He nodded enthusiastically. “I’m so happy you understand. See, nothing criminal about it. Although, can I just say that when you asked me to commit a crime, I was all in. No questions asked. Like a true friend.”
“Yes, but an international dog heist seems less risky than pretending we’re getting married. Won’t that be awfully public?”
“Well, yes, that’s sort of the point.”
I let out a long breath and shook my head. “You’re known for being an absolute dog, Jesse. I’m not sure having me on your arm will change that. I fear your reputation is already as good as branded on your forehead.”
“And you’re the woman who put a leash on that dog,” he said with a smile.
“Why me?” I asked, my voice not as steady as I would like. “You could choose anyone. Literally any woman in this café would take that offer without a second thought. What kind of game are you playing, Westwood?”
“No games,” he said, holding his palms out innocently. “I’m asking you for a couple reasons. First, you understand NDAs and confidential contracts. You can keep a secret. Also, you can keep things between us professional.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, you told me you’re done with relationships. Which is perfect. There’s no risk of you falling for me.”
I scoffed and shot him a withering glare. “You’ve got that right.”
“See?” he asked. “You’re perfect. We’ll fake a relationship in public. You pretend to be my girlfriend for a few months.”
“Months?!”
He held up his hands like I was a lioness about to pounce, as if that would stop me. “Not the whole time,” he said. “Just a few times. It would not get in the way of your new job, aside from maybe the trip out of town. We can work out the details if you say yes.”
I shook my head, almost at a loss for words. “Why would I say yes? This feels like an entirely one-sidedfavor.”
“I’ll happily pay for your time,” he said.
“I don’t need your money, Westwood.”
“You’d be helping me out?” he said, his eyes pleading, which was downright unfair. “You might have a little fun?”
I gritted my teeth, but the thing was that I enjoyed Jesse’s company. He had a strange, almost charming sense of humor and I liked that he didn’t take anything—including himself—too seriously. If I was being honest, the thought of someone needing me and wanting to involve me in his life, even if we would be playing pretend, wasn’t nothing either.
For a moment, I thought of Thomas, who’d left me so coldly that it still stung, even now, so many months later.
We used to be like that, involved in each other’s lives and enjoying doing things together. He’d painted such a beautiful picture of a future that had never come to fruition. All because it was his career that had taken off, his life that had mattered when it had come to where we lived, who our friends were, and how we spent our shared time.
“There’s one more thing, though,” Jesse said, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
“What?”
“I can’t keep up with you when you’re drinking,” he said, grinning. “You English ladies don’t mess around.”
I scoffed. “You were the one who kept ordering rounds. You’re the bad influence. Not me.”
He chuckled. “That tracks, actually.” He leaned close to me over the table and took gentle hold of my hand. “In that spirit, Jacqueline Calhoun. Would you make me the happiest man on the planet and agree to never fall in love with me while we fake a relationship for a couple of months?”
Laughter seized me, so hard my eyes started watering.
“There’s the reaction every man dreams of,” Jesse muttered. “A simplenowould suffice.”
I wiped the moisture from my eyes. “It’s not you. It’s just that I realized something sad. Of the two proposals I’ve gotten, this was better than the first one.”
His eyes widened in horror. “What? No way.”
“I’d rather not go into it,” I said, waving dismissively.