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“Maybe. Tell me the plan.” Meegan finished her yogurt and gummies as Olin outlined his plan. Between now and New Year's Eve, he had three events to attend. There were also at least two more he expected to be added to his calendar. He wanted Meegan to accompany him to as many as possible, posing as his new girlfriend.
“Xeni said I might have to pay you to engage in this much small talk.”
“I mean… I’m not gonna stop you from paying. But let me think.” Meegan leaned back in her chair and thought of what she knew about women. Especially the kind of women putting pressure on a guy like Olin.
“Two months isn’t long enough. ’Cause if you’re suddenly single on New Year’s Day, someone is gonna see you as a resolution challenge.”
“I really don’t understand it, but you’re right. I’m just some guy.”
“Oh honey.” She reached across the table and patted his hand. She ignored how nice his hands were. Long fingers, proportional palms. Good for a few specific, highly inappropriate things she was not going to focus on.“You are definitely not just some guy. How about this? We do six months. I won’t be able to go with you to everything, but I can go to enough things to establish that we’re together. I’m gonna lock my socials now so people can’t snoop.”
“That’s smart. I’m not famous, but I get it.”
“I think if we’re consistent enough, it’ll take the pressure off.”
“So, you’ll do it?” Olin asked.
“Yeah, why not. I don’t have anything else to do. I don’t think we should tell anyone what’s really going on, besides Xeni. I know Duke’s on tour, but he’s his mom’s number one gossip buddy. He’ll accidentally tell my whole family.”
“Are you okay with your mom thinking we’re dating?”
“Are you kidding? She’ll tell me to never let you go.”
“I’ll make sure she hates me in the end,” he joked. Meegan smiled back at him. He smiled too, showing off a slight, adorable gap in his teeth.
With things settled, they talked a bit more about the next event on the schedule, an LA for the Arts gala downtown at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. She’d been there for a fundraiser a million years ago, but she hadn’t been back since.
“I know women have to dress up way more for these things, so I’ll make sure your hair and makeup and stuff is taken care of,” Olin said.
“Thank you. I have a few nice dresses, but I gained a couple pandemic pounds and I haven’t upgraded my gown collection.”
“I got you.”
Soon it was time for Meegan to go. Olin was actually pretty easy to talk to. Engaging and inquisitive. He didn’t seem to mind hearing all about Meegan’s plan to share the color green with the kids the next morning, which required that she get her beauty sleep. Olin mentioned he had to get back home to walk his dog. When he pulled his phone out again and showed her pictures of a brown doggie he’d named Pamela, she had to take a few minutes to gush over the precious dog.
Meegan thanked the Yogurt Mart crew and let Olin walk her to her car. She couldn’t ignore the way he held the door for her and guided her outside with a gently placed hand on the small of her back. It was nothing big, but she liked a man who hovered.
“How did you pull that off on such short notice? What does it take to reserve a whole yogurt shop?” Meegan asked when they reached her car.
“Money,” he said, dead serious. “After we talked, I had my assistant contact the manager and he got it approved by the franchise owner when I said I’d give him and the staff an extra bump for their help.”
“That’s some expensive yogurt.”
Olin just shrugged. Meegan looked up at him, curious about what was really going on with him. She read people pretty well and she wasn’t picking up any red flags. A tall, good looking guy like him, flush with cash and willing to spread it around? And he had a cute dog? Someone should have walked this man straight down the aisle already. She pushed the thought out of her mind. It didn’t matter. They had a deal and she would stick to that. Maybe they’d even become friends. The rest was none of her business.
“Well.” She held out her hand for him to shake. Olin took it. It was only a fraction of a second, but he hesitated in letting it go. “What just crossed your mind?” she asked him.
“We might have to kiss in public at some point. Not a make out, but something.”
“We might get away with simple pecks on the cheek, but if you really wanna sell this, one of those women is gonna have to catch me gazing lovingly into your eyes right before you give me a solid smooch on the mouth. Have you kissed someone before?”
“Yeah,” he nodded. “I had a girlfriend in college. We did it all.”
Meegan thought her dry spell was long. Olin was looking at close to twenty years. “Okay. Well, when we’re out, and you think it’s the right time, just whisper in my ear that you’re gonna kiss me and then gimme a smooch. The whisper will have a devastating effect on any looky-loos.”
“You’ve really thought about this.”
“Oh, Olin.” She placed a hand on his chest before turning to open the driver’s side door. “I am so, so bored. You have no idea.” Her stomach fluttered as another small smile lifted the corner of his lips. She said a final goodnight and climbed behind the wheel. Olin waited until she’d turned on the engine and locked the doors before he headed back into the yogurt shop. He probably made those girls sign an NDA, but they’d have a fun story to giggle about for a few days.
