She shakes her head.
“Max is weird, but he cares about you. If he says he has a solution, he probably does.”
“Yeah. We’ll see.”
We spend the rest of the night eating ice cream and watching movies where everything works out in the end.
Where the heroine struggles… but wins. Finds love. Gets her happy ending.
If only real life worked like that.
Because in real life?
She yells at a director…
And gets blacklisted.
CHAPTER 3
JANE
The next morning, I walk into Max’s office wearing oversized sunglasses to hide my swollen eyes—and maybe to survive the brutal hangover currently trying to kill me—armed with an extra-large coffee like it’s life support.
Max’s assistant ushers me in immediately.
Which is never a good sign.
Usually, he makes me wait at least twenty minutes to maintain the illusion that he’s wildly important and overbooked.
“Jane!” he exclaims the second he sees me. “You look…”
“Terrible? Desperate? Like I’m having a full-blown existential crisis?”
“I was going to say ‘ready for a fresh start,’” he says, wincing slightly. “But your version feels more accurate.”
He gestures for me to sit, then steeples his fingers under his chin.
Uh-oh.
That’s hisI’m about to pitch something insanepose.
“So?” I say, too exhausted to play along. “What’s this mysterious offer?”
“Have you ever considered marriage?”
I choke on my coffee.
“Excuse me?”
“Marriage. Two people. Rings. A dress. A ridiculously overpriced cake.”
“I know what marriage is, Max. I just don’t understand why you’re bringing it up.”
He gets up and starts pacing.
Definitely nervous.
“I received an unusual proposal from a man named Callum McGregor. He’s a Scottish businessman who needs to get married quickly for… personal reasons. He’s offering a substantial sum to his future wife in exchange for a temporary marriage.”
