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It felt like someone had hit Pause on my brain. I blinked at him.
The look he was giving me was so intense it was poking holes in my lungs. “If you can make it believable and convince my whole family that we’re happy and in love, I’ll do everything I said.”
Yeah… okay. There was definitely something he wasn’t telling me.
“And you thinkyou’llbe able to make it believable?” The majority of our conversations ended with us wanting to rip each other’s throats out. Just the sight of his face made my fists clench. How did he imagine we’d be able to pull this off?
Adrien nodded. With confidence. “Yeah. I don’t think that part is going to be an issue.”
Oh. SoI’dbe the more likely one to give us away? Was that what he was insinuating?
“Adrien, you can’t even look at me without three separate veins protruding right out of your thick forehead.”
His mouth did that amused twitch thing. “How about this then: if I give us away, you’ll still walk away with everything I mentioned.”
I nibbled on my lower lip. Clearly, the man had all his marbles rolling loose inside that big head of his. But also… Alba would get her job back in a week, and I wouldn’t have to put up with his bullshit anymore. “Can I take the watch off?” I asked him.
“Yes.”
Thank fuck. “And… you said we’d be there for one week, right? Seven days?”
“It shouldn’t be more than a week, but let’s cap it at ten days. Just in case.”
I could do that. Ten days was better than—
“Oh. Wait,” I said, my spine perking into a straight line. “Rooms. I want my own room. Nonnegotiable.”
Another twitch of his mouth. “We’ll be staying in their guesthouse. It’s a two-bedroom, and you’ll have your own bath. Anything else?”
“Yeah. I want it all in writing.”
He nodded, a smirk tugging at his mouth. “Deal.”
“Deal.”
I shook his hand and reached for the velvet box, shoving the diamond ring onto my finger with a grin. Just ten days and this whole thing would be over. I’d never have to interact with Adrien Cloutier ever again.
Let the lying games begin.
15
“Wow.”
I gawked up at the mansion in awe, my fingers going slack around the straps of my bag. The place was huge. And the exterior looked a bit like one of the classic Cloutier hotels, with dark shingles and light stones. There was also a large fountain out front and a ton of flowers and shrubbery lining… well, everything.
The whole property was lovely. Enchanting and picturesque andmassive.
“Yeah, I know,” Adrien said, stepping up beside me. The car that had dropped us off made one last crunchy turn out of the property, leaving us alone with our luggage. And my ring.
I’d become hyperaware of it the second we’d stepped off the plane. It was starting to feel heavy and dense, like an anchor. There was a reason Adrien had waited until the very last minute to tell me what he was up to. The less time I had to think about it, the less time I had to realize how terrible of an idea it was.
I rolled my lips, apprehension washing over me. Was I just overthinking things or were there a hundred different ways this could blow up in my face?
“Don’t overthink it,” Adrien muttered, peering down at me like he could read my mind. “Keep it simple. We’re engaged, we’re in love. That’s it.”
“How did we meet?” I asked, keeping my squinting eyes on the house. Twelve bedrooms, that was going to be my guess.
“Through your sister. At the corporate Christmas party last year.”
