“The book Finley’s friend mentioned when she left.”
My jaw tightened. The morning’s a blur of chaos, and I barely remember anything beyond Finley’s face as she walked away. “And?”
Mallory’s voice trembles, but she pushes forward anyway. “Barb said she thought you were like the guy in that book.” She hesitates, then blurts, “Alex—that book was about a man who hires a woman to pretend to be his girlfriend at Christmas parties.”
The blood drains from my face.
Her eyes search mine, glassy and hurt. “Alex, is Tyler right? Did you hire Finley to pretend to be your girlfriend so you didn’t have to sleep on the sofa bed?”
I drop my bag on the floor and sink onto the edge of the bed, my gaze landing on the tree in the corner. “What do you think?”
Mallory shifts uneasily. “Honestly? I want to believe she’s real, but…she’s not your type. At all. And yeah, I saw you hold her hand and have your arm around her—but I never once saw you kiss her. Still…” She takes a breath. “You did things with her that you never would have done for any of your previous girlfriends, let alone someone you’d hired. Plus, you’re genuinely upset about the way Grant was treating her. And you were gutted she left. That’s not something you can fake.” Her shoulders sag. “Sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking. Sorry I asked.”
I could keep lying, keep the walls up. Maybe it’s Finley’s influence, or maybe it’s my exhaustion of hiding things from my family. Either way, I chose the truth. Come what may.
“It’s true,” I say quietly.
Mallory frowns. “What’s true? That I was rude to ask?”
I swivel my head to look up at her. “That she’s not my girlfriend. Grant was right. She’s the barista at my coffee shop.” The words taste like glass. “Grant texted me while I was in line with Roland. He floated the idea, and the more I thought about it, the more I liked it.”
Her eyes widen in horror. “You tricked Finley?”
“No,” I protest, then grimace. “Maybe. I don’t know what’s real anymore.” I drag a hand over my face. “But Finley—she never lied. Except for when we started dating. Everything else is true. She insisted on it.” A reluctant smile tugs at my lips. “When I told her no one would believe I was dating a barista, she said if I couldn’t take her as she was, she was calling the whole thing off.”
Mallory sinks down beside me, her voice shaking. “You tricked us, Alex. You made us love her and it wasn’t even real.”
I swallow hard. “But I want it to be.”
Her head snaps toward me, her eyes shining. “What did you just say?”
I turn to face her. “I want it to be real. I want her to be my girlfriend. Tyler was right. She is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Her whole face lights up. “Then you have to win her back.”
A bitter laugh escapes me. “I never had her, Mal. You can’t win back someone you never had.”
“I saw the way she looked at you,” she insists. “She wants you too.”
“I’ve hurt her, Mal. Badly.”
“No. Grant hurt her.”
I could argue that Grant’s fury was sparked by my lie, by me springing a fake girlfriend on the family, but that would be beating a dead horse.
Mallory leans forward, practically vibrating with excitement. “Let’s figure out how to win her back.”
“You’re going to help me?” I ask, stunned.
She smacks my arm. “Of course! Do you think you can do this on your own?”
I snort. “Mallory, I’m in the middle of building a multi-million-dollar tech company. I think I can handle this.”
She arches a brow. “You might be a brilliant businessperson, but you’re a disaster at love. Exhibit A: your sucky previous girlfriends.”
I shrug. She has a point.
“She’s still here in town, right?” she presses, practically bouncing on the bed.
