when I reached over the bar and gently grabbed her arm.

  “Do you think we could meet up for, say, a coffee beforehand? The christening isn’t for another three weeks, and I would really like to get to know a little more about you. I also need to let you know what kind of stuff I’ve been telling my parents about you…or, rather, my ‘girlfriend’.”

  I saw shock register on her face. She clearly hadn’t thought that far ahead. I didn’t blame her. I had a lot of time to think about this already, while I had basically ambushed her.

  “Um… That’s not what I agreed to.”

  “I know. But you have to agree that we should at least get our story straight on how we met and all those relationship questions that may come up.”

  I swore I saw the wheels turning in Jo’s mind.

  “Okay, fine.” It was clear she wasn’t exactly pleased with the prospect, but that was okay. I still had a bit of time to convince her.

  Jo grabbed the notepad from the pocket of her apron and scribbled something down. “Here’s my number. Text me and we’ll schedule that coffee.”

  I grabbed the paper and looked at it, cocking my head. Smirking as I looked at her, I pulled out my own phone and dialed, hearing something vibrate at the other end of the bar. She gave me an annoyed look.

  I sobered. “Thank you. Seriously. I owe you,” I told her, meaning every word of it. I might seem like a carefree guy who didn’t care about other people’s opinions, but having the approval of my family mattered a lot. So Jo being willing to take the leap was significant to me.

  “Don’t thank me yet. I could be the worst guest you’ve ever bought along. You don’t know anything about me. I could be evil incarnate,” Jo said, and I arched a brow at her.

  “From what I’ve seen and the little we’ve talked when I come in here, I doubt any of that. Also, I didn’t have any other option. If you turn out to be an evil witch, I guess I’ll have a good reason to ‘break up’ with you after the christening,” I joked. I saw a small grin form on her lips.

  I call that a win.

  “Anyway, thank you. I’ll definitely see you soon.” Jo nodded.

  I made my way out of the bar, hoping this wasn’t going to end in a disaster. Hoping my family would believe this charade I’d parade in front of them.

  Hoping I wasn’t going to screw this up.

  Jo

  The days flew. Before I knew it, it was the day of the christening. Tyler and I had met up once and settled some general relationship questions. When we met, how we met, what I did for a living… All the boring stuff that would probably come up. He also told me how he always explained his “girlfriend’s” absence with traveling for work.

  I hated to admit it, but the conversation had been necessary. Without it, I was pretty sure I would have told his family I work at the bar, go out with random strangers and have no social life to speak of. I doubt that would’ve gone over well. Not if his family was anything like mine anyway.

  I woke up early on Saturday, nerves making it impossible to sleep until my alarm was set to go off. I hated it. What was I nervous about?

  Granted, I shouldn’t have agreed to this endeavor in the first place, but he looked so lost when he asked me. I couldn’t deny him. Like I had told him I knew all about family expectations and disappointing them.

  I started coffee, jumped into the shower, got dressed, then drank my morning cup. Though I took my sweet time, I still had an hour before I needed to leave. Tyler had explained how he hated driving here, hadn’t yet dared to try it, so he suggested a driving service, which I denied. I was perfectly capable of driving. It took some convincing, something about him being chivalrous and all that, but in the end, he agreed to have us take my car.

  At eight thirty, I pulled up in front of his place and climbed out of my car. The christening was supposed to start at ten, giving us plenty of time to drive the forty-five minutes.

  “Good morning,” Tyler greeted me at the door, a smile on his face.

  As his gaze roamed up and down my body, I felt like I was back in ninth grade, waiting for my date to approve of what I chose to wear.

  “You look incredible,” he said, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek.

  I had decided for a floor-length blue dress with bare shoulders, a light blue jacket over it. It was classic, but not over the top so I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. I wasn’t a fan of dresses in the first place, but I figured after everything Tyler told me about his family, the women were definitely traditional.

  “Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself.” He had cleaned up nicely. I could count on one hand the number of times I had seen him out of his training clothes, so this was definitely a nice change. His tux was a classic style, and he had combed his hair into submission, placing it in a small bun at the back of his head.

  “Are you ready?” he asked, and I shrugged.

  “Only one way to find out.”

  “Thank you again.”

  I nodded as he walked out and locked the door. “Don’t thank me yet. We haven’t made it through anything.”

  I wasn’t worried so much about keeping up appearances. Christenings weren’t the place for love or affection, so I didn’t think we needed to be seen kissing each other every ten seconds.

  I swallowed, the mere thought bringing a small army of butterflies to my stomach. This wasn’t a date, nor was it anything even remotely close. I was playing his girlfriend. Nothing else.

  So why does it still feel somewhat like a date?

  Has to be the circumstances, I told myself, watching Tyler open the passenger door as I climbed behind the wheel.

  We drove most of the way in easy conversation. Simple things that might help us make it through our fake date. I was surprised to learn football hadn’t been Tyler’s first love, then was even more surprised to hear that though he moved here from the States, he had family in Britain before that.

  We arrived at the location with half an hour to spare, finding a parking spot amongst the rows of cars already assembled.

  “Okay. Here we go. You’re gonna do great,” Tyler said, taking my hand in his and bringing it to his lips for a soft kiss. The gesture was unexpected, since there was no one around to see us. I swallowed down the slight irritation and nodded.

  “We’re gonna do great,” I assured him with a smile, then got out. I reveled in the feeling of the warm sun for a second. People always thought the sun didn’t shine here, but it came out quite often, illuminating the beautiful landscapes all around the country.

  “Tyler! So glad you could make it.”

  We hadn’t even made it ten steps from the car when an elderly lady came our way. Her resemblance to Tyler was remarkable. Same eyes, same nose, same mouth… It was a male replica of her.

  “Hi, Mom,” he greeted, giving her a kiss on each cheek.

  “Hi, my son.” She turned to me, smiling. “And you must be that girlfriend he’s been keeping away from us for far too long.” Tyler’s mom stretched out her hand, and I shook it. “I’m so glad we finally get to meet you, Clare.”

  Clare? I glanced at Tyler in confusion, seeing his face had gone completely pale.

  “Jo, mom. It’s Jo.”

  She furrowed her brows. “But you said her name was Clare.”

  While part of me wanted to sink into the floor with the way this was starting out, I wasn’t the type to just sit still and look pretty.

  “Mrs. Portsmith, it’s Josephine Clare, so maybe that’s where the confusion comes from,” I explained, a wide smile on my face. “Tyler liked to call me Clare when we first met because of some movie he watched as a kid. Eventually, I told him it wasn’t gonna work. If he wanted to stay with me, he needed to start calling me by my real name.”

  His mom glanced from me to Tyler and back again. Her eyes were wide at the slightly harsh tone I used, and I wondered if I had already ruined our fake date within f
ive minutes of being here.

  The sound of laughter drifted over to us, an elderly man walking up. “I like her. Tyler needs someone who won’t make life too easy for him. Hi. My name is Mark. I’m Tyler’s dad,” he introduced himself, and I appreciated the strong handshake he gave me.

  “Jo. Nice to meet you,” I replied, a little awestruck. And scared. Tyler’s mom still hadn’t said anything. Neither had Tyler.

  “Well, I guess you’re right. And believe me, that cartoon he liked to watch as a kid… He had it on repeat. You can’t imagine how many countless hours we spent watching it.” Tyler’s mom laughed heartily, and I joined in. “It’s nice to meet you, Jo. I’m Carla.” There was a twinkle of amusement in her eyes.

  “Come on. Everyone’s getting ready,” Tyler’s dad said, taking his wife’s hand and leading us toward the church.

  “Nice job,” Tyler whispered, his hand going around my waist to pull me close.

  “Well, you certainly weren’t a huge help,” I told him with a grin. “Thanks for the heads-up. You tell me all kinds of crap about what you told your family, but not that your girlfriend already had a name?”

  “I forgot.” He blushed, making me hold in all the arguments I had. Instead, I turned toward the sight in front of us. The white church was a beautiful example of English countryside. Barely big enough to hold thirty people, surrounded by fields all around. I loved it.

  Once we stepped closer, we were greeted by more of Tyler’s family. He hadn’t exaggerated when he said half of his family already lived here. Aunts, uncles, cousins. It seemed the number was endless. I was pretty certain not all of these people would be able to fit in the church.

  “The christening will be immediate family only, but it shouldn’t take too long. Trish invited their friends and everyone else they wanted along for the experience, even if they have to stay outside,” Tyler’s mom explained. “It’s a little untraditional, but our family has always liked to do it their way.” I nodded, having no doubt about that. “What about your family? All British?”

  “Yes. All born and raised here,” I replied, the thought of my family making me swallow slightly. They most certainly wouldn’t approve of this little unconventional ceremony.