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Chapter One
“Cate!”
“Yes?”
I look up from the book I am reading and see a man standing just inside the entrance of the coffee shop I frequent in downtown Seattle. He smiles and rushes toward me, unraveling the black scarf that strangles his neck. He must have the wrong Cate. His green eyes are dancing, and slightly panicked if I am picking up on his vibe right. He sits across from me, his knees knocking against the legs of the table we are apparently now sharing.
“There you are!” He reclines in his chair, swiping a few rebellious strands of black hair out of his tan face.
I look over my shoulder before setting my book on the table, my finger still holding my place. “I’m sorry, do we know each other?”
“Here’s the thing, Cate,” he leans forward. “May I call you Cate?”
“Uh…”
“Great!” He pats the top of my hand and quickly continues before I can respond. “The thing is, Cate, I told my brother I couldn’t grab lunch with him today because I was out with my girlfriend. Well, you see, he just spotted me outside and insisted on coming inside to meet said girlfriend.”
I blink twice and whisper, “Why are you telling me this, Mr. …?”
“Theo.” He extends his hand and I politely, although reluctantly shake it. “Theo Bennett. Now the funny part of the story is I don’t actually have a girlfriend. I just told my family I did so they’d get off my back for a while.”
My eyes widen in realization, and I shake my head. “Mr. Bennett -”
“Theo.”
I flash him a look of pure displeasure, but I am sure he’s missed the intent. “Theo. Excuse me for asking but are you drunk?”
He scrunches his pointy nose looking more amused than offended. “No, I’m not drunk.”
“So….” My brown eyes narrow and I inch as close as I dare. “You’re just crazy?”
“I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend.”
That answers the crazy question.
“Wait,” I shift in my seat, waving my hand in front of my face. “Did you walk in the coffee shop and yell a random name to find yourself a fake girlfriend?”
Theo grimaces, “Yes and no.”
“Yes, and no?” I snort. “What does that mean?”
“Yes, I yelled a name to find a fake girlfriend,” he admitted willingly, flashing a wicked smile. “No, it was not a random name. I told my family my girlfriend’s name is Cate.”
I nod, slowly placing my book in my bag. He reaches his hand over and taps on the table inches from my fingers.
“Listen, I know this is weird. But if you help me out, I promise I will repay you with whatever you ask. Please.”
I start wrapping my red scarf around my neck loosely, not liking anything too tight around my person that constrict my movements or airflow. “Why not just tell him the truth?”
He reclines in his seat folding his arms over his chest, not at all looking like a man desperate to deceive his brother. “I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“It’s been a stress-free couple of months not being bothered with theWhy are you still singlequestion. I’m sure you can understand that.”
I furrow my brows, “Are you implying I look single?”
“Based on the fact there isn’t a ring on that special finger, yes.”
