Her Guy Next Door Fake Fiancé

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Her Guy Next Door Fake Fiancé Page 9

by Rachelle J. Christensen


  “I know, but Mark is weird like that. He likes to gossip. Why didn’t I think of this possibility?” Liza pushed her palm into her forehead.

  “Why didn’t you think of every crazy scenario your ex is capable of? Because you’re not crazy, and I’m glad.” Jaime gently removed her palm from her face.

  “But what if he says something?”

  “We’ll roll with it.” Jaime lifted his shoulders and let them drop. “Let’s keep in touch, and if you need to play this out a couple more days, it’s all right.” Jaime felt the edge of a lie on the tip of his tongue. He still hadn’t told Liza about Alex. There was no way he could tell her now, not if he wanted her to speak to him again. She might not forgive him as it was because he should have told her right at first. He thought back to what Alex had said about Jaime replacing Kori. If only there was a way to prepare his son for a future that would never include his parents being together. He hadn’t told Liza, but it was time to face the hard things and be truthful. Once they returned to Echo Ridge and the fake engagement was over, he’d tell her everything.

  17

  Liza was a goner. After witnessing the scene with Jaime and Mark—which could have come straight out of the most romantic film—her heart would never be the same. Jaime had spoken with such conviction when he’d told Mark that it was the worst mistake of his life to let Liza go. Her chest warmed with the sentiment he expressed. She would write everything in her journal app tonight with the full intent of including it in her next novel. Hallmark would love a scene like that—the kind that made the audience cry and hearts swoon.

  During dinner, they talked about the success of the conference while outlining ideas for some of the different clients they’d met.

  “You know, you have a lot of business sense that goes beyond copy editing. I think Rick is missing out by not giving you more opportunities.”

  “Thank you.” Liza popped a fry in her mouth. “That’s part of the reason I had to make this conference work. Rick has been talking about promoting me.”

  “Just don’t let him dangle that carrot too long,” Jaime said after swallowing a mouthful of burger. “You’re worth more than that, and if Rick can’t see it, that’s his loss.”

  Liza pointed a French fry at him. “You say that as if there are tons of jobs available in Echo Ridge.”

  Jaime snatched the fry from her fingers and popped it into his mouth. “Maybe it’s time you looked outside of your hometown?”

  Liza huffed and picked up another fry. “It’s complicated. I pay rent, which supplements my parents’ income. I don’t want to leave them in the lurch.”

  “That is complicated.” Jaime dipped a bite of his burger in the barbecue sauce. “If you’re serious about it, though, talk to your parents. Give them a heads-up and propose a timeline. Tell them you’re planning to move in six months, and that gives them a chance to prepare for the reduction to their income.”

  Liza nodded. “That’s a good idea. I really love Echo Ridge. I wish there were more job opportunities.” She didn’t really like this conversation. She loved Echo Ridge, and she liked Jaime too. Maybe he didn’t like her as much as she thought; otherwise, why would he be talking to her about leaving the town when he was staying put? Her excitement over his chivalrous actions earlier faded a bit, but she wouldn’t let that stop her from enjoying the steak fries and the specialty barbecue sauce.

  They finished dinner and walked casually back to the hotel. “Thanks again for bringing me along, Liza,” Jaime said. “I had a great time.”

  “Thanks for agreeing to my crazy scheme. Only one more day and you’ll be free again.”

  He put his arm around her as they approached the doorway. “It’s been kind of nice. I hope you won’t be a stranger.”

  Liza wiggled her ring finger in front of his face. “I think I’ll miss this. You can’t believe the compliments I’ve received for ‘my ring.’”

  Jaime chuckled. “I’m glad it could be appreciated, even if it was only for a weekend.”

  “Good night, Jaime. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Liza went into her room and started packing her things for the early flight. She’d learned some things about herself this weekend. Jaime was right: it was time for her to make some changes. Either she needed to get the promotion at work, or she would have to look for a new job, even if that meant moving away from Echo Ridge.

  Jaime ended up sleeping most of the flight home, and Liza finished writing in her journal app about all the details of the weekend. She smiled to herself when she thought of how she could use the events of her and Jaime’s fake engagement for a romance novel. For fun, she brainstormed a few ideas and even wrote a scene where the fake fiancé professed his love for the darling girl that he never would’ve met if he hadn’t pulled out in front of her on an icy road.

  After that, she scrolled through her Kindle app and selected a few new books to read over the holidays by Jeanette Lewis, Cami Checketts, and Cindy Roland Anderson. If she were a millionaire, she’d tell Rick, “Yes, please,” the next time he threatened to fire her, and she’d stay home and read books for the rest of the winter. Unfortunately, she wasn’t a millionaire, but maybe if she could learn to write like some of her favorite authors, she could change her fate.

  When the plane landed, Liza checked her emails and texts. There was a particularly annoying email from Chrissy demanding that Liza get her report in before Monday. Liza frowned and deleted the email.

  “What’s the matter?” Jaime asked.

  “Oh, it’s just work. There’s this girl at the firm, and she is the epitome of rich, snobby troublemaker. She’s one of those kids who was sent away to boarding school, and she acts like she owns the world.” Liza took a deep breath. “I honestly hate working with her.”

  “So boarding school made her that way, or she just is that way?” Jaime leaned forward, studying Liza’s face as if her answer really mattered to him.

  She sighed. “I don’t know. Why have kids at all if you’re just going to send them away and make someone else raise them?”

  “So they can get an education that they couldn’t get at home?”

  “Wait, did you go to boarding school?”

  Jaime chuckled. “No, I just have a different perspective on it.”

  “Well, none of my children are going there. If there’s even a miniscule chance that boarding school influenced Chrissy, I don’t want to take my chances.”

  They deplaned and hurried out of the airport, shivering at the frigid temperatures that were at least fifty degrees colder than Florida. Jaime’s pickup was covered in snow and New York was definitely showing off its winter skills. They cleared off the snow and ice and turned the heat up on the drive home. Jaime seemed distracted as he drove, almost like he wanted to talk to Liza about something but couldn’t bring himself to do it. He started and stopped his sentences a few times before settling on the weather and how Christmas was right around the corner.

  “If you haven’t made it to Kenworth’s department store, make sure you get there,” Liza supplied during another awkward pause.

  “Is there some shopping I need to do?” Jaime asked innocently.

  Liza pushed his shoulder. “Yes, you’d better take advantage of the shopping countdown, but that’s not why you should go to Kenworth’s. They have a hope tree every year, and the community helps provide information for individuals in need. They hang little ornaments on the tree that have gift requests.” Liza smiled and leaned back in her seat. “I just love going there and seeing all the ornaments disappear. It’s fun to choose someone and buy a gift for them without knowing who they are or what their circumstances might be. I like thinking about the families who are touched by the special Christmas spirit.”

  Jaime looked at her, and she noticed that his eyes seemed to be a lighter shade of green. He was studying her so intensely that she forgot what she’d been saying.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I love your heart,” he said
quietly. “I love how you see and experience the world. I’m hoping a little of that has rubbed off on me. I’ll definitely go over to Kenworth’s. Is the tree easy to find?”

  Liza’s heart beat stronger with his words, and she felt herself falling a little more in love with him. “I love your strong heart. You have courage and wisdom that I hope has rubbed off on me. And yes, the tree is easy to find. Right in the clothing department, usually by the women’s section.”

  “Liza, I wanted to tell you …” Jaime looked over at her and then focused again on the snow-banked roads.

  Liza waited, but he didn’t finish his sentence. “What did you want to tell me?”

  Jaime swallowed and reached his hand out to cover hers. “I wanted to tell you thank you for not judging me because of my past. I want to do better and be a better man.”

  “I could say the same thing to you, except for the better man part. I want to be a better woman.”

  Jaime squeezed her hand, and Liza tried to calm the galloping horses racing through her chest. They were alone. The engagement was over, and Jaime was saying nice things to her and holding her hand. Did she dare hope that this moment was real?

  Before she could contemplate the divide between reality and fantasy, Jaime had pulled up to his house, where Liza’s car was tucked secretly away in his garage. They made a quick transfer of bags, and Liza backed her car out and waved at Jaime. There was no parting hug or kiss, and Liza felt the absence of his affection. She wondered again if she would ever really know if Jaime had feelings for her.

  It must’ve snowed six more inches while they had been in sunny Florida. Liza pulled into the driveway, got out, and stamped her feet to keep the snow from going down her low-heeled boots. She had her left hand on the doorknob to walk into the house when she saw a glimmer of light and gasped. She was still wearing Jaime’s mother’s ring! There was no time to think, because her parents had certainly heard the garage door open. She stuffed the ring into her jeans pocket and walked inside.

  Her mother was heading her direction and pulled her into a hug. “It’s so good to see you. And look, Reuben—she’s stolen some sunshine.”

  “Yep, sun-kissed. You look good, Liza,” Dad said.

  If only her parents knew just how kissed she’d been over the weekend. “I can’t believe how much it snowed while I was gone. Sorry I couldn’t bring some sunshine home with me.”

  “I like the snow,” her dad replied. “No weeds to pull.”

  Mom chuckled and patted his cheek. “Plenty of things to fix in this old house, though.”

  That comment reminded Liza of the conversation she’d had with Jaime. Along with paying off bills, her parents were using the rent money to repair all sorts of things around the house as well as create a buffer for future expenses. The pattern they’d created was comfortable, and she hated the thought of disrupting it now.

  “I’m going to go unpack and jot down a few more notes before tomorrow.” Liza escaped to her room and quickly texted Jaime.

  I am so sorry! I still have your mother’s ring. I can drop it by your house.

  Jaime: Go ahead and drop it off on your way home from work tomorrow. I know you have a busy day ahead of you.

  Liza: Okay, I promise to keep it safe!

  Jaime: I know you will. I trust you.

  Liza kept looking at that word in his text. Trust. He said that he trusted her, but did she trust him? That quality was key to a successful relationship—even a friendship. Hopefully tomorrow she’d have a chance to chat with Jaime about how to go from fake fiancés who kissed and held hands to just friends. She brushed her fingers over her lips, almost wishing she’d never tasted Jaime’s kiss.

  18

  Even though Liza was exhausted the next morning, she arrived at work right on time. She was hoping to have a few moments to put together her thoughts for her meeting with Rick. She slipped into her cubicle after checking to see if Nita had arrived. That was funny; Nita was never late. Liza sent her a quick text asking if she was feeling okay.

  Nita: Just running an errand for Rick.

  Liza: This early? My goodness! See you soon.

  Liza finished typing up her notes and printed off a full sheet of contacts and leads that she had gathered at the conference. If Rick was anything but pleased, she might have to seriously consider Jaime’s advice to get a new job.

  “Surprise!” Nita called out. The office was suddenly a flurry of balloons, flowers, and Christmas cupcakes.

  Liza tried to take it all in as Elaine pulled her from her chair and hugged her. Over the shoulder of her coworker, Liza read the words printed on the Mylar balloons.

  Congratulations!

  You’re engaged!

  Happy ever after!

  Her stomach dropped to her toes. She couldn’t swallow fast enough, and her eyes were burning.

  Nita approached her with the biggest smile on her face. “I don’t know how you could do it, but you are pretty good at keeping secrets.”

  What could she say? Liza scrambled for words. “Um, how did you find out? I haven’t told anybody yet.”

  “Well, taking your fiancé to the conference is a pretty big tell, wouldn’t you say?” Rick’s voice boomed from behind her. Liza jumped as Rick patted her on the back. “Congratulations!”

  Liza cleared her throat. “Thanks.”

  “Let me see your ring.”

  The ring. She would just have to tell them. This was all a huge mistake. Her face was burning, and if she didn’t get a hold of herself, she was going to start crying. She had to think fast.

  Jaime’s ring was in her car. “Oh my goodness. The ring. I’ll be right back!”

  Liza jogged out of the building before anybody could say another word. She scooted into her car and opened the glove compartment. She had placed the ring in a small padded envelope last night. She dialed Jaime’s number while pulling the ring out.

  Jaime answered on the second ring. “Liza, how are you?”

  “Jaime, I’m in a mess! My office is throwing a party for me because they found out I got engaged!”

  There was a beat of silence. “What?”

  “Everyone in my office thinks I’m engaged! Mark must have told Rick because he knew that you came to the conference with me.”

  “Oh no.”

  “Rick sent Nita to get balloons and treats and flowers and everything. This is a disaster!” Liza blinked rapidly to keep the tears from falling.

  “Wait, it doesn’t have to be a disaster. We can fix this.” Jaime’s voice was low and calm. “Let me think. There must be something we can do.”

  Liza looked down at the ring in her hand and took a deep breath. She tried to think, but her mind was under attack from a volcano of emotions and a mountain of regret.

  “Liza, what do you want to do? If you want to play this out for a little while longer, I’ll support you in that. If you want to go in there and tell them they made a mistake, I’m okay with that too.”

  “Oh, Jaime, I don’t know what to do. Mark will have a heyday with this when he finds out I have another broken engagement. This is why they teach you in church never to lie. Why did I think I could get out of a lie any different than anyone else?”

  Jaime chuckled. “Now don’t take yourself straight to Hell yet. You’re a good person, and you have a lot to deal with. Your plan was a good one, because you were able to get through the conference pretty much unscathed and send a message to Mark that you were unavailable.”

  “I wish I had thought of another bright idea.” She hadn’t anticipated Mark’s scheme to work with Stellar Ads. If she admitted that she wasn’t engaged, he might pursue her with more tenacity.

  “Well, I don’t wish that,” Jaime replied. “Put that ring on your finger and go back in the office. Stop by my house after work, and we’ll talk.”

  “But are you sure? This will ruin any prospects you have of dating. You know Echo Ridge is a small town. I’ll have to leave work at lunch to tell my parents!”
<
br />   “Liza, remember where my reputation was before I met you. I wasn’t dating much and I didn’t have many friends, but now I have you. If you’d like me to go with you to see your parents at lunch, I’ll do that.”

  Liza sucked in another breath and tried to see out her window. She’d fogged it up pretty good with all of her frantic talking. She looked at the ring, slid it on her left hand, and straightened up in her seat. “Okay, we’re engaged. I’ll be at your house at noon.”

  Liza got out of the car and walked back into her office, ready to celebrate her fake engagement as if it was the most authentic thing that had happened to her since she’d been engaged over a year ago. There was a way to fix this. She didn’t know what that way was yet, but hopefully Jaime would have some ideas.

  19

  When Jaime hung up the phone, he stared out the window for a full minute, trying to digest what he had just agreed to. The fake engagement was never supposed to leave Florida, but now he’d given Liza permission to bring it to the close-knit community of Echo Ridge, New York.

  His phone rang, and Jaime glanced at the caller ID. It was Jared, his acting attorney and friend.

  “Hey, Jaime, have you thought anymore about what I suggested?”

  “You mean how I’m supposed to write to the judge claiming that I have a stable home?”

  “Yeah, that. I want you to get that sent over to me.”

  Jaime hesitated as a thought struck him. “How might it change things if I were engaged?”

  “What?” Jared laughed. “You serious? You got engaged? I didn’t even know you were dating!”

  Jaime’s mind whirled with the possibilities he was diving into. This was the point of no return, and he didn’t want to listen to the good angel on his shoulder telling him, “No!” Jaime took a breath and replied, “Well, I kept things quiet, and I sort of wanted it to be that way because Kori is so crazy. So I hope you don’t mind if we hold off on lots of details for now.”

 

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