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I paced the floor of my kitchen. I’d been able to sneak home for a while since Jackson and the band were at practice, and Maeve was busy with a modeling job. Normally, the quiet Saturday might’ve been exactly what I needed, but my stomach sloshed with anxiety as I hit the call button beside my mom’s photo.
Here we go.
“Hey!” Her voice came over the line on the third ring. “I hadn’t heard from you and was just thinking of calling.”
“Great minds think alike,” I choked out, trying to remember what I had mentally rehearsed ever since Maeve and I had talked.
“Everything okay?”
“Um, well…” My voice trailed off. Just say it, Lena. Say it.
“What is it?” Her voice dropped with worry.
“I don’t know if you’ve seen the tabloids, but…” I swallowed hard. “I’m faking an engagement with Jackson Whiss.”
“Jackson who?”
“Jackson Whiss,” I repeated myself. “He’s the lead singer of that band I always liked—”
“The one where you got the VIP upgrade for free,” she said, letting out a sigh. “I take it this is when you met him?”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek, not sure how to take the tone of her voice. “Yeah, I met him there—and you know, Maeve married Tyson, who’s another member of the band.”
“Of course. I remember you mentioning something about that. You keep so much from me these days.”
I gritted my teeth, trying not to jump on the defensive. “I really don’t. I’m just…I’ve been really busy.”
“Busy dating some rock star.”
“Uh, well, kind of.”
“Yeah, not kind of. Definitely,” Mom snapped, her voice growing sharp. “I just pulled it up right here on my laptop. “You’re engaged, apparently.”
“Yeah, but like I said, it’s fake.”
“Is it fake or do you just not want us to know what’s really going on in your life?” Her question stung, and I closed my eyes.
Don’t fight with her. She’s probably just speaking out of hurt.
“It’s fake. I had to sign a bunch of NDAs. I’m not supposed to be telling anyone that it’s not real, but…I can’t lie to you guys. I’m being paid for it.”
“Like an escort,” she snorted.
“No,” I argued. “Not like that at all. I’m not being paid to sleep with him or something.”
“But are you?”
“Mom!” I nearly shouted. “I’m trying to be honest with you about what’s going on in my life, and you’re not making this easy. This is why I hadn’t even bothered to tell you.”
She sighed heavily, like my words pained her. “Sorry. It’s just a shock to the system. I never thought you’d do something like this.”
She makes it sound like I’ve become a prostitute.
I pursed my lips. “I’m sorry. The media had already linked us, because we hung out a few times. He came to the class that I teach to work with the kids. His PR team pushed for it, and they offered to pay for my school, among other things.” I didn’t mention using some of the money to help pay for their house. Or mine.
“So…it’s a shortcut to paying for school.”
“There’s no way you’re not going to be mad at me for this,” I said, plopping down on my couch in my living room. “I guess there’s no reason to keep talking about it then. It is what it is. I just wanted to give you a heads-up for when you saw the pictures online. Well, if you saw them.”
