Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92411 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92411 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
“I haven’t seen the real thing, but a Daniel De Luca look-alike offered me twenty grand to pretend to be his fiancée, and I turned him down and then found out he’s my boss’s most important client so . . . London is interesting if nothing else.” London is more than interesting. Setting work aside, I love how very different it feels from New York, and how similar it is, too—like the cities share the same bass line but have different melodies or something.
“Okay, I’m going to need you to break that down for me.”
I start walking up the hill again, taking my time, trying to keep an eye out for Daniel’s blue door as I tell Melanie about Ben. I explain how I met him in Green Park at the very spot Daniel De Luca met Julia Alice in Love Me Like a Boss, then how I bumped into him again and again. I recap dinner and how we went from strangers to discussing engagements. “So I received my second proposal of marriage in London. Who’d have guessed?”
“And he has a jet? Have you googled him? What did you say his last name was?”
“No idea,” I reply. “I never asked.” I pause for a second. “Of course I know his last name. It’s Kelley with an E before the Y.” I put Melanie on speaker and type his name into my phone.
She must be doing the same thing because she squeals. “He’s gorgeous. And you said no because . . . ?”
Melanie sounds incredulous, like I turned down a marriage proposal from Daniel De Luca himself. Panic starts to echo in my ears. Did I do the right thing? I thought my best friend would be high-fiving me through my phone for saying no. She was always encouraging me to voice more of an opinion with Jed.
“To be clear, you’re looking for a reason beyond the fact he’s a total stranger? And I didn’t know he was a client of the bank at the time.” The panic grows louder.
I’m met with silence on the other end of the line. I can’t believe Melanie disapproves of my decision. We’re usually on the same page about most things.
“You think I should have said yes?” I ask. “He could be a people trafficker. Or a drug baron. Or—”
“A handsome, single guy who needed a woman to pretend to be his girlfriend and was prepared to give you a hefty chunk of savings, which you’ve been complaining about not having.”
Melanie sounds disappointed. We probably could get a bigger place if I had a little more cash. My stomach curdles as the panic mixes with regret. Was my refusal too rash? “But you know the saying—there’s no such thing as a free lunch. If he was offering me that much money, there had to be a reason.”
“Sounds like you didn’t stick around long enough to find out. Maybe he just really wants those hotels. This Ben guy sounds super wealthy. He probably just picked a number he thought you couldn’t say no to. Although, if it were me, I would have negotiated him up fifty percent. Can you call him and tell him you’ve changed your mind?”
“I don’t have his number,” I say. I could probably find it in the bank’s system. Hell, I could probably run into him at Coffee Confide in Me, although I haven’t this week. “Didn’t I come to London to keep my job? Not to follow some rich guy around pretending I’m engaged to him. I don’t want to lose focus on the end goal here.” The pretending bit wouldn’t be that hard. My broken engagement is still fresh, but the tingles I felt when I touched Ben revealed that my vagina isn’t as loyal as my heart.
“Maybe,” Melanie says. “Or you could be killing two birds with one stone by saying yes. In fact, I count three birds. First, you don’t make an enemy of the bank’s important client. I mean, that’s a win. Impressing your boss is why you’re there.”
It’s a compelling argument I can’t ignore.
“Second, you don’t have to worry about not having money for an apartment, plus some savings to fall back on. Then finally, and I think this is most important, pretending to be a gorgeous billionaire’s fiancée sounds fun. And a fun injection is exactly what you need about now.”
Everything she’s saying is true, and I feel terrible for not talking it through with her before saying no.
“You don’t think pretending to be a stranger’s fiancée for money is too weird and sex-workery?”
Surely she’ll see my point. She’ll understand why I said no.
“So if he didn’t pay you, it’d be better?”
I spot the blue door on the other side of the street. Except it’s not blue. It’s been repainted peacock green. I recognize the tarnished brass doorknob and the lantern hanging outside.