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“No, that’s silly,” I reply, swiping my fork through the last bit of tabouli on my plate.
Flynn shakes his head adamantly. “No, you’re selling yourself short.”
I don’t know how to reply. I’d like this part of the conversation to be over for fear of growing as red as a radish.
“Don’t look so surprised. This is your boyfriend, isn’t it?” Cash teases me.
No.“Yes, I know, just –” I glance at Adelaide. Time to appease the evil queen. “Modeling isn’t just something everyone can do.”
Adelaide smiles smugly. “She’s right.”
“Well, you don’t have to be a supermodel. You could have someone take pictures of you. I think you’d be…” Flynn trails off, his blue eyes in mine. “You’d be good at it.”
My heart is thumping in my chest. He’s a very good actor. Or maybe…
“Flynn’s exactly right. And you also don’t have to be a supermodel to walk on a runway. Which is why I’m going to insist that you walk in my show in September.”
I nearly spit out my tabouli. “What?!”
“Right, Gregory? I insist.”
“She insists,” Gregory adds.
I shake my head. “I couldn’t possibly.”
“Don’t be silly. You’re doing it. Tell her, Flynn.” Cash snaps at Flynn.
I can’t even look at him. I’m half-hoping he’ll come to my defense by saying that I’m an ugly ogre who doesn’t belong on a runway.
Instead, he adjusts his glasses and then says carefully, “I think you’d be great. You should do it.”
I look up at him.
“I mean, you’re gorgeous,” he goes on. It doesn’t come out as forced as I would expect. “And I’ve seen the way you walk over to break up dogs who are playing too roughly.”
I laugh loudly. “How does it look?”
“Well, when I see it, I think ‘Giselle Bundchen who?’”
I laugh even harder, touching his arm. It’s both to uplift our false narrative and because I don’t mind being close to him as much as I thought I would.
“You two are adorable, aren’t they?” Cash says, leaning back in her chair.
Gregory concurs. “Very.”
I look over at Adelaide. She looks like she could laser me off the earth from the intensity of her stare. And it doesn’t scare me one bit.
I’ve realized my purpose here. Moreso than pretending to be Flynn’s girlfriend, I’m here to protect him. Whether he knows it or not. So, if he’s going to be putty in her hand, I’m going to be the exact opposite. I’m going to be the thorn in her side.
“Okay,” I finally say. “Sure, why not?”
Cash and Gregory cheer. Flynn puts his hand on my upper back, sliding it back and forth tenderly. Maybe he really does like me. Or care about me.
I’m shocked that when he draws his hand away, I wish he’d kept it there.
Chapter 7
Flynn
