Lacey visibly relaxes and the others nod their agreement.
“That’s brilliant, actually!” I exclaim, my excitement rising, “You guys are the best.”
Audrey is already on her phone looking for more information. After a few minutes of debate, the girls and I pick the service that seems to have the highest ratings from their drivers, and within another five minutes, I’m signed up and full of excitement.
“Seriously, you guys, thank you,” I tell them, “This might be just the thing to help me turn it around.”
Lacey reaches across the table and squeezes my hand. “Anytime. And look, Jessie’s right, we can help you anytime, ok? I have rich husbands, I’m more than happy to spend a little of their money to help out a friend.”
She winks and I laugh. It’s true, though, her husbands are actually semi-famous just for being hot millionaire business moguls. It complicates her life, though. Because of their wealth, they get a fair amount of media attention, but they keep their private life hidden. Sometimes I wonder how she does it, but she’s so deliriously in love with the two of them, I also can’t imagine her any other way.
“Yes, but if you encourage your husbands to spend money on Danny, you and I both know he’s going to talk them into a pet monkey. They can’t resist him, you know that,” I remind her.
The words sound like a joke, but they’re a legitimate concern. It’s one thing for Danny to beg me for a pet monkey, but Dante and Adam actually have the resources.
And the way Lacey winces reaffirms that I have reason to be concerned. “Ok, that’s a really good point,” she admits.
“Ok, so he gets a Jeep and a pet monkey for Christmas? I would call that a win-win,” Gwen jokes.
I shoot her a glare and everyone laughs. “Who needs a pet monkey when he’s got Auntie Gwen to amuse him?” Audrey teases.
“I mean, sure, I’m adorable and entertaining, but I’m not picking bugs out of anyone’s hair,” Gwen says with a shrug.
Unfortunately, she says this as I’m taking a drink of water, and I nearly choke.
Audrey pats my back gently as I’m laughing, crying, coughing, and desperately trying to catch my breath. “Jeez, Gwen, let’s try not to make Danny an orphan before Christmas,” she says, then freezes, looking mortified and starting to apologize.
But I start howling all over again. Sure, the joke was morbid, but I feel like being widowed before I was thirty entitles me to a dark streak in my sense of humor.
“Seriously, though, guys,” I choke out when I’ve finally gotten control over myself, “I can’t thank you enough for this. Danny deserves to have a great Christmas.”
“You know you do, too, though, right?” Lacey reminds me gently, “You work hard, Em, and you don’t need big fancy toys to be a great mom.”
A lump forms in my throat. “Thanks, Lace,” I murmur.
To be honest, I haven’t actually thought about Christmas beyond the context of my son. My mother had died a few years ago and I don’t really get along with my father. You’d think I’d get along with his wife, though, considering that she and I graduated high school together…
So with no siblings and no other immediate family besides Danny, this holiday centered around family doesn’t exactly feel like much. At least last year I’d had Paul.
I smile to myself, remembering.
.
Chapter Four
Joel
“Drew, I swear, if you don’t stop fucking pacing, I’m going to dropkick you,” Andi warns, rubbing her temples.
Drew stops. “Sorry, I just don’t know what the fuck I’m gonna do.”
“Tell Mom you broke up?” Andi offers weakly.
“You really think she would buy that?” I ask her.
She sighs. We both know there’s not a chance in hell that their mother would accept that.
“Maybe you guys just shouldn’t come,” Andi says, “I don’t know why you do anyway, they always say something awful.”
“Well, that’s why I’ve got my big sister to stick up for me,” he jokes.
The two of them are only a little over a year apart, but he’s right, Andi’s a “mama bear” type sister and friend, viciously protective of those she loves. The two of them have spent years defending the other from their parents’ snipes about being single.
“Make up some excuse, say you have to go out of town on something urgent,” she says.
“For the entire month of December?” Drew asks.
“Why not? You’re a busy C.E.O, it could happen.”
“They’ll still want me to come, though, even if I have to go alone,” I remind her, “I love you, Drew, but in the infamous words of Meat Loaf: I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that.”
My words have the desired effect, lightening the mood a tiny bit and making both of them laugh-slash-groan at the bad joke.
“Look, why don’t we take a little break from figuring this out and get some food?” I offer, “I’m starving.”
None of us feel like going anywhere, so we decide to order in from a sushi place the three of us like.
After placing the order, though, we’re left with a long and awkward silence, until a thought crosses my mind. “Andi, do you have any single friends?”
“What?” she looks at me, confused.
“Maybe we could ask one of them to pretend to be Drew’s girlfriend, show up to the parties, then after New Year’s, he could just say they broke up,” I suggest.
Drew’s eyebrows shoot up. “That’s not a terrible idea,” he says, “It’s not great, but it could work.”
Andi starts muttering to herself and counting off names on fingers. “I don’t know, Drew, she’s met most of my friends.”
I wrack my brain for any single women I can think of, and unfortunately, I’m in much the same boat. Anyone I can think of is someone their mother has already met.
“Maybe one of the girls at the office?” Drew offers weakly.
“No, that would be too weird, what if she found out your “ex” was still working for you later?” Andi says.
“Shit,” he sighs.
“Maybe we could hire someone?” I offer.
“Where the hell would you go looking for something like that, though?” Andi asks.
“Craigslist,” Drew and I chime in in unison.
Andi shakes her head. “No woman in her right mind is going to sign up to be your fake girlfriend through an online ad. There is no way you can make an ad that isn’t going to sound creepy.”
“So what do you propose we do?” Drew asks, an edge in his voice.
“Hey, don’t get snippy with me, I’m trying to help you,” Andi snaps, “It’s not my fault you dug yourself into this hole.”
“Let’s all just step back,” I say calmly, trying to diffuse the anger crackling between the siblings, “I’m gonna go get us some drinks, can I trust you two not to kill each other while I’m in the other room?”
“Yes,” Drew sighs.
“No promises,” Andi mutters.
I raise an eyebrow at her and I see the corner of her lip raise in the tiniest of smiles. “Maiming is fine, but if you kill him, I’ll be upset with you,” I tell her, and the smile spreads.
“Gee, thanks,” Drew replies sarcastically, but I can see him smiling, too.
I slip out of the room and open a bottle of chardonnay from the fridge, pulling three glasses from the cupboard.
It takes a little finagling to manage all three glasses, but I take them out to the others and hand them out. Drew takes a large gulp, and Andi takes a sizeable swig of her own, and I feel a stab of guilt.
Maybe this scenario isn’t my fault, but it wouldn’t have come about were it not for me. I hate that Drew and I have to go to these lengths to hide from his family, but I also feel like if I really love him, I can’t subject him to what I went through.
Not too long after we’d gotten together, when we were both still living at home while we went to school, Drew and I decided we w
ere going to come out to our parents. We started with mine, thinking that they would be more accepting.
Drew spent that entire night watching me, because even though the doctor in the E.R. had reassured him that it was safe for me to sleep after the concussion, he was too worried to rest.
He told me the next morning that he’d just watched my chest rise and fall all night. After that, we’d never again suggested coming out to his parents, and I haven’t spoken to my family since.
I wouldn’t wish that kind of pain on my worst enemy, let alone the man I love most in this world. And I don’t mean the head injury.
No, I don’t think Drew’s parents are even capable of violence.
But I still feel guilty every day for making Drew lie to his family because of me. And Andi, too. I can’t help but think how much simpler his life would be if he really did have a girlfriend he could bring home to show off.
And I feel even more guilty knowing that I’m way too selfish to give him up.
The doorbell rings and Andi gets up to go answer it. Drew sighs, rubbing his forehead, and I sit next to him, rubbing his back. “I really fucked things up, didn’t I?” he asks.
“No, you didn’t. We’ll figure something out and someday this will just be a funny story.”
Drew snorts. “Don’t see how. Maybe…” he sighs, “Maybe I should just tell them the truth.”
“That’s up to you, babe,” I tell him, “Whatever you decide, I’m right here with you.”
I hear footsteps as Andi comes back into the room, but to my surprise, I hear a second set as well. I look up and see that Andi is accompanied by a cute, voluptuous blonde.
“Drew, Joel,” Andi says, “This is Emilie. And I think she might just be the solution to your problem.”
Chapter Five
Emilie
What the hell did I get myself into? I find myself wondering as I stand in the living room of this strange house. When I’d rung the doorbell with this delivery, the young woman who had answered had given me a long look and asked me if I was single.
Blushing, I’d hastily stammered that while she was lovely and I was flattered, I was straight. She laughed and explained that she might have a weird proposition for me if I wanted to earn some extra money.
Of course, it catches my interest, but I was also immediately suspicious, which she must have immediately read in my face. “I promise,” she reassures me, “It’s not bad weird, it’s just…I don’t know how to explain it without it sounding really awful,” she laughs.
While she seems a little strange, the woman also seems genuine and sweet. Maybe I’m naïve or an idiot, but I found myself warming to her. “Well, I mean, I do this in addition to a full-time job,” I admit, indicating the sushi delivery, “So I could use the extra cash, even if it is a weird scenario.”
My odd customer smiles and offers me a hand to shake. “I’m Andi Bennett.”
I shake her hand. “Emilie.”
“Listen,” Andi says, “It’s kind of a long story, but basically, my brother needs someone to come to a few “family get-togethers” and pretend to be his girlfriend, and we’re willing to pay five grand.”
I raise my eyebrows, immediately thinking of that electric Jeep I’ve been eyeing for Danny. That money’s nothing to sneeze at. I’d be able to give my son an amazing Christmas and then some. But still, I’m not sure about this. “So…he needs to hire an escort, basically?” I ask.
She winces. “I mean, if you want to get technical, I guess?” she says, “It sounds weird, but I promise, if you want to come in and let us explain, it’s nothing creepy.”
This feels incredibly reckless. I touch the taser I’d picked up that afternoon in my back pocket. It wasn’t like I’d be completely helpless if this turned out to be something sketchy, right? As if reading my mind, she adds: “Tell you what, why don’t you text a friend, let them know where you are, and tell them that if they don’t hear from you in twenty minutes, to send the cops to this address?”
I lift my eyebrows. It was a smart plan, actually. The kind of thing my friends might suggest to keep each other safe on a night out. After first making sure my availability is shut off for the delivery service, I opt to shoot a message to the group chat, so it’s more likely that one of them will see it right away. From there, I follow Andi inside.
She leads me into this beautifully furnished living room. And the view is only improved by the addition of the two most gorgeous guys I’ve ever seen in my life.
“Drew, Joel,” Andi says, “This is Emilie. And I think she might just be the solution to your problem.”
“Wait, what?” One of the men looks up, puzzled.
“I told Emilie here a little about Drew’s predicament, and she was willing to come in and hear more,” Andi explains.
The other man looks me over. “Ok, Andi, I know we’re desperate, but are we really “hijack an innocent delivery girl” desperate?”
“Yes, Joel,” the first man says, rising to his feet, “We really are.”
He strides over to me and offers me a hand. “I’m Drew Bennett.”
“Emilie,” I reply, shaking his hand and intentionally leaving out my last name until I’ve decided if I trust these people or not.
“This is my partner, Joel Klein,” he says, gesturing at the other man, and suddenly it clicks.
The intimate way they were snuggled on the couch when I walked in, the “fake girlfriend plot,” it all suddenly makes sense.
“You’re seriously offering me five grand to be your beard?” I blurt out before I can stop myself, then clap my hand over my mouth in embarrassment as Andi howls with laughter.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed, I just-“
“No,” Joel chuckles, “You pretty much nailed it, actually.”
Drew explains that he put his foot in his mouth on a phone call with his mother, and now he was expected to bring a girlfriend to a number of “family get-togethers,” and the fact that he and Andi both used quotation marks around those exact words makes me curious.
“What do you mean when you say “family get-togethers” like that, with the air quotes?” I ask.
“Basically, it’s a bunch of cocktail parties organized by my family. They use them as an opportunity to schmooze clients under the guise of an “intimate family party,” so of course we’re all expected to show up and smile pretty,” Andi says drily.
Drew nods, “And so basically, you’d just need to come with me, tolerate some passive-aggressive comments from my mother, enjoy a great dinner, and then we can “break up” after the New Year or something.”
It sounds crazy, but as I look these people over, I can see the strain in their faces. I can feel the desperation emanating from all of them, and it breaks my heart. I can’t imagine being so cold to my son that he feels like he has to hire a stranger to hide his true love from me.
Maybe I’m insane, but I feel like I have to help.
“All right. So…what’s our next step?”
Joel lets out a whoop of delight and Drew throws his arms around me. I stiffen in surprise, his touch sending a wash of heat through me. “I seriously can’t thank you enough,” he murmurs in my ear, “You’re a lifesaver.”
I relax in his embrace and hug him, patting his back lightly. “You’re welcome,” I whisper back.
He releases me. “Can you stay for a bit? We can talk details, and you’re more than welcome to partake in our sushi, we ordered a ton.”
“I was actually wondering if more people were joining you,” I admit with a laugh, “It seemed like a lot.”
“Well, since you’re my boyfriend’s new girlfriend,” Joel winks at me, “The first thing you’ll need to know is that he’s a bottomless pit.”
Drew glares and I laugh. “I can’t stay too long,” I hedge, thinking of Danny, waiting for me at Lacey’s house, “But I’d be a fool to pass up free sushi.”
The guys start spreading out sushi while Andi goes to get me a drink, th
en we pass out chopsticks. It feels a little strange, to be gathered so casually around a coffee table with total strangers in this fancy house, but they seem completely comfortable as they dig into their sushi.
“So, Emilie, you said you work full-time besides this, what do you do?” Andi asks, carefully dipping a piece of sashimi into her soy sauce.
“I’m an ultrasound tech.”
“Do you like it?” she pops the sushi into her mouth.
“Most of the time,” I say, nodding and swirling a slice of caterpillar roll in my mixture of soy sauce and wasabi, “But it’s like any job, some days are harder than others.”
The conversation continues, and while it starts off a little stilted and awkward, as I get to know them a little better, we grow more relaxed, and I’m surprised to find that I actually have a lot in common with them all.
And I’ll admit, I have a hard time tearing my gaze away from these two gorgeous men, even though I know they’re taken. But I try to ignore the growing little crushes I’m quickly developing.
And I still keep some secrets. I briefly mention that I’m a widow, but I carefully avoid all mention of Danny. Even though I feel like I can trust these people, there’s still some nervous part of me that wants to protect my son.
“So, Emilie, you said Andi offered you five grand, right?” Drew asks.
I nod. “I don’t know if I can honestly take that much for this, though, really,” I admit, reaching for my water glass.
I know I could use the money, but I also don’t want to take advantage. It seems like a lot of money for me to just go to a few dinners and “play house.”
Drew shakes his head, “I was going to say, she kind of lowballed you, and I fully plan to pay you twice that.”
I choke on my water and slap my hand over my mouth to avoid spraying the table. “What?!”
Drew calmly sips his wine and shrugs. “I’m the C.E.O of my own software company,” he says, “I can afford it. You’re seriously helping me out, I don’t think you know how much of a relief it is to have found you. I think I’d give you my left nut if you asked.”
Just For Christmas (Just Us Series Book 5) Page 2
