“Just humour me,” he says softly, shrugging. “Please?”
We find a table at the back of the cafeteria, near the floor-to-ceiling windows that let the sun poke through and warm the place. He looks a bit nervous to finally be sitting across from me, which again, makes me feel uneasy. Carter is thepicture of ease and arrogance at all times, but right now, he looks unsteady.
“Before I start, I want you to know that I’m coming at this from a place that is non-judgemental, but entirely beneficial for both of us.” He holds out his hands and my nerves prickle at the back of my neck. This sounds like it’s going to be an awful idea. “It doesn’t mean that I think you need help, or that you’re incapable of handling your shit on your own, because you’re a boss. Of course you can.”
I tap my fingers against the side of my cup. I swear to god, if this guy brings up my living situation again, I’m going to lose it.
Carter shuffles forward a bit. He leans in toward me and lowers his voice. “I need to show the world I have a girlfriend, Arden. They aren’t calming down and it’s only going to get worse when the details of those charges are finally made public, which they will be.”
I try not to flinch at that reminder. I know he’s drowning in speculation. Depending on the angle this guy tries to spin, it might wipe Carter out and demolish his reputation. Maybe his career. Of course, there’s a chance it all might quiet down and everyone will forget it, but with his career on the line, I don’t blame him for wanting to get ahead of it.
“Do me a solid. Be my faux girlfriend for a few months. Maybe for the season,” he pleads, hands still outstretched like he knows this is a desperate attempt that will not come to fruition.
“Faux?” I arch a brow.
He shrugs. “I thought it sounded nicer. Better than fake. Bougie.”
I shake my head, breathing out a laugh. Even though I resent this idea, I can sympathize with him. I know how much it means to him, and I was a part of the disaster thatled him here, worrying he’s going to lose everything he’s worked for.
I can’t fault him for it, but that doesn’t mean I have to agree to it, either.
“Can you find someone else?”
His lips press together tightly. “Nah. If there’s a video or some picture that surfaces, it’ll be easy for people to piece together that it’s a lie if it’s anyone but you.”
Damn. He’s right. Too risky.
I nod, but I wish the answer was different. “Carter…”
“Mutually beneficial,” he interrupts, those blue eyes melting my cold front. “Remember?”
“I don’t need dinners, parties, or hockey games,” I explain to him, and he nods, like he expected me to say that. “I’ve got a lot going on. All of that time can be spent working overtime. Picking up shifts. You and I value different things. I don’t have the free time to entertain this idea in a way that will satisfy you.”
“I know,” he says quietly. “That’s not what I’m offering.”
I bring my coffee to my lips, sugar exploding through my tastebuds the second it hits my tongue. “Then whatareyou offering?”
I ask like I care. The answer is always going to be no, no matter what he suggests. Unfortunately, I kind of like the guy now, so I will hear him out, but I wasn’t lying. I need to use my free time to work more. Sad, I know, but with what Serena and Anya want to do, and with my dad only getting worse by the day, I need to make money.
“I pay your father’s medical bills,” he says.
I drop the coffee. I literally drop it onto the table and it explodes, sending hot liquid cascading across the surface. Cursing, I jump to a stand, narrowly avoiding a mess on my scrubs.
Carter is already up and across the room, returning with napkins and a weary look. He wipes up the mess while I gawk at him.
What the hell did he just say?
I’m still standing there when he tosses the napkins in the trash and sits again, gesturing for me to follow suit.
I can’t.
Pay for my…Is he insane? Does he understand how much those bills are? How much money he’d need to fork over to get me out of this financial hellhole I’m living in? I don’t think he comprehends exactly what he just offered to me.
“What?” I finally manage to say.
He nods and points at my chair again, so I sit.
“I’ll take care of your father’s bills. Each month, send me the totals, and I’ll cover them.” He says it like it’s nothing. Like that will be easy. Like it’s one hundred dollars, not thousands and thousands of them.
