Luke: me too. Nice knowing ya
Me: Guys, don’t leave me alone, please!!
Miles: left the group chat
Luke: left the group chat
Niko: left the group chat
Traitors, all of them. Can’t believe these guys abandoned me.
Me: Fine. Gotta leave for work now. Will explain later.
Vicky: You’ve got to be kidding me!! Seriously? MIKE!!
Vicky: Answer your phone.
Vicky: No, wait, I’m calling Ren
I hung my head, knowing this was all going to unravel. Letting Max out and feeding him before I left, I prayed for mercy and a miracle. I was going to need them both.
CHAPTER SIX
Renata
The soundof the ocean woke me from what felt like a deep hibernation. A smile grew as I slowly opened my eyes, listening to the seagulls and the waves. Taking a deep breath and stretching so hard my back cracked, I let my sleepy mind come to life.
I was in San Diego and was going to see Vicky for breakfast. Quickly checking my phone, I saw I still had a few minutes before my alarm was set to go off.
Throwing off the fluffy duvet, I set my feet on the cool hardwood and looked around. The night before filtered back into my mind as I stood and headed for the bathroom. Fatigue and the weird conversation with Mike hadn’t allowed me time to look around my new temporary home. I texted Vicky last night to let her know I’d made it to Luke’s cottage and made plans for this morning.
Walking into the bathroom, I checked the mirror, horrified at how wild my curls had gotten. I must’ve been fighting a bear in my sleep. Conditioner. Lots of conditioner was in my future.Climbing into the small but well-appointed shower (hello, fancy showerhead), I let the hot water and the pulsing massage from the showerhead melt away the soreness from travel. I sighed in pure joy.
True to my word, I didn’t mention anything to my best friend last night about Mike’s proposal. I choked on air at my choice of words.Not a proposal. Definitely not a proposal. Just a fake girlfriend.
This was straight out of a romance novel. I chuckled thinking about how Vicky would react when she heard the news. She loved romantic movies and books, so maybe she’d think this was adorable. Whenever she made me watch one with her over the years, I acted annoyed, but secretly I loved them. I was pretty sure she saw through my act when she found my Netflix list, which had more rom-coms than design shows. She’d given me a knowing look but didn’t call me out.
An hour later, I was dressed, my curls doused with a gardenia-scented hair oil. I was so fascinated by the house and its design after my shower that I’d forgotten to check my phone. Walking back into the bedroom to retrieve it, my eyebrows lifted when I saw the multitude of missed texts from Vicky.
Before I could read them all, a loud knock startled me. Rushing to the front door, I opened it to see Vicky, hands on her hips, her eyes wild.
“First, give me a hug because I’m so happy to see you. And then you’ve got some explaining to do!” She grabbed me before I could even speak.
She pushed me inside after she finally let go, then slammed the door.
“What in the fake dating trope is going on, Renata Marie Valenti?” she yelled, hands flying in the air. Yikes, my full name.
“No ‘hello, how was your trip, amica?’ I crossed an ocean to see you.” She glared at me, and I pursed my lips, trying not togiggle. “I take it Mike called you. Come sit and calm down so we can talk,” I answered, pulling her to the pillowy soft sofa. “Oh, this is so comfortable.”
“It should be. I picked it out,” she grumbled. “Now don’t change the subject. What is Mike talking about? After that, we can talk about your bad airplane food.”
“Okay, I will tell you everything, but I’m really hungry, Vicky. Please feed me first. If I don’t get coffee soon, it won’t be pretty.” I showed her my best puppy dog eyes, complete with batting lashes, and she started laughing.
“Fine, fine. But first, tell me everything that happened after we spoke the other night.”
Ignoring my growling stomach, I filled her in on everything I’d done before leaving Tuscany, a little about the flights, and told her the overall conversation with Mike and our ride to the cottage.
“I won’t tell you more until you feed me,” I said sternly, making her laugh. She pulled me into another long hug, chatting about where she was taking me to eat.
