‘You stole him,’ she said flatly. ‘Probably at the behest of my brother, because, as I mentioned before, he’s a jerk.’
He hesitated, which gave her the answer. And disappointed her, strangely. Why, she wasn’t sure. It might have been because he’d defended her in front of her brother and hadn’t freaked out completely when she’d pretended he was her boyfriend. But one day’s experience couldn’t erase years of experience to the contrary. That experience had taught her that Benjamin Foster could be just as much of a jerk as her brother.
‘I think you’re on the right track though,’ she powered on. If she did, it would help get him out of her house and she’d finally be able to rest. ‘We do what we intended to do and let her make the decision as she would have without this complication.’
‘We’re not continuing the charade?’
She thought about it. ‘We have two options, I suppose. One is that we do, but only verbally. If she asks, we’ll talk about one another lovingly. Affectionately. Then, in a few months, we break up.’
‘And the other option?’
‘Tell her the truth. We were playing a joke on Lee.’
He went quiet for a few seconds. ‘But if Lee finds out, we both look foolish. We’ll have to answer why we were so...’ he hesitated ‘...invested in proving we were together.’
‘There’s that,’ she said slowly. She didn’t want him to know she’d thought about that, too. Not to mention she hated the idea of Lee discovering the truth. He’d take such pleasure in it. He’d probably hold it over her head every time she’d have the misfortune of seeing him. ‘There’s also the implication that we’re friends. Why would we play a joke on Lee if we weren’t?’
‘You’re worried about people thinking we’re friends, but not that we’re in a relationship?’
‘Well, yeah. At least there’s a physical aspect to a relationship. People would think I was distracted from your personality because you look the way you do.’
He frowned. She could almost see his brain malfunctioning. Mostly because she was pretty sure that was what was happening to hers.
‘Is that a compliment?’
‘No,’ she answered immediately.
But it was. She couldn’t figure out why she’d said it.
She vowed there and then never to admit she found him attractive again. She wouldn’t even think about his broad shoulders and full lips. He certainly wouldn’t kiss her again either, so she’d have no reason to. And if she did think it—and he did kiss her—she’d remind herself there were high stakes involved.
She laid a hand on her belly, feeling the slight curve. At this stage it could have been a good, generous meal as much as a baby, which amused her. She stroked her thumb over the curve, mentally assuring her child that she’d protect it. She paused when she saw him watching her.
What was it about being in his presence that made her lower her guard?
She moved her hand.
‘Fine. We’ll pretend to be together,’ he said curtly. ‘But only because Lee deserves to think it, after how he treated you.’ He paused, as though something had just occurred to him. The frown deepened. He was scowling when he continued. ‘We’ll do whatever we intended to do with Cherise. I’ll keep talk of our relationship with your brother to the minimum. We should both do that, to whoever we meet.’ He downed the rest of his coffee and set the cup on the table. Stood. ‘And in a few months, our fake relationship will end. It’ll be as clean as this situation allows.’
‘Er...yeah, sure.’
She set her own mug down, confused by the change in his temperament. But that was the least of her problems. She’d just realised her pregnancy wouldn’t be a secret for much longer. People would have questions about the paternity of her baby. If she said it was Benjamin, she would be dragging him down an even more convoluted path. If she said it was some random guy as she’d planned to, people would do the calculations and accuse her of cheating on Benjamin.
Oh, no.
She really should have thought about this earlier.
‘Benjamin, I think we need to talk about—’
‘We’ve talked about everything already, haven’t we?’ he interrupted. His eyes were sharp, and she almost shivered from the intensity of them. So she just nodded.
‘Great, then we don’t have to see one another again for a while.’
‘Okay.’ Numbly, she followed him to the door.
‘Thanks for the drinks.’
‘Okay.’
‘Good luck with Cherise.’
‘Thanks.’
And then he was gone, leaving her to think about the extent of the mess she’d created that day.
* * *
The resolution he and Alexa had come to regarding their fake relationship went up in flames the moment he walked into In the Rough the next morning.
‘You’re dating my sister?’ Lee asked, sitting arms folded at a stool in front of the bar. Apparently, he’d been waiting. ‘What the hell, man? Do you have no boundaries?’
It wasn’t early in the morning. In the Rough only opened from lunchtime, so generally he worked from home for a couple of hours when he woke up, then made his way to the restaurant at about nine. His staff would start trickling in then, too, most of them there by ten, and then it would be a bustle of activity until they closed at eleven at night. This morning, he’d been particularly grateful for the quiet so he could figure out what the hell had happened the night before.
One moment he’d been deciding whether to let Alexa’s backhanded compliment slide, the next he was watching her stroke her stomach and his gut had clenched with need. It made no sense, but that gesture had seemed somewhat protective. It reminded him of the times he’d seen pregnant women do the same thing. Though Alexa probably wasn’t pregnant, it had made him think about a life he’d never wanted. He was too busy taking care of his parents to even consider it.
Not that he minded; not in the least. His mother was lovely. Sharp and charming and the kind of mother who made sacrifices for her children. Except there were no children, only him. And that sharpness and charm and kindness didn’t negate the strain of her illness.
They’d had no idea what caused it for a long time. His mother had been his father’s admin help at the panel-beaters’ company his father owned and ran. For ten years, almost, until she’d started complaining about the pain right after she’d had Benjamin. Aches that felt like they were all over, restricting her movement, making simple tasks hard to carry out. Doctors had prescribed ibuprofen, diagnosed her with the flu, told her she’d strained a muscle, or pushed too hard, or that she needed to take a break.
But even when she took a break, the pain would continue. Sometimes, if she stayed in bed and rested, it would make it worse. The doctors maintained they could find nothing wrong. It was the eighth doctor she’d gone to in four years who had diagnosed her with fibromyalgia.
His life hadn’t changed dramatically, or at all, with that diagnosis. His father had simply sat him down and explained as best he could to a four-year-old that his mom was sick. Frank Foster had told Benjamin to try not to bother his mother as much when she was in bed. Maybe Benjamin could even help out a little more at home. He hadn’t known the difference between that and what he’d done before, except now it came with the weight of verbal responsibility.
But she was his mother, and he wanted her to be happy. As he grew older, he thought having him couldn’t have helped with his mom’s pain. Because she’d made sacrifices for him at the cost of her own health, physical and mental, he would do the same for her. So he had. For the past twenty-odd years he had helped his parents. Now he cared for his parents. There wasn’t really room for him to consider caring for anyone else in that situation either.
That pulse of need he’d felt with Alexa the night before? A fluke. There was nothing more to it. And he didn’t engage with it any mo
re because something more significant had occurred to him when he’d been talking with Alexa.
Now might be the time to confirm it.
‘Did you hear me?’ Lee demanded.
But maybe not before he’d had another cup of coffee.
‘Mia,’ he said to the tall woman behind the counter. ‘Is the machine on?’
‘You know it,’ she replied with a sympathetic grin. It made him realise she’d heard what Lee had said. ‘The usual?’
He unclenched his jaw slowly. ‘No. Double espresso, please.’ Her brows lifted, but she only nodded. He looked at Lee. ‘Can you wait for me in the office? I’ll be there in a second.’
‘Mia, could you please add another cappuccino to that?’ Lee said. ‘And bring it to Ben’s office when it’s ready?’ He shook his head. ‘Or have someone else bring it. Sorry. It slipped my mind.’
Her smile didn’t waver, but something on Mia’s face tightened. It probably wasn’t because Lee had been referring to her disability—the limp that Benjamin hadn’t once asked about because it was none of his business—but because Lee had done so poorly. Benjamin wouldn’t have expected it from him; Lee handled most things smoothly. Then again, he hadn’t expected Lee to be a jerk to his own sister, so maybe he didn’t know his business partner as well as he thought.
‘Yeah, sure,’ Mia said.
‘Thank you.’
Lee gestured for Benjamin to lead the way. After one last glance at Mia to make sure she was okay, Benjamin walked away from the enticing smell of coffee to his office. It was a simple room. Not very big, but there was enough space for his desk and cabinet, and the large windows gave it an airy feel. Unfortunately, those windows looked out onto a car park with a busy Cape Town road just behind it. But that was the price he paid to be in a central location.
At least, that was what Lee had told him when he’d been courting Benjamin. Over the years, Benjamin had begun to believe him. Was he a fool to do so?
‘This isn’t your only business,’ Benjamin noted, taking off his jacket and slinging it over the chair. ‘Surely you have better things to do than to wait for me to talk about something that isn’t business.’
‘Except this affects our business,’ Lee said with none of the charm, the ease Benjamin had once been privy to. ‘Honestly, Ben. There are millions of women in South Africa, but you decide to sleep with my sister?’
‘Watch it,’ Benjamin growled, though he had no reason to defend Alexa. Apart from their fictional relationship. Which was not, as the title stated, real.
‘She’s already changed you,’ Lee replied with a shake of his head. ‘You weren’t foolish before yesterday. Hell, the last time we spoke, you knew how important getting Cherise de Bruyn to work with us was. But now you’re letting your head be messed around by your—’
‘Be careful about what you say next.’
Lee’s jaw tightened. ‘This isn’t going to work.’
‘What isn’t?’ he asked coolly, leaning back in his chair. ‘This partnership? Or my relationship with your sister?’
Lee opened and closed his mouth several times before he said, ‘The relationship.’
‘That hardly seems like any of your business.’
‘It’s literally my business.’
‘No, my relationship has nothing to do with this business.’ He paused when one of his waiters brought in their coffees. ‘Alexa and I have been able to keep our relationship under wraps for months. It hasn’t affected the way I’ve run things around here.’
‘And yet here you are, snapping at me.’
‘Because for some reason, when it comes to your sister, you change, too, Lee.’ He downed the espresso. When it seared his stomach, he remembered he’d forgotten to eat breakfast. ‘I don’t like the way you treat her. I don’t like the way you treat me when it comes to her.’
It was a warning.
‘I thought this wouldn’t happen.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘I thought working with someone who competed with my sister meant I’d be working with someone who competed with my sister.’
And there it was. Confirmation of his suspicions. When he told Alexa he wanted to continue the charade because of how Lee treated her, he realised there was more to it. It was because of how Lee had treated him, too. Lee had used him. Much as so many other people in his life had.
‘My relationship with your sister doesn’t have to affect the way we do things around here,’ he said coldly. ‘It won’t for me. I’m perfectly capable of working with you and dating your sister. Since you two don’t have a relationship, it shouldn’t matter to you anyway.’
Lee’s face was tight. Benjamin couldn’t read what caused that tightness, or what was behind it. All he could see was a complicated mess of emotions. Since he had enough of those himself, especially after Lee’s little bombshell, he didn’t need to figure Lee’s feelings out.
‘We won’t let your involvement with my sister affect the business.’
Benjamin gave a tight nod.
‘What about our friendship?’
Benjamin didn’t know how to answer that. He didn’t trust Lee any more. How could they still be friends?
‘See?’ Lee said. ‘You’re already treating me differently.’
‘I’ve explained why.’
He’d use Lee’s treatment of Alexa as the scapegoat here. He was sure she wouldn’t mind. They were in this together after all.
Lee exhaled harshly. ‘Fine. We’ll just pretend you’re not dating my sister.’
‘What?’
His mother stood in the doorway, eyes impossibly wide.
* * *
‘You’re dating Benjamin Foster?’
Alexa’s feet stopped working. That meant she was standing in the doorway of her office, frozen by both the words and the stare of accusation from Kenya.
‘Who told you that?’
‘You should have.’
‘How did you find out?’
‘A friend of mine was at Cherise’s graduation yesterday.’ Kenya leaned back in Alexa’s chair. ‘She asked me why I didn’t tell her. Apparently, you and Benjamin were hot and heavy yesterday and it was the talk of everyone there. And I didn’t know.’
‘It hasn’t been going on for very long,’ she grumbled. Like, less than twenty-four hours. ‘Besides, I didn’t want people to know. It’s new.’
And fake.
‘Am I still people, Alexa?’
The question was serious enough to make Alexa blink. When she recovered from the shock, Kenya was watching her, waiting for an answer.
‘I... I didn’t tell anyone.’
Kenya stood, nodding slowly as she did. ‘Yeah, why would you tell anyone? Least of all someone you’ve worked with for four years. Least of all someone who considers you a friend. Clearly that doesn’t apply to how you consider me, does it?’
It would be so easy to get through this. If Alexa told Kenya the relationship was fake, contrived when she’d been desperate and in a panic to get away from her brother, Kenya wouldn’t be upset with her.
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Not a single word.
What would happen if she told Kenya the truth? She’d look like a fool, for one. But Kenya might tell her friend, who might tell their friend, and before she knew it both her and Benjamin’s reputations would be ruined. Not to mention that her brother would find out. And she couldn’t face Lee’s smirk when he heard she’d made up the entire thing for his sake.
‘You can’t even dispute it,’ Kenya said, hurt thick in her voice. She strode past Alexa. Alexa wanted to say something, but her phone rang before she could. Picking up the landline, she barked, ‘Yes?’
‘Benjamin Foster’s on the line for you,’ came the voice of one of her waiters.
She bit back a sigh. ‘Put him throug
h.’
‘Alexa?’
His deep voice was even more disturbing over the phone. Now she had to imagine his face. And for some reason it came without the arrogance that usually put her off.
‘You called for me, didn’t you?’
‘Yes, I did, darling.’
‘Darling? Really?’ She looked behind her to ensure no one was there. ‘You realise we’re on the phone, right? No one else can hear what we’re saying.’
‘I’m here with my mother.’
‘Your mother?’
‘She’d like to meet you.’
‘She’d like to... Wait, I’m missing something, aren’t I?’
‘Yes.’
It was the first time she felt as though he was answering her properly.
‘Are you free for dinner tonight?’
‘I’m not, actually. I’m working. As are you, considering we run restaurants.’
‘I’m sure you can take an evening off for this very important date.’
She rolled her eyes. Belatedly, she realised he couldn’t see her. She let the disappointment pass through her.
‘Look, Benjamin, I don’t know what’s going on, but there’s no way I’m going to meet your mother.’
‘She would like to meet you.’
She could hear he was clenching his teeth.
‘Is she giving you a hard time, Benny? Let me talk to her.’ There was a short pause where Alexa could swear she heard Benjamin apologise. ‘Alexa? This is Nina, Benjamin’s mother.’
She closed her eyes. ‘Hi, Nina.’
‘Is it possible for us to meet?’
‘Mrs Foster.’ Alexa cleared her throat. ‘I, um, I’m not sure.’
‘Be sure, dear.’ There was admonishment there, but Mrs Foster spoke again so quickly Alexa barely had time to process it. ‘This evening might be too soon, considering your commitments. How about tomorrow evening? Could you arrange for someone to take care of things then?’
‘I...um... I...don’t know...’
‘I just wouldn’t want to meet you at your restaurant, dear.’ Mrs Foster gave a sparkling laugh. ‘You’d have to come out and speak to me in front of your employees and... Well, I don’t need to tell you how awkward that might end up being.’
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