He chuckles, crinkles forming by his eyes, then sobers quickly. “It’s just frustrating. I have never had tension with a boss before.”
The words hit closer to home than he knows. “Trust me,” I say quietly. “I know exactly what it feels like to not get along with your boss.”
The lobby fades into the background as his eyes soften. “You handle your mom so much better than I would,” he says at last. “If I didn’t know your family personally, I’d never guess there’s any conflict, especially with the press. You are truly brilliant at what you do.”
Caught off guard, I blink. It’s far from the first time he’s said something nice to me, but knowing what I know about his feelings, everything feels different now. “Brilliant is a bit generous,” I say. “Most days I just bite my tongue and I perfectly time my eyeroll for the exact moment she looks away.”
He laughs like that’s the funniest thing he’s heard all month, and he flashes his perfect lazy smile at me. “If there were medals for handling the worst boss, you’d podium.”
It’s my turn to laugh, heat rising up my cheeks. Again, he’s always been sweet to me, but it feels like he’s layering his compliments thicker andflirtier. “Wow. That’s a nice thing to say.”
“I’m serious.” His voice softens again. “You’re so good to her, even when it costs you something, like having to go along with this whole Bodan thing. You didn’t want that, but it helped her. You also didn’t ask for anything in return. That’s pretty selfless.”
My throat clenches. I open my mouth to deflect, but he beats me to it. “Also,” he says, eyes glinting, “I respect your ability to still hang out with me, even when your mom has expressed her disapproval. It’s a risk, but don’t think it’s lost on me. I appreciate it.” He fixes me with a look that says just how much heappreciatesme.
For a second, I forget where we are.
I forget who I’m supposed to be dating.
I forget the lie waiting beyond the auditorium doors.
Heat rises up my neck, and I feel like I might melt to the floor.
I swallow and lift my eyes to the auditorium looming ahead like an eerily haunted house. I don’t want to go in—it’ll only deepen the lies. What I want is right here, yet I feel completely stuck. He notices me staring at the doors, and his smile fades. “We can go in when you’re ready.”
“Never,” I whisper, savoring having Ty all to myself. Then I remember something Bodan said the first day I met him and giggle. I whisper, “So I forgot to tell you, but Bodan has these crazy conspiracy theories about hockey. He fits right in with my mom, but if you get any weird vibes from him, that’s probably why.”
He’s laughing when he says, “Now you tell me.”
I’m not laughing. Everything instantly feels heavy as I spot Bodan. He’s wearing a full tailored jacket, and he is surrounded by coworkers who, if I had to guess, have definitely read the headlines about him dating me. As soon as he spots me, he declares very loudly, “There you are. I’m so glad you made it,honey.”
The random nickname burns in my gut, which makes me wonder if I ever had so many stomach problems before this week. I don’t recall. It’s like my digestive system is trying to slowly kill me. I flatten my palm on my stomach, hoping to calm it.
Before I can respond, Bodan’s coworkers bumble forward. With huge, eager smiles, they shove their handshake greetings at me. Their gazes flick between Bodan and me, and my stomach drops again, making my brows draw together in worry. At what point does my stomach just land on the floor? It can’t go any lower. The thing about having a fake public boyfriend is that it’s actuallypublic. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I never expected his coworkers to react like this.
Tyson goes still beside me, and it brings me back to the present. “This is—” I start, then pause to carefully choose my word, “—this is my friend, Tyson. He’s in town for the week and wanted to check out the museum.” Every word tastes like chalk. It’s completely true—even if I’ve left out a lot about how he loves me and I love him too, but neither of us has the courage to say it aloud.
Tyson offers a polite smile and shakes hands with a couple of people who step forward to welcome him. His jaw tightens enough that I notice. Then we’re ushered to the front row, where Tyson and I sit next to each other. It’s another moment before Bodan takes the stage and launches into his lecture. He really is confident and engaging. Looking around the room, I notice it’s almost full, and everyone is hanging on his every word.
Turning my focus back to Bodan, I last about three minutes before a yawn bubbles out of nowhere. My eyes drift sideways, where I see Ty’s elbow propped on the armrest with his chin resting in his palm. More alarming—his gaze is pinned on me. When he catches me looking, his eyebrows hike, and he makes an exaggerated face like he’s fighting sleep. I bite my lip to keep from laughing.
I turn back to Bodan, who is apparently a lot smarter than I’d realized. Most of his intellectual jargon sails right over my head. Thankfully, he’s not talking hockey conspiracies. Truthfully, he’s handsome up there with his neatly gelled hair, but I amstruggling to care. My gaze slips back to Ty, who catches my eye again and mouths the word, “Help.”
I shake my head, struggling not to laugh. We are definitely on the same page. As the lecture drones on, I don’t hear a word of it. Somewhere in the middle, Tyson starts bouncing his knee like he’s got ants in his pants. That wouldn’t normally bother me, but every few bounces, his leg brushes mine. Accidental or not, lightning rockets through my thigh.
Every.
Single.
Time.
Too distracted to care about what Bodan is saying, I wish Ty and I were somewhere else. Somewhere private, where we could talk. I could tell him how much I hate pretending I’m dating Bodan, how much it feels like something’s been growing between us, and how sick it makes me to think I’m wasting all this time that we could be spending being honest with each other.
Maybe at some point, I need to stop blaming my mom? I mean, I’m not a little girl anymore. I can make my own decisions. My breath catches as I think about the fallout. There’s no way I could turn my back on her and still work with her every day. I’d have to get another job, which I know exists, but it’s hard when this is all I know. I majored in political science at George Washington University and was so determined to do this career I graduated in three years, even while working full time for my mom. When I say I put all my eggs in one basket, they are stacked heavy.
The thing I didn’t foresee? Even well-stacked eggs can crack.
Applause fills the room. I missed the ending of the lecture. Bodan grins at me as he steps away from the podium and walks downstage until he’s right in front of me. “Thank you again for coming.”
