“Maybe…”
“I knew you’d see it my way.” Her laughter filled the quiet room.
Jared pulled the car up to Madison’s apartment, his chest tightening. “Well, I guess I’ll see you next week.”
“When’s the rehearsal?”
“Next Thursday. Irene wants us to stick around and help out with last-minute wedding plans on Friday, and Saturday’s the big day, so you’ll want to pack for a few days.”
“Okay.”
Her large blue eyes stared at him, and he almost forgot what else he wanted to say. “I’ll call you. We’ll make arrangements.” Part of him was relieved to say goodbye and put some space between them. Another part, the part he didn’t understand, wanted to cling to her.
Madison didn’t look like she had any issues with him leaving. “Okay. See ya.” She waved and hopped out of the car. Moments later, she sprinted up the stairs and entered her apartment without so much as a glance back.
And that was it. She was gone.
He tried to feel relief. Told himself he’d be able to concentrate on his work now. He put his car in reverse and backed out. Now he could forget all about her. His life could go back to the way it was before. There was just one thing preventing normalcy.
He had to marry her first.
Pretend to marry, of course. It wasn’t real. She didn’t love him, and he…well, he wasn’t sure how he felt anymore. Her close proximity these past few days had messed with his head. And now things were all mixed up.
Did he love her?
A car honked and he slammed on the breaks to avoid a collision. He waved an apology, while the other driver made a rude gesture. “Sorry.” It was pointless saying it out loud, but he did it anyway.
Madison stirred up things he hadn’t felt in a long time, but that didn’t mean he loved her. He’d had feelings for Veronica, too. What a messed-up situation that had turned out to be.
Getting away from Madison was the best thing for him. He’d go back to work and forget all about her. At least, until he had to say ‘I do.’
How he’d gotten mixed up in this crazy scheme, he’d never know.
Madison ran up the stairs to her apartment, putting as much distance between her and Jared as she could.
Finally.
She could breathe and not smell him, not be reminded every second how attractive he was. She opened the door to her apartment and saw Carrie huddled on the couch, a blanket pulled over her shoulders and mascara streaks down her face. A pile of crumpled tissues lay scattered on the carpet. Her long, black hair obviously needed a good washing, as it was matted and stuck out in all directions.
Madison sank to the floor beside her long-time friend. “What happened?”
Carrie pulled a tissue out from under the blanket and dabbed at her eyes. “Trevor dumped me.”
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.” The words were true, even though Madison disliked Trevor. She never wanted to see Carrie upset.
“I don’t know what happened.” Carrie sniffed. “Everything was going well. I mean, we had our moments, like every couple, but I really thought he was the one.”
Madison had to bite her tongue so she didn’t say something she’d later regret. Trevor was as self-centered as they come. He never did anything for Carrie. Everything had to be his way. Instead of pointing out all of Trevor’s faults, Madison concentrated on consoling Carrie. She patted her shoulder. “I know you did.”
“He broke up with me in a text. Can you believe it? A stupid text message. He’s found someone else. Someone he likes better.” A large tear rolled down her cheek.
The words ‘good riddance’ stuck in Madison’s throat, and she coughed into her fist. “That’s awful.”
“I’ll never find anyone else.” Carrie yanked another tissue from the box on the floor and blew her nose.
“That’s not true.” Madison had seen this happen a dozen times. Always the same cycle. Carrie was the type of person who couldn’t be without a boyfriend. Within a week of a breakup, she would have a new guy on her arm.
Not that she didn’t take her relationships seriously. She did. Maybe to a fault. Every guy was ‘the one,’ and she clung to him until he couldn’t breathe. At least that’s how it looked to Madison. But she’d never say anything to Carrie. It would hurt her feelings.
“Do we have any ice cream?”
“You don’t need ice cream. You need to get up off the couch, take a shower, and take your life back.” Inspiration struck. “Hey, we need to go shopping and find you the perfect dress to wear to my wedding.” Madison wiggled her eyebrows.
“Your wedding isn’t even real,” Carrie moaned and pulled the covers over her head.
“No, but there will be real men there. Jared’s half-brother is cute.”
Carrie peeked an eye out. “Really?”
Ha, she knew it. Mention another man, and Carrie would snap out of her depression like a twig in the desert sun. “He’s not only cute, he’s in his last year of law school.”
“Ooh, a handsome lawyer?” The covers flew off and Carrie stood. “What are we waiting for? We’ve got a killer dress to shop for.”
“That’s the spirit.”
Chapter 17
Madison wrapped herself up in job searching and helping Carrie forget about Trevor. They spent the next day shopping and getting their hair done. Carrie got a trendy bob, and Madison sprung for some highlights. The busier she kept, the less she was plagued with thoughts of Jared. Before she knew it, the day before the rehearsal dinner arrived.
Nerves tangled up inside her as she waited to hear from Jared. When the phone rang, she jumped. Carrie answered, then tossed it to Madison. “Your fake fiancé wants to talk to you.”
She tried to make her voice sound nonchalant. “Hey.” Her fingers gripped the phone so tightly her knuckles turned white.
“The rehearsal starts at one tomorrow.”
That was Jared. Down to business. No asking how she was doing, how her week was going. Nothing but the necessities. Of course, why would he ask about her week? He didn’t care. She knew he didn’t love her, but the truth of it still stung. “Okay.”
“We should leave in the morning. How does eight o’clock sound?”
The deep timbre of his voice brought back all the memories of their time together, which made her heart thump in her chest. Heat rushed to her cheeks. “Sounds good.”
Carrie stared at her from across the room. She turned and walked away to avoid the scrutiny.
“Is everything set up with your actor friend?”
“Yes. Jimmy’s ready.” Madison twisted a lock of her hair around her finger. She didn’t want their conversation to end. She hated to admit it, but she missed talking to him. “Did you speak with Veronica?”
Jared blew out a breath. “Yes. She’s groveling, trying to take everything back. She wants to date after our fake breakup. I told her to jump in the lake.”
Madison giggled. “You didn’t!”
His chuckle sent shivers through her. “Yeah. Only I wasn’t that nice.”
“I hope she leaves you alone now.”
There was a rustling noise as Jared adjusted the phone. “What else can she do?”
Madison bit her lip. “I don’t know, but she makes me nervous.”
“I won’t let her do anything to you.” His voice was soft, like a caress.
Why did he have to say that? Madison closed her eyes, unable to respond. His words almost made her think he had feelings for her. Pain stabbed through her, because she knew he didn’t.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” The way he said it meant he was done with the call, back to the business side of things.
“Okay. Bye.” Madison hung up and slumped into the living room chair.
Carrie pointed an accusing finger in her direction. “Ha! I can’t believe it. You like him.”
Great. This was the last thing Madison needed. If Carrie found out, she wouldn’t let it go. The best course of action was denial. “I
do not.”
A raised eyebrow told her Carrie wasn’t buying it. “Look at you. You’re flushed and shaking. You should have seen your face when you were talking to him. You not only like this guy, you like like him.”
“I was nervous.”
Carrie snorted. “You were nervous because you have the hots for him. Come on, I thought this was just another acting job for you. What happened? Spill it.”
Apparently Carrie wasn’t going to let up. Madison sighed. “Okay, I sort of fell for the guy.”
“Sort of? When you were on the phone, you had huge moonie eyes, and now you’re moping. You fell hard.”
“All right. I did. But he doesn’t feel the same way, so I’m out of luck. End of story.”
Carrie put her arm around Madison’s shoulders. “Aw, sweetie, are you sure?”
“Yes.” Wait, was she sure? “No. I mean, I don’t know. Things got all muddled up when I was with him.”
“Then we must find out.”
Madison picked at a piece of lint on her t-shirt. “How?”
“I’m your bridesmaid. Irene practically begged me to stay at the house after the rehearsal dinner. Don’t worry. After seeing the two of you together for a couple of days, I’ll know. The Carrie love radar is never wrong.”
Madison bit back her response. The Carrie love radar had been in desperate need of repair for quite some time. But instead of commenting, she nodded.
Carrie squeezed her shoulders. “Things have a way of working out in the end.”
True. They did.
Just not always how Madison wanted them to.
Madison woke at four in the morning and couldn’t fall back asleep. Every time she closed her eyes, Jared’s face came into view. Her chest constricted. Was it possible he had feelings for her? She didn’t want to let the hope settle in, or she’d be even more devastated when things didn’t work out.
An hour later, she finally gave up trying to sleep and hopped out of bed. She opened her closet and pulled out the cute skirt and top she’d found on sale. It was embarrassing to admit she had bought them to look good for Jared.
After a hot shower, she dressed and pulled her hair back in an up-do. She took longer than usual applying her makeup. Normally, jewelry wasn’t her thing, but she put on a set of silver bangle bracelets that accentuated her engagement ring. A pair of new leather sandals completed the look.
Carrie whistled. “You look good, girl. If he wasn’t interested before, he will be now.”
Heat rushed to Madison’s cheeks. “Thanks.”
While Carrie took her turn in the bathroom, Madison packed for the weekend. She’d bought a couple of other outfits, splurging and spending more than she’d planned. After writing Carrie a rent check, she barely had enough to make it another few days. Next week would be a ramen noodle and peanut butter sandwich week. It would also be after the wedding, when she would have no more excuses to see Jared. She didn’t want to think about next week.
She tossed another shirt and a pair of shorts into her bag, zipped it shut, and declared her packing done. The clock told her she still had over an hour before Jared would be there.
Feeling anxious, she logged onto her laptop. It crawled at a snail’s pace. Luckily, she wasn’t in a hurry. She checked her email, then noticed a couple of new friend requests on Facebook. She clicked the first one. Irene Jameson. And the second one was Mark Jameson. Her blood froze.
Of course Jared’s family would friend her on Facebook. That made total sense. But she couldn’t accept them. Her status said ‘single.’ She and Jared weren’t even Facebook friends. Her updates said nothing about getting married.
Her heart sank to her toes. How was she going to handle that one? She bit her lip, contemplating changing her status to ‘in a relationship.’ No one would notice, right? Who would care if she wasn’t single anymore?
She searched for Jared Jameson. Quite a few popped up, but none of them were right. Maybe Jared didn’t use Facebook. That would solve some of the issues. She felt relief until she saw his photo near the bottom of the list. Great.
A quick friend request sent to Jared, and she closed the computer. Once they were friends, she would add Mark and Irene. Hopefully, they wouldn’t ask about the lack of wedding stuff on her wall or pay attention to the fact that she’d only just added Jared as a friend.
A knock on the door startled her. Jared was early. Her pulse raced and nerves shot through her. She wiped her hand on her skirt before opening the door.
Seeing Jared sent her heart into overdrive. He wore a green polo shirt with tan slacks. He looked good. Real good. Her instincts were telling her to run to him, wrap her arms around him, and bask in the warmth of his embrace. But they weren’t a couple, and there was no one around to put on a show for. Hugging him would be inappropriate, so she took a step back and swallowed the lump forming in her throat. “Hey. Carrie’s still getting ready. Come on in.”
Jared’s gaze traveled over her. “You look nice.”
Her cheeks heated. “Thanks.”
The air tingled between them. Jared sat on the couch, on the edge of the cushion like he was waiting for his first date and had to make small talk with her father. Madison sat next to him and fiddled with her fingers in her lap.
“What did you tell your roommate?” He looked worried.
“She knows everything. But she’s cool. She won’t tell anyone.”
He wiped the back of his neck. “That’s good.”
“How’s Shelly?”
A frown creased his brow. “Still having breathing problems. None of the tests have shown anything conclusive. It’s frustrating.”
Madison wanted to put her arm around him. To pull him close and console him. Instead, she put her hand on his leg. “I hope they find out what’s wrong soon.”
“Yeah. Me too.”
Carrie entered the room and Madison withdrew her hand like she’d been caught sticking it in the cookie jar. Carrie threw her a knowing look, then smiled. “I’m ready.”
They piled into Jared’s car, Carrie quickly taking the back seat so Madison was forced to sit in front. As soon as they were on the road, Carrie rested her arms on the backs of the seats and stuck her head between them. “So, Jared, what’s it like planning a pretend wedding?”
He shifted. “Pretty much like you’d imagine.”
“Fun?”
“Awkward.”
“Oh.” Carrie’s face fell. “But there’s something a little magical about a wedding, don’t you think? Something that makes you want to fall in love?”
Madison shot Carrie a dirty look. What was she trying to do? She said she’d watch him, not grill him.
“Never really thought about it,” Jared mumbled.
Carrie leaned forward. “I mean, doesn’t it almost seem like fate is bringing you and Madison together?”
Madison gave Carrie the ‘shut up now’ signal, which was basically a murderous stare.
Jared raised an eyebrow. “What are you trying to say, Carrie?”
Her ‘I’m going to kill you’ look must have gotten through to Carrie because she slumped back in her seat. “Nothing. I just think you two make a cute couple.”
Jared squirmed, heat rising to his face. Even Carrie could see his attraction for Madison. He chanced a glance beside him. Madison sat rigidly, a look of sheer terror on her face.
Great. If the thought of them being a real couple garnered that kind of a reaction, he should give up now. She obviously disliked the idea.
“Is Mark dating anyone?” Madison asked, changing the subject.
“Not that I know of.” Jared eyed her, suspicion growing in him. “Why?”
She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “No reason.”
Perfect. She’s interested in Mark. He sighed and flipped on the radio.
Carrie leaned forward. “I wanted to know. She asked because of me.”
“Oh.”
This week away from Madison had been the longest week of his life. He
’d tried to go back to his old life. Jump both feet into the way things were and forget about her. But he found his life hollow and lacking. He missed her. The way she laughed with her whole body. Her smile. Her jokes. Even her catty remarks.
Over the last week, he’d pondered the situation. When had he fallen for her? That first night, when she ate Irene’s horrible potatoes? Or when she’d conned him into writing the check? Or maybe it was when she trusted him enough to tell him about her horrible family life.
He wasn’t sure how it happened, but he knew he couldn’t walk away from her after this. He had to show her he cared. Convince her to give him a chance. Maybe they could continue the farce while they dated for real. The thought of continuing to see her made him smile.
But the terrified look she wore at the thought of them being a couple had blown his confidence away in the hot August wind. She wasn’t interested in him. Her goal was to become a famous Hollywood actress, which he was sure she’d achieve. Why would she want to date him? He’d only pull her down and tie her to a small Midwestern town with nothing to offer.
She sat in the passenger seat, her long legs crossed, hair pulled back, more beautiful than he’d ever seen her. Their eyes met, and he turned away, embarrassed to be caught ogling.
Tension mounted in him as they drove. Carrie chatted in the back, thankfully. Otherwise, he and Madison would have sat silent the entire way. He nodded and made approving noises where appropriate.
They pulled into the curved drive and parked, his stomach tied in so many knots a sailor would be proud. The day was promising to be another hot one. He grabbed the luggage from the trunk.
As Irene welcomed them into the house, Madison slipped her arm through his, effortlessly easing back into her role of fiancée. It seemed so natural for her. Another knot formed.
A Fake Marriage Romance Collection Page 12