“Okay.” She nodded and then let out a long exhale. “I’d better get going, I’m exhausted and I have a lot to think about.”
He arched a brow. “Having second thoughts?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t love having to lie, but it’s better than being a national laughingstock, right? I mean, I’m not so proud that I won’t take Brent back when he comes to his senses, but I do have some sense of pride.”
The muscle near his eye twitched at the mention of her ex.
“Does that make me a bad person?” she asked.
The quiet question had him looking up. “Of course not.”
She gave him a small smile but she didn’t look convinced. “Maybe. Maybe not. All I know is, I don’t think I could handle this all on my own right now, so thank you for your offer to help.”
He came to stand alongside her, leading her to the hotel room door. “It’ll be over before you know it,” he said. “Nothing to worry about.”
She paused in the open doorway, her eyes narrowed in thought. “But what happens then? When it’s over?”
He and Tyler had already talked about that. “We’ll wait a while, until the news of our engagement loses its novelty and then quietly call off the engagement.”
“We won’t have the whole newlywed happily ever after ending,” she said.
He just barely held back a sound of disgust. “No. Fake engagement is one thing,” he said. “I don’t expect either of us wants to truly get married just to see this lie through.”
She smiled but he could have sworn he saw pain there. “Okay then, it sounds like you and Tyler have it all worked out,” she said.
“Let Tyler figure out how to handle the grand romantic finale.” He leaned over and lowered his voice as if letting her in on a secret. “You and I are about to make Tyler and his bosses very happy. They’ll make sure that the whole world believes you and I are some sort of whirlwind love affair.”
Her smile was teasing. “Complete with the happily ever after?”
He smiled as he shrugged. He didn’t believe in happily ever afters, not anymore. “For a little while.”
She laughed. “I’ll take what I can get, I guess.”
She was halfway down the hall when he called out to her. “Get some rest. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
Her expression said she wasn’t convinced but she smiled as she said a soft, “Goodnight, Cole.”
“Goodnight.” He went to close the door but he couldn’t quite bring himself to stop watching her until the elevator doors shut and she was out of sight.
He’d like to think he was right. Callie had nothing to worry about—other than explaining this ruse to her family and close friends. But him?
He sank onto the couch and reached for his beer, wondering how on earth his life had turned so completely upside down in a matter of hours.
Callie might not have anything to worry about…but he wasn’t so sure he could say the same for himself.
Chapter Six
Nothing helped Callie destress like losing herself in work. That was why the next day she was sporting cutoffs and one of her brothers’ old T-shirts as she perched on a ladder, her safety glasses shielding her from the old paint chips that flaked off under her scraper.
“What are you doing?” The deep voice behind her startled her so badly she jumped—not a great idea when one was dangling several feet in the air. With a little squeak she tried to right herself, but the ladder was moving beneath her and her stomach did that flip that came before a fall. Her hands grasped for the seat beneath her but it was too late, she was toppling over and any second now she’d land—
In a warm embrace.
Wait…what? She opened her eyes, which had been squeezed shut as she’d braced for the hard landing that never came. Instead she found herself looking up into the sexiest gray eyes she’d ever seen.
Sexy…and angry.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Cole said.
She could feel the reverberations of his growl against her cheek. She blinked stupidly. Words? What were words? She was currently being held by a strong pair of arms, held fast against the chest of a man she’d had a teeny-weeny crush on since she was fourteen.
Her heart raced wildly as he lowered his head slightly toward hers. From this point of view she had a uniquely wonderful view of his jawline, of the stubble of his beard. She could even see that his dark hair needed a trim.
For a split second she thought he might kiss her. But he stopped lowering his head and peered at her instead. “Are you all right?”
She stared blankly as she tried to catch her breath.
Oh, all right, so maybe that crush hadn’t been so teeny-weeny, after all. But it was a thing of the past. A thing of dreams. In reality, she was in love with Brent.
The thought brought with it a flash of guilt, but it also managed to bring sanity in its wake, and she wriggled to be free of his arms. Only when he’d set her free did she whirl around to face him, her arms folded across her chest. “Of course I’m all right. I would have been even better if you hadn’t scared the living daylights out of me by sneaking in here like that.”
His brows lowered into a glower. “I knocked and no one answered.”
“I can’t hear much from up here,” she said.
“The door was open,” he said, barely veiled accusation in his tone.
She flinched. “Stupid broken latch.”
“What?”
She shook her head. “Nothing, just…one of many things that still needs repairs around here.”
He eyed her curiously and she wondered if she sounded as crazed as she felt. “Since this is supposedly my home too, I figured it would be all right if I let myself in.”
She pressed her lips together, stopping herself from biting his head off again. But really, letting himself in? This was still her home, wasn’t it? She hadn’t signed away the deed along with her privacy, had she? She cleared her throat. “I didn’t realize you’d be coming today.”
He arched his brows in surprise, or maybe disbelief. “The camera crew will be here Monday, along with my team. I figured the more time to prepare, the better.”
She nodded, but the oxygen in the room seemed to have evaporated. “Monday?” It came out as a squeak.
“I told you they’d start next week,” he said. “Things move quick on this show.”
“That’s…that’s really quick,” she found herself muttering. They’d been over this, but even so…she’d thought she’d have a little bit more time to wrap her head around all the changes to come.
He studied her for a moment, but his initial anger at finding her on a ladder seemed to have faded. “You shouldn’t be going up ladders on your own,” he said. “If something had happened—”
“It wouldn’t have,” she interrupted.
He arched a brow and this time it was definitely in disbelief, probably because he’d just witnessed her fall.
He’d caught her fall.
She felt heat flood her cheeks and her tone turned defensive. “I never would have fallen if you hadn’t scared me to death.”
He winced slightly, and she took that to be an apology.
“So, Monday, huh?” she said, rubbing her hands over her arms, which had suddenly grown cold. “That’s…really soon.”
“That’s the day after tomorrow,” he clarified, humor tinging his voice.
She wasn’t in the mood. This was so not a laughing matter. She’d woken up this morning with a hollow pit in her gut and an overwhelming sense of horror that had only ever been rivaled by the sick sensation she’d had when she’d discovered that Brent had gone.
That morning her thought had been what has he done? This morning? The question she couldn’t shake was what have I done? She hadn’t been able to answer herself all morning. Not even throwing herself into housework had helped distract her from the enormity of what she’d done.
She’d signed herself up to take part in the lie
of the century! Well, maybe not in other people’s eyes, but for herself? This was a whopper. Especially since she prided herself on her honesty.
And then there was Cole. She’d been following his success for years. She knew exactly how big of a star he was. She hadn’t just signed up to fake a romance—she’d signed up to fake a romance with a celebrity.
This was nuts.
Ludicrous.
“Are you still with me?” Cole tilted his head, eyeing her with concern.
She forced a smile. “Of course.”
Taking a deep breath, she prayed for strength. It was done now, right? She’d agreed and it was happening.
He was here. In her house.
She blinked a bit as the reality hit her. The Cole Harding was here…in her house. She grabbed his arm. “Let me show you around.”
She heard his low chuckle as she led the way, dragging him by the hand. It felt weird to be holding another man’s hand and she tried not to notice how different his large, calloused, work-worn hands felt compared to Brent’s.
There was no comparison here. Brent was her ex and would be her fiancé again one day soon. This man was just…he was just…
He was just the man saving her wounded ego.
She blinked back a wave of tears that came along with an overwhelming rush of gratitude. They’d reached the home’s entryway—she planned on showing him around from the ground up—but she whirled around to throw her arms around his neck in an impromptu hug.
He froze beneath her for a second, his large muscular body turning to a statue as she squeezed his large frame. After a heartbeat, his arms wrapped around her and she just barely held back a sigh of contentment at the warmth and safety she felt in his arms.
“What’s this for?” His voice stirred her hair.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You’ve already thanked me.”
She pulled back slightly but his arms remained around her. “I have a feeling I’ll be thanking you a lot these next few weeks. What you’re doing for me—”
Her sentence was cut off mid-thought as a knock sounded on the door. Thanks to that stupid faulty latch the door swung right open and she found herself staring at her new friends, Angela and Leah.
Or rather, they were staring at her. And Cole.
Oh dear.
She went to take a step back but Cole didn’t release her from the embrace right away.
“I’m so sorry,” Angela said quickly, her eyes darting back and forth between them. “We’re interrupting and—”
“No!” Callie shouted it way too loudly, and both Angela and Leah widened their eyes in surprise. Leah was the first to recover, stepping forward with a friendly smile and an outstretched hand. “I’m Leah.”
“Cole.” He reached out with one arm to shake her hand while keeping the other firmly tucked around her waist.
She tried not to fidget or pull away but that panic from a few minutes earlier was back in full force. Angela was eyeing her oddly, like seeing her for the first time, and everything in her screamed liar! I’m a liar! This is a sham!
“I know who you are,” Leah said to Cole with a nervous little laugh. “Who doesn’t?”
Callie looked up at him to see how he’d react, but he just gave the other woman a small smile—Cole Harding’s version of a beaming grin, she decided. He didn’t look at all weirded out at being recognized. But then again, that was probably a regular occurrence for him.
Everyone knew who he was and every woman no doubt looked at him like Leah was right now, with a swooning look that made her seem about ten years younger. Leah was likely around the same age as her—late twenties, tops. But right now? She looked to be around sixteen and waiting to be asked to the dance by her first crush.
Callie almost snickered at the thought.
Almost.
She might have if Leah’s wide-eyed adoration didn’t bring up an odd sensation. She’d never been the jealous type but she couldn’t think what else to call this possessive feeling that made her want to wrap both her arms around Cole and shout “mine!”
She met Angela’s gaze and saw her redheaded friend’s smirk. She looked like she was trying desperately not to laugh.
She knows.
But did she know that Callie was lying or that she was battling a surge of unwanted jealousy as Leah babbled on about what a big fan she was?
Either way, Callie couldn’t take it anymore. She jerked out of Cole’s hold and put a solid foot between them, ignoring the curious look he threw her way.
Leah caught it though. She stopped talking in the middle of a story about her favorite episode and how she and her sister watch his show religiously. Callie was certain she could see her very new friend snap back to reality, the haze lifting from her star-struck state. “Oh my goodness, we really are interrupting.”
“No,” Callie said again quickly. Too quickly. “Um, I meant to tell you both that my house was chosen for the, um, for the show.”
She hadn’t thought it was possible for their eyes to widen any further.
“Really?” Angela squeaked. “That’s amazing.”
“I am so jealous,” Leah said.
Both of them were looking at her, waiting for her to continue but her mind was a blank. How to subtly mention that she was now engaged to the star of the show as well? They’d know it was a lie, how could they not?
She couldn’t face their guileless, kind gazes one second longer so she whipped her head to the side to face Cole.
Her breath caught in her throat. She shouldn’t have looked at him. It was the look he was giving her that shocked her to her core, making her unable to move. Or breathe, for that matter.
His hard features had softened, and his gaze was filled with such tenderness she thought she might weep if she ever woke from this state of shock. He closed the distance between them again and this time she didn’t have the ability to move away from him.
That was how she found herself tucked snugly against his side.
Again.
She tried not to notice the very masculine scent of his soap or his aftershave. Whatever that was, it was delicious and heady. It did nothing to help her state of shock.
Who knew that one tender look could be so thoroughly debilitating. But coming from this man? She might as well have just come face to face with Santa Claus.
This couldn’t be real.
Of course it’s not real, you dope.
She blinked rapidly, turning to her friends who wore matching looks of awe as Cole turned on the charm she never knew he possessed.
“Being sent to work on this house was the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” He looked down at her. “Right, babe?”
Babe. Babe? She licked her lips, her eyes wide as they met his. “Uh…right.”
It came out as a wheeze. A little breath of air, but he grinned as if she’d just said something brilliant. “Just my luck that my new client turned out to be newly single.”
She stared at him like he’d grown a second head. Her friends gasped and Angela laughed. She was pretty sure one of them was clapping her hands in delight. But Callie couldn’t look away from the man beside her who looked so thoroughly smitten.
“So you two are…” Leah’s voice trailed off as if she didn’t know how to finish. As if she didn’t believe what she was hearing.
Smart woman.
Callie couldn’t imagine that Angela bought it either, not after she’d told her that her fiancé would be coming back. She couldn’t even imagine what Angela thought of her right now. Pledging her loyalty to her rogue fiancé and then shacking up with a hot TV star the next…
That thought finally broke through her stupor and she tore her gaze away from Cole’s to face them. Not only were they not laughing or staring in disbelief. Both women were beaming like they actually bought it.
“You two are together?” Angela said.
Cole’s arm around her shoulder squeezed. “That’s right.”
The women t
urned to her and she managed an eloquent, “Er…”
Cole once again stepped in to save her. “It all happened awfully quickly, so we’re both still wrapping our heads around it.”
Their gazes had moved to him but were now back on her, waiting for her to speak. “Uh…”
“A whirlwind romance,” Leah said, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. It was at that moment that Callie realized what an absolute romantic her new friend was. She had to be if she bought Cole’s line about them falling instantly in love without a blink of an eye.
Angela at least had the good sense to shake her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe it...”
See? Angela wasn’t such a romantic that she’d fall for this. Callie felt a surge of relief. She’d tell her friend the truth. They didn’t believe her anyway, so why even try to pretend?
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Angela continued with a laugh. “I realize we haven’t known each other for long, but you should know that I love a good fairytale romance.”
Leah laughed. “It’s true. She didn’t start baking wedding cakes because she doesn’t believe in romance.”
The wedding cake. It had only been a week since she’d canceled her wedding cake, and they thought…they honestly believed…
Her jaw dropped open when she realized that these two friends—admittedly very new friends—had actually believed that Cole Harding could honestly fall in love with a tomboy like her. And in the span of a few days, no less.
Her mind was officially blown and she seriously had to reconsider the sanity of her new acquaintances.
Before she knew it, they were heading back toward the front door, apologizing for interrupting a moment.
What moment? There was no moment! The truth threatened to burst out of her. How on earth was she supposed to keep up this monumental lie for weeks when she could barely keep it up for a handful of minutes.
“We just stopped by to see if you were nervous about Monday,” Leah said.
Monday. The film crew. How did they know?
“First day on the job is always kind of scary,” Angela added.
Oh goodness. She looked up at Cole and saw that his gaze was no less tender than it had been, but she caught the quick mind at work beneath it.
The (Not So) Perfect Fiancé Page 7
