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Eliza laughs and levels a look that’s determined to make me fess up.
I shrug. “Oh, I don’t know. It’s a warm day. Just try the coffee. Then I have some pictures to show you.”
With a frown, she finally drinks from the paper cup. Her eyes widen comically.
“Whoa—I—oh, mama. This is good. I don’t know why I never thought of a fire roast before, but it does give the bean a nice smoky undertone.” She stares at the cup, transfixed. I almost think she’s forgotten about my Not Relationship with Lincoln. Until she looks at me again. “So, do you think your fake fling with the boss is leading you anywhere besides cool experimental coffee?”
I sit down on her small love seat.
“Not a clue, Eliza.”
“How’d it happen, anyway?”
I fill her in on everything, deciding there’s no sense in hiding the truth. The flowers from Jay, the ridiculous proposal, the nights in Seattle, the moment one blinding kiss turned the whole world into a waking dream when I opened my eyes.
“Amazing,” Eliza whispers when I’m finished, shaking her head in awe. “You guys are a thing.”
“I guess we are...” I nod slowly. “And I love it.”
She smiles. “Would you love it more if you could put a label on it?”
Would I?
“I don’t know. I’m not even sure if it should be anything besides what it already is,” I say carefully. “He’s still my boss, Eliza. This is pretty taboo as it is, and it’s also the kind of thing that follows you if it goes sour...”
“Aw, I don’t think he’ll come after you if it isn’t meant to be. He agreed to this fake engagement so no one would question it, didn’t he?”
“Still, what if HR finds out it’s not all fake when we’re off the clock?” I swallow, worry balling up in my throat.
“Cross that bridge when you get there,” she says simply.
“It’s not like I can stay away from him, so...maybe you’re right.”
“If you can’t stay away, trust the chemistry.”
I stare at her. “Do you have some catchphrase for everything?”
“Yep. It’s what I do. You have a lot of time to think while you’re waiting for the bloom on the perfect pour over or steeping cold brew.” She grins smugly, her eyes flashing.
“Eliza, life isn’t as easy as coffee. I’ve just stacked all my chips in one place and obliterated boundaries. If this doesn’t work out, it could get ugly.”
“But what if it does? What if penny boy decides he’s game to take you on a real date the whole world knows about?”
Oh, God.
The minute she says it, I tense. Hope and nervous horror knife through me. What if Lincoln did do that?
“Penny boy?” I whisper.
“You know, Lincoln? Abe? Penny? Never mind!” She throws up her hands, laughing.
“You come up with the goofiest names,” I say, cracking a smile that takes the edge off.
“Yeah, my other talent. Now you said you had some pictures?”
Right. I turn on my laptop. The company images aren’t synced up to my phone so we’ll do this the old-school way.
“You have to promise not to scream first,” I warn her, wagging a finger.
She crosses her heart with her tongue stuck out the side of her mouth.
Oh, Eliza. With friends like you, who needs trouble?
I press forward anyway.
An image comes up on the screen with Lincoln in a cream-white tux, holding me like I’m an absolute treasure. I’m wearing a simple white dress, resting my head under his chin, a bouquet of bright cornflower clenched between us.
Even though I’ve seen it ten times, my breath still stalls.
Is that really what we look like together?
Do cameras ever lie?
God. We could be shooting for a Pride and Prejudice reboot. And why not? Darcy was the original billionaire bad boy.
Eliza lets out a scream that would be earsplitting if it wasn’t for her palms pressed to her mouth.
“Hey, you promised not to scream! Covering it still counts.” I elbow her in the belly playfully.
She skids back, a messy laugh falling out of her.
“Dakota, that’s...a big deal. You’re wearing a wedding dress. The suit has you cradled against him. You both look like you just found your stars. Like, I’m over the freaking moon for you. You wouldn’t have allowed this in a million years if you didn’t feel something. Not after that annoying little blue jay...”
I shake my head, even as my heart flips.
“Let’s not get carried away, okay? I’m a copywriter for an apparel company. This is a marketing gig and it’s over in a few more shoots. When it’s done, I think I just want to lay low and let fate do its thing. I don’t want to get my hopes up.”
“No, but—look at him! He’s eating you with his eyes. I don’t buy him thinking this is just a dumb marketing ploy. Not in a million years.”
