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“I don’t know. I really hadn’t given it a second thought,” Charlie lied in a fashion she hoped was believable.
“Well, I’m certainly curious about it, even if you aren’t,” said Anne. “You know, it’s too bad you and Josh didn’t hit it off. I thought y’all would’ve made a cute couple.”
“Mom, how can you say that? He’s a huge player.” She gave her standard response where Josh was concerned.
“From what Emily’s told me, he used to be a huge player. But not anymore.”
“You can’t trust a guy like that. Whoever he marries, he’ll cheat on her eventually.”
“Eh-hem!” Steven cleared his throat. “As a reformed player, I beg to differ. I would never cheat on your mother. I promise you, after a while, the glamour of that kind of lifestyle wears thin. I think Josh figured that out more quickly than I did.”
“Well... You’re different,” Charlie said.
Steven gave her a hug. “I’m glad you don’t judge me so harshly. I promise, I have no desire to go back to my old ways. It turns out Gram was right about what I needed all of those years.” He smiled at his wife, who was busy rescuing Micah from the death grip Ellis had on his hair.
Charlie chuckled at the screaming pair. “Well, on that note, I think I’ll escape for the evening. See you in the morning.”
“OLIVIA?” JOSH PULLED up a chair next to hers. She flinched at the screeching scrape of the chair legs on the hospital cafeteria floor. But she kept her eyes glued to her plate.
“Yes, Dr. Branson?” She maintained a flat, emotionless tone.
He let out an exasperated sigh. “Come on, Olivia. I think you can at least call me by my first name.”
“When we’re at work, you’re a doctor and I’m a nurse. I’ll address you appropriately.”
“Well, we’re not working right now,” Josh said, crossing his arms. “But whatever. Have you thought about my offer? Are you willing to at least try it for a few weeks? I mean, just pretend we’re engaged? Surely it wouldn’t be that bad...”
“Look, Dr. Branson. You embarrassed me at my sister’s wedding in front of my family and friends. If that’s any indication of how things will go, I think the answer is an emphatic no.”
“I’m sorry about that. But I’ve really got a time crunch here. In fact...” he hesitated, checking their fellow diners to ensure their privacy. “I need to present a fiancée to the children’s ad litem tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? I’m supposed to be engaged to you by tomorrow?”
“Well, I told him I’m already engaged, and he wants to meet you.”
“I haven’t decided to do this, Josh. In fact, I think your chances of getting me to agree are pretty slim. I think you should just find someone else to play your wife. I’ll play the heartbroken ex-fiancée.”
“Look, that’s just it. Right now, I only need a fiancée. If you don’t want to marry me, I’ll find someone else.”
“Don’t you think the ad whatever would notice if the person you marry is different from the fiancée he met?”
“Hopefully not, but I don’t think it will matter. As long as I’m married, I think I’ll win custody.”
She studied him, unable to ignore the warning of her tight chest. “This sounds like some kind of trap to me.”
“It’s no trap. I just need a fiancée right away. If you decide to go all the way... I mean, if you decide to get married, we’ll have a written contract—a prenuptial agreement. And the part where I pay for your med-school will be written in the contract.”
She shook her head. “Josh, even if I decided to do this crazy thing, that’s too much money.”
“Okay, I could pay for a year. And I’ll loan you the other three years interest free. Whatever—we’ll work something out. So you’ll do it?”
“And what do I get if I just humiliate myself until Friday?”
“If you stay engaged to me until I find someone else, you can keep the ring.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small blue box. Her eyes widened, and he grinned. “Should I get down on one knee?”
“No!” she exclaimed, with enough volume to attract attention from some nearby diners. She glanced about, discomfited by her outburst, and urged in a quiet voice, “No. Please don’t embarrass me again.”
He flipped it open, and she stared at it, open-mouthed, as tears sprang to her eyes.
