Sandro gives me a curious look as he unlocks his car. “Sounds good. Meet you there.”
Fifteen minutes later, we’re sitting in a booth, beers in hand. Sandro got a Blue Moon, and I’ve got my usual Guinness. The owner, Denny, is behind the bar watching a replay of the game from this weekend on a flatscreen hanging in the corner.
Sandro takes a sip. “Long day, but I think it went really well. They loved the plan we presented.”
“Yeah? The husband kept looking at me weird.”
“Like I told you, the men of this town are wary of you.”
“You’ll be happy to know I’ve found a way to put their worries to rest.”
Sandro’s brow arches up. “Oh yeah?”
“I’m off the market. Blake and I are dating.”
He rears back. “Come again?”
“She needs a place to stay, and I need a girlfriend. We made a deal.”
My crisp explanation seems to make Sandro even more confused. “Hold on, so she’s your fake girlfriend? Or is it for real?”
“Fake.”
He looks shocked. You’d think by now he’d expect things like this from me.
Sandro drags a palm over his cheek. “Dude, if she ever finds out you started that fire…”
“She’s never going to find out.” How could she? “I’ll start taking her out next week, and it won’t take long for the whole town to know we’re together. It’s brilliant, isn’t it?”
“I mean, yeah, I guess it could work…”
“We’re going to fix up her house, by the way. I told her you’ll be over soon to take a look at everything.”
He drags his palm down his face. “Sure. Great. As if I don’t have other things on my plate. But I don’t get it. If we fix her place, won’t she just try to sell it again and leave?”
“I don’t need to fake date her for long. Just a few months to smooth things over and have the people in this town move on to some other scandal.” A few months will also be enough for me to get Blake into my bed so I can get my fill of her.
At least I hope it will be enough. A woman’s never managed to keep my interest for more than that.
But what if she does?
“All right, I’ll go there next week.” Sandro sighs into his glass. “So what happened to you this morning?”
“I got stopped by a fucking cop.”
Concern flickers over Sandro’s expression. “Why?”
“Blake’s ex set him on me.”
“Blake’s ex?”
“Yeah, you know the douchebag who owns the bar she works at? He’s also the mayor’s son.”
The concern deepens. “Dude, you sure you picked the right woman to be your fake girlfriend?”
“I’m not worried about it. I just thought you should know.”
“Well, Iamworried. I mean, it seems like you're diving headfirst into a whole lot of trouble. He’s setting the cops on you? What if he starts sniffing around some more?”
