“Ah, like how Sharon Parker’s bra kind of found its way into your locker?”
He leaned in, resting his elbows on the table. “Are you going to constantly bring these things up the entire time we’re dating?”
“Sorry. Just using my prior knowledge to try and gauge what kind of fake boyfriend you’re going to make.”
“Well, if your bitterness is any indication of the kind of fake girlfriend you’re going to be, I won’t hold my breath for you to fake put out.”
She slid him an amused look. “Good. As long as we’re both going into this thing with low expectations, there’ll be no disappointments.”
“Let’s leave high school in the past, shall we, and get back to creating information about our fake relationship?”
She frowned but eventually nodded. “Well, you heard about Louise and you met my mom. What about your parents? What should I know?”
He couldn’t say, considering he rarely spoke to them since graduating college. He became a bit of a disappointment to them when he was no longer making the sports page. Was it any real wonder he was such a bastard growing up when he had such superficial role models?
“My father is the chief of staff at Mass General and my mother enjoys her charity work and serving on some community boards in town,” he said evenly.
“Are you close with them?”
He hesitated. “No.”
“But aren’t you an only child?”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“I—I just thought that only children were supposed to be close to their parents. You know, the parents often shower all their love on one child because they can’t spread the attention around to the siblings.”
“Would have been kind of hard to spread the love when there wasn’t much to go around in the first place.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that most of my life I’ve been treated as more of a trophy to have in their ordered little world than an actual human being. Until I went to kindergarten, I actually thought the nanny was my mom. When I started to find a niche in football, that’s when my parents decided to reenter my life. Maybe they wanted to ride on the wave of my success. Who knows? Whatever the reason, it actually worked out well for a time. For all of us. I had a family, and they had something to brag about in their social circles. Unfortunately, like all good things, it came to an end when my doctor told me I would have to consider no longer playing football.”
Her brows knitted together as she took in all that he’d told her. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea. You always seemed like you had everything growing up.”
“Yeah. I guess it would have looked that way.” Trent looked down when he felt warmth on his hand and saw that Maddie had covered it with her own. Her hand seemed so delicate, yet carried a weight of comfort for such a small package. Her fingers entwined with his. She seemed lost in thought, and he wondered if she even realized what she was doing.
Trent suddenly couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t believe he’d shared that information about his parents with her. He wanted to keep this fake relationship simple. Not get attached. He was determined to never go down that route again. The lesson he’d learned from his ex-fiancée still burned in his memory. Love wasn’t constant. It was conditional. Which was why he avoided long-term relationships at all costs.
“Wow, I never thought you—” Maddie’s gaze fell on their joined hands. She abruptly pulled away. “It’s late,” she said.
“Is it?” he asked, trying to mask his disappointment.
She bit her lip. “Yeah. Actually, I have somewhere to be in the morning, and you’ve put in enough overtime for this job. Plus, we’ve been out long enough to fool my mom, right?”
He nodded and signaled to the waitress. Maddie was right. It was a good idea to call it a night. They had been out long enough to fool her mom.
And long enough to almost fool himself.
Chapter Five
Maddie breathed a sigh of relief when Trent arrived to pick her up the following Tuesday. She had been waiting by the curb of her house clutching a suitcase in each hand. Not that Trent was late by any means. She was extra jittery. Today marked the first day of festivities planned by her sister’s future in-laws and the introduction of Trent as her wedding date. She hoped both she and Trent could survive the week without mishap.
Trent pulled over. He looked about to get out, but she yanked open the passenger door and threw her luggage and garment bags in the back before his hand could reach the handle.
“Good morn—”
“Hurry,” she urged. She slammed her door closed and scrunched down in the seat.
“Hurry?” Trent stared down at her. “You do realize the actual wedding isn’t for four more days, right?”
“I know. It’s just that I don’t want them seeing you.”
He scanned the yard. “Who’s them?”
“My mom and aunt.” She crouched farther and gave a few impatient waves toward the steering wheel. “Sheesh, can you please talk and drive at the same time?”
He licked his lips, trying not to be amused at the blond ball of anxiety sitting next to him. “You’re the boss,” he said, and pulled the car out onto the road.
Maddie glanced back at the house and let out a visible sigh of relief. “That was close.”
“I’m confused,” he said. “I thought you were hiring me as your wedding date so people would actually see you had a wedding date.”
“Well, yes, of course, but I can’t have everyone bombarding you with more questions. According to what I told everybody, we’ve already been dating for months, and we can’t have a repeat of the other night with my mom. Even though we know a little more about each other than we did, we still need two months’ worth of information memorized. And by the way, you’re going too fast,” she added, bracing a hand on the dashboard.
Trent rolled his eyes but had the decency to take his foot off the gas pedal. “I think I know you well enough already.”
“Oh, yeah? What do you think you know?”
“I know that you’re a perfectionist and a backseat driver. How am I doing so far?”
She glared at him. “Terribly.”
He chuckled. “Okay, why don’t you start by telling me about the best man. Your ex.”
“Ryan? Why do you want to know more about him?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “I need to be aware of the competition. Like watching football films of the opposing team before a game. After all, I assume he’s the reason you hired a wedding date in the first place. You want to show him you’ve moved on, right?”
Maddie bit her lip. “Sure, that…and a few other reasons,” she murmured.
Like salvaging my pride and refuting the family curse.
The last thing she needed was people whispering behind her back and feeling sorry for her on Louise’s special day. The pitying looks were the worst. So she’d convince everyone she was in a serious relationship now and worry about the future later. She could even use Match Made Easy after the wedding and hire Trent out for a few birthdays and around the holidays. Keep the ruse going until she met someone for real. Yeah, that could totally work.
Maybe.
Her nerves were making her sweat, so she opened up the glove compartment hoping he had some tissues stashed there. She pulled out a small bag of dog treats instead. “Are these in case we get the munchies on the drive down?”
“Those are for Bella,” he said, grinning.
“Your girlfriend must have really fresh breath then.”
“Bella is my dog. I don’t have a girlfriend.”
So he was an animal lover. Huh. She digested that, along with the no-girlfriend bit as she shoved the bag back into the compartment. She didn’t know why, but Trent not having a girlfriend didn’t compute, especially with the reputation he had in high school. Although for another unknown reason, she wasn’t entirely unhappy about that information, either. Plus, she thought it was kind of cute that he kept
special treats in his car for his pet. But just kind of cute. In a purely non-sexual observational way.
“So what’s he like?” he asked again.
“Who?”
He sighed. “Ryan. The infamous ex.”
“Oh.” She rested her head back and thought for a few seconds as Ryan’s handsome face popped into her mind. “For starters, Ryan is extremely attractive. He’s committed to his job, loves smooth jazz, skiing, expensive red wine, and is always very punctual.”
Trent made a face. “Do men like that really exist? How did you let a dreamboat like that get away?”
Like how they all got away, she wanted to say. The dreaded curse. “He’s the head chef at The Ripe Tomato in Charlestown and cheated on me with one of the hostesses.”
“Ouch.”
She sighed. “It gets worse. I used to work at The Ripe Tomato, too, as head pastry chef. After I found out about his affair, he bad-mouthed me to the owner. Whatever he said must have worked, because I was conveniently laid off not long after that.”
“The rat bastard.”
“Exactly. And believe me, pastry chef jobs are few and far between. I’ve had zero luck with interviewing. I’m still searching, but soon I’ll have to look out of state.”
“Then he’s a double rat bastard.”
She had to crack a smile at how outraged he sounded for her. The incident happened months ago and, although she had been crazy about Ryan, she had gotten over her heartbreak a lot faster than she had gotten over him getting her fired. But maybe she was more used to her relationships blowing up on her.
“It was a hard lesson learned,” she murmured.
“What lesson was that?”
“Never get involved with anyone you work with. You might want to take my advice.” She pointed a finger at him and added, “Especially in your line of work.”
That frat boy grin returned. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
She sat back and sighed. “Needless to say, it’s going to be extra nice to show up with you on my arm and rub his nose in it. But in order to do that, we need to look happy and in love. I mean, you really need to look in love. Like I’m your whole world.”
“That’s why you’re paying me the big bucks.”
“You can say that again,” she muttered. Her dwindling bank account proved it. But it would be worth it to see the shock on Ryan’s face and not see those pitying looks from her family.
He glanced at her with a frown. “You know, out of curiosity…since I didn’t have time to look at the contract…how much are you paying for me anyway?”
“Three thousand dollars.”
“Three thousand dollars? Are you crazy?”
She narrowed her eyes. “What are you talking about? Kennedy told me that was a fair price.”
“Uh, I mean…” He coughed and cleared his throat. “Yeah, she must have given you a special. I usually go for way more than that.”
She watched him a moment. Not that she really wanted to know how much other women were willing to pay for Trent Montgomery’s services, but she couldn’t help uttering, “I suppose you must get hired for weddings like this all the time.”
He braked for a red light, his hands tightening around the steering wheel. “No, actually. I don’t. Kennedy knows I don’t do weddings.”
“Don’t do them or don’t like them?”
“Both.”
She blinked. “Really? So you never go to weddings?”
“Nope.” His gaze traveled over to her, and something in those hazel eyes of his shifted. “I made an exception in your case.”
She swallowed as he continued to stare at her. The air around them began to swirl with heat, fogging her mind about him even more. It was silly for her to feel special that he was doing something he didn’t ordinarily do for her sake. After all, she was paying him good money and this was just a simple job to him. Nothing else.
She turned her head and cracked the window. “Lucky me,” she said dryly. “And I wasn’t even waving any pompons when you agreed to this job, either.”
“You know, I don’t remember you being this bitter in high school.”
She snorted. “That’s because you don’t remember me at all.”
The light turned green, and he pressed the gas pedal. The car ride went silent after that. Maddie decided it was probably for the best. They were going to be stuck together for a good chunk of the week, so a break from talking would be good. Besides, the more she talked with Trent the more he confused her. Any man who stored treats in his car for his dog couldn’t be all that heartless. She recalled the way he had opened up to her at dinner a few days ago and was shocked to learn his family life was just as turbulent as hers only for different reasons. Apparently, the rich boy with the golden arm and self-centeredness the size of Indiana was just as miserable as she was growing up.
Looks were definitely deceiving. But at this point, that was what she was counting on to get her through her sister’s wedding. She just had to remember to keep everything in perspective. A girl—even a relationship-cursed girl—had to have her standards. She would never really date someone like Trent, a man still so full of himself that he decided to “rent” himself out to women for money on the side. Not really surprising he would choose to do that when she thought back on how he used to be. Well, Trent may still have that panty-removing charm from high school, but she wasn’t about to fall under that spell again.
After thirty minutes of listening to the radio without talking, Trent finally reached out and turned it off. “Okay, so tell me more about yourself.”
“Like what?”
“Like what it is that I should be so smitten over? So far I’ve only experienced your backseat driving skills and silent treatment talents.”
She lifted her chin. “Hey, I can be very charming.”
“That has yet to be determined,” he countered. Although he held a grin when he said it.
“Well, animals and children happen to love me.”
He yawned.
“I’m a fantastic cook, too.”
Trent made a right down a long, landscaped drive along the bay, where the groom’s parents had their estate. A little sliver of nervousness began to creep up her spine. They didn’t have much more time to get their story straight or know each other and prove to everyone that they had been in a relationship for months.
“I can make a mean chocolate ganache,” she blurted. “It’s delicious and so spreadable.”
His interest seemed peaked. “Spreadable chocolate?” he said with a sizzling smile. “Now we’re talking. And what exactly do you do with this spreadable ganache of yours?”
“Frost cupcakes.”
His shoulders wilted. “I’m losing fake interest fast, Maddie. I can act but you better give me something better to work with here, or we’re both in trouble. Use your imagination a bit.”
For Pete’s sake, he was right. She couldn’t invent an interesting relationship if her life depended on it. Was it any wonder why men didn’t stick around? She was even getting bored with herself. “I, um, never had braces and I have perfectly straight teeth.”
Straight teeth? That was the best she could come up with? She hung her head in defeat.
He let out a long-winded sigh. “Okay, okay, relax. I think I can work with what you’ve given me.”
She lifted her head. “What do you mean?”
Trent put the car in park and shut off the engine. He sat, staring straight ahead for almost a full minute. Then he finally looked at her. He took hold of her hand, never letting his gaze leave hers. His eyes seared into hers with interest and heat. While she waited for him to speak she had to remind herself to breathe.
His voice dipped low as he leaned in. “Perhaps, Maddie, I’m so infatuated with you because of your heart for animals and kindness toward children. I love that you’re the kind of woman who enjoys cooking so we can have intimate dinners together at home. You’re a strong woman but not to the point of wearing the pants in a relatio
nship. You’re funny and love to laugh but not at the expense of others. Injustice drives you crazy, and you’ll fight to the death if anyone threatens your sister or someone you love. Yes, your teeth are straight except for your left incisor, which leans slightly to the right. Your eyes are clear blue but when you get mad or excited they take on a sea-greenish tint. And when I take you in my arms, I wonder how on earth I ever survived without knowing what that felt like before I met you.”
She blinked back tears at his beautiful words and was astonished that he could presume to know her as well as he did. Somehow he managed to capture so many things about her that were true. Her lungs felt squeezed of all air, but she managed to whisper, “Yeah, let’s go with that.”
He sent her a simmering smile and kissed her knuckles. “I like to think I know women.”
His words crashed into their lovely moment like a cell phone going off in the middle of a funeral service. But then she realized that what he created was just that: made up and completely unreal. He apparently did know women well and what they wanted to hear. She should have known Trent Montgomery was still the same smooth-talking game-playing kind of guy he was in high school. In fact, she should thank him for the reminder. She was a fool to think for that brief second that he really liked her or knew anything about her. They weren’t in high school anymore. Unfortunately, there were still some remnants of that old schoolgirl crush she had for him that were unresolved.
She had to trample those feelings. Fast. Trent Montgomery had no interest in her then and obviously had even less interest now. The only reason he said those romantic things about her was because she was paying him to do so. Period.
She yanked her hand back and stomped out of the car. As soon as she did, she saw Louise fly out of the mansion, all smiles and excitement to meet her sister’s wedding date. Her sister’s hired wedding date.
Maddie lifted a hand and gave her a limp wave. She prayed Louise would not see through their ruse. Biting her lip, she sent a nervous glance over to Trent, who had already gotten out of the car. His stance and expression remained calm. The same look he had whenever he’d set foot on a football field. He nodded at her, rubbing his hands together as if he had a play in mind and was about to call out cadence.
Wedding Date for Hire Page 6
