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Not when Payton could feel her mind and her heart already waging war.
She had to stop herself from immediately saying yes.
It would be so easy to say yes.
But then the sensible side of her kicked in and that’s why she was standing by the windows again, her hands on her hips while Madison kept talking.
Payton might as well here the full story, everything Madison was asking of her, before she agreed.
But Payton’s heart was racing all the same, because while she was still coming to terms with the unbelievable news that Madison was interested in women, this was almost too much to register.
Playing the part of Madison’s girlfriend?
Her mind was jumping from one image to the next.
Hand holding.
Madison’s light touch on the small of her back.
Constant proximity.
An ex-wife to potentially make jealous.
It was dizzying.
Madison stayed where she was, crossing one leg over the other, her voice bringing Payton out of her dream montage. “I know it’s insane, but that’s why you’re the only person I could ask.”
Payton wiped her hand across her face as she turned back to face Madison. Fuck. Why was she so attractive? And she was asking her with so much confidence. Although, Payton had never heard that hint of desperation in her voice, there was still this air of confidence about her as she sat back on her couch, her arm draped over the back of it.
“What are you thinking right now?” Madison asked, her eyes locked onto Payton’s.
Payton sucked in a breath. “I don’t know. Surprised, I guess. I…” She couldn’t tell her boss that she was trying to keep her mind from conjuring up more images of the two of them together. “I hadn’t realized that you were married.”
Madison nodded slowly. “I tend to keep my personal life well away from work.”
“I know. I tried to look you up when I went for this job, but I couldn’t find much.” Payton made her way back over to the couch and sat down again. “But I guess it’s more surprising to me that you needed to ask me. That you’re not seeing someone.”
“Not that I feel the need to pretend that I am?”
“No.” Payton could feel her heart rate starting to return to normal. “I get that. I think I’d probably do the same thing if I was in your position. You can’t really not go but going on your own would be difficult on so many levels. Your friends or her family might assume that you’re heartbroken, that you never got over her.” She hesitated. “But I doubt that’s the case.”
“No. Not at all.”
Payton reached for her glass of water and took a drink, still not really believing they were having a conversation like this. Payton was learning more about Madison today than she had in the last year.
“Do you think you could do it?” Madison asked. “Or that you’d even be willing to? I know it’s a strange job description and obviously, completely off the record. I’ll pay you four times your weekly salary that week though.”
Payton blinked. She’d forgotten that, yes, this would be a job and that she’d therefore get paid. Madison had no idea she’d do it for free. Heck, she might even have paid Madison for the privilege of pretending to be her girlfriend for a week.
Yeah, she definitely would have.
Payton took another drink to gather her thoughts and give Madison a normal response. “That’s a really generous offer.”
Madison’s eyes studied her own, still waiting for some kind of indication that Payton would take this job.
Payton pressed her lips together. “Yes.” She paused for effect, as if she was really thinking this through. “Yeah. I think I could do it.”
Meanwhile, she was fist-pumping the air in her head like she’d just landed a twenty-five-foot putt on the eighteenth hole in front of thousands of people to win a golf tournament.
