I finally managed to refocus on the mountain of work in front of me. I’d been checking my email slightly obsessively, waiting to hear back from Ford in the two weeks since our last meeting. His lawyer had been backlogged and couldn’t get to the contract right away, or at least that was what Ford told me. I switched screens to check my messages and saw a new one pop up.

  The subject line read “Final images,” and I felt a burst of excitement at the realization that Max’s photos were finally ready. We hadn’t connected since our dinner, but I found my mind drifting back to her any time I thought about Ford and the contract. After our charade they felt linked together.

  I opened the message.

  Hi Theo,

  I’m so pleased with the way these images turned out. I’ve attached compressed versions of them for you to approve, and once you do I’ll send over the actual files that can be used in your marketing materials. I hope you like them as much as I do! If you have any edits please let me know and I’ll complete them ASAP. Many thanks for the opportunity, and thanks again for helping me get one step closer to my internship.

  I smiled as I read the message because I could almost hear her speaking the words. I was about to click into the images when I saw the way she’d signed off.

  Your fake girlfriend, Max.

  Wait. There was the solution to my mom problem.

  How could I have forgotten about gorgeous, fun, friendly and certifiable-nice-girl Maxine Simon? She was perfect! My mom and the rest of my family would love her, and Max and I had proven we could make the fake girlfriend thing work.

  Granted, it would be for a few months and not just a day, and she’d already said no to being my fake girlfriend again with Ford and Pam. But Ford and Pam wouldn’t be involved this time—and with the right financial incentive, I was sure she’d agree to it. In my experience, people who said you couldn’t solve a problem by throwing money at it just weren’t throwing enough money.

  I dialed her number and tried to ignore the fact that what I was about to do was actually pretty strange.

  “Max speaking.”

  “Max, hey, it’s Theo Barnes.”

  “Oh, hey …” her voice sounded confused. “I literally just sent you an email. Did you get it?”

  “I did, but that’s not why I’m calling. Do you have time to meet with me?”

  “Meet? Uh … yeah? But is everything okay? Are you unhappy with the photos or something?”

  “No, absolutely not. This is for something else. Do you have time today?”

  “Today?”

  I could hear the sound of wind and realized she was outside.

  “Yeah, sorry that this is so last-minute,” I said, “but I need to figure something out quickly, and I’m hoping you can help me.”

  “Well, I’m working, Theo. I’m in Sunny Isles on a shoot.”

  A forty-minute drive. I checked my calendar and realized I could clear it for the remainder of the day.

  “I can meet you there if that’s okay with you. Around two thirty?”

  She paused. “It’s not professional of me to pause my work with another client to have a meeting with you.”

  “It won’t be a meeting,” I promised. “A quick conversation. Three minutes, tops.”

  “Then why don’t we have the conversation now?” Max asked.

  Because there’s no way I can talk you into this over the phone, I thought. Also, possibly, because I wanted an excuse to see her.

  Not that I’d ever admit it.

  “This is really a better conversation to have in person,” I said firmly.

  Max hesitated. “Should I be worried about this, Theo? Because it feels like something’s up.”

  I rolled my eyes. “No, don’t worry. I have a proposition for you. Just keep an open mind, okay?”

  A beat. “Okay, fine, you can come talk to me at 2:30. Call me when you get here. We’re in a secluded spot. And Theo?”

  “Yes?”

  “Three minutes. That’s all. After that, you have to schedule a real meeting when I’m not with another client. Understood?”

  “Understood.”

  She sounded uncertain, but I had a feeling she wouldn’t be for long.

  6

  MAX

  I was having a hard time focusing on my subject, but I didn’t want her to know it.

  My model, Desiree Hamilton, was a newbie and nervous about everything. She was absolutely stunning, with flawless skin, soulful black eyes and a body so incredible that I wondered if I could be persuaded to join the other team. The problem was that her inexperience was making her second guess everything she was doing. Her face looked pinched, and she kept hunching her shoulders, making my job that much tougher. I needed to find a way to put her at ease, but I was having a hard enough time concentrating on my own, given how stressed I was about whatever Theo Barnes needed to see me about.

  He didn’t sound upset when we spoke, but it had to be something major to get him to come all the way to Sunny Isles in the middle of a workday. The idea of seeing him again had me rattled, not only because I wasn’t sure what he wanted from me, but also because … well, because of him. I couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss we’d shared.

  It kept resurfacing in my thoughts no matter how hard I tried to ignore it. I took a deep breath and forced myself to give Desiree my full attention.

  “Hey Desiree, what was the name of your first pet?” I called to her from where I was kneeling on the sand. The light and water behind her looked absolutely perfect—I just needed to get a genuine smile out of her.

  “Huh?”

  I snapped a few photos as she considered the question. I didn’t care about the answer—I just wanted to get her out of her head for a few seconds—and it worked. From the right angle, her confusion looked like concentration and intensity…and I was a master at capturing the right angles.

  “Your dog or cat from when you were a kid. What was the name?”

  She scrunched up her face and laughed. “Uh, we had a tabby cat named Pudding,” she answered.

  “Okay, I want you to shout, ‘I love Pudding!’ as loud as you can.” I took a test shot as she considered it and realized we were heading into peak golden hour light. We needed to nail these next images. “Just do it.”

  “I love Pudding?”

  I loved the little smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

  “Again,” I demanded. “Louder.”

  “Um …” she looked around, relaxing slightly when she realized no one was nearby. “I love Pudding!”

  Her face transformed even more, and I got the beginning of a warm, genuine reaction.

  “Nice! Again, like you mean it. Show me how much you loved your cat!”

  Her entire body seemed to relax as she thought about her childhood pet. She threw back her head and shouted, “I love Pudding!”

  And that was all it took. Her joy finally canceled out her stress and I was able to snag a series of absolutely adorable shots of her. I was so happy I actually cheered when I checked the images.

  “They’re good?” she asked.

  “Oh yes, you’re going to be really happy with them.”

  “Don’t look now,” Desiree said in a low voice. “But wow. Incoming, behind you.”

  I knew exactly who she was talking about. I took a deep breath then turned.

  Damn it.

  He looked even better than I remembered as he headed our way, shoes in hand. I’d expected him to be dressed for the office, yet Theo looked like he was heading out to a casual dinner, like the one we’d shared at the Salty Pelican. His light canvas pants were rolled up at the ankles, and the fit of his black t-shirt made it obvious he did hard time at the gym. And then there were the tats. The sleeve on his right arm was a work of art, even at a distance. I’d always been a sucker for a man with tattoos.

  “I know him,” I said quickly, waving to let him know I’d join him in a minute. “He wants to talk to me about something, we’ll be quick. Give me like five minutes, okay?” I handed my camera to her. “You can take a quick peek and see what you think.”

  I knew she’d be more than happy to scrutinize the photos for as long as I needed to deal with Theo.

  “Hi,” I said as I walked over to him. “Gotta admit I’m super curious about what dragged you out here.” And made you think it was okay to interrupt another client’s photo shoot.

  “Yeah.” He studied me. “I think you’re going to be surprised.”

  I was relieved that he didn’t seem angry, at least. What was going on?

  “Okay, end my suspense, please.” I crossed my arms and waited for him to start talking.

  “I’ve been thinking about how we made a pretty good team on the Brilliance,” he began. “The fake dating thing worked out for both of us. It kept Pam and Ford off my case and gave you …”

  “A nice payout,” I finished for him. “Which I certainly appreciate. But I already told you I’m not interested in dealing with Pam and Ford again.”

  “What if they weren’t part of the picture? What if you’d be helping me with something else?” He took a step closer. “The last time we worked together it got you closer to the amount you need to make your internship possible, but you still need more, right?”

  “I do.” I squinted at him. “What are you getting at?”

  Theo looked around. It seemed like whatever he was about to say had him almost…uncertain. I didn’t know him well, but that didn’t seem like a normal emotion for him.

  “So, I need a nice girl—”

  I gaped at him in shock. “Excuse me?”

  “If you’d let me finish,” he said, a bit of an edge to his voice. Was he…embarrassed? He seemed so confident, so in control of himself, I wouldn’t have thought he was capable of that emotion. “I’ve got some family events soon—a wedding, and all of the celebratory stuff that goes with it. I’m expected to bring a date, and it turns out my mom doesn’t appreciate my taste in women. She made a point to ask me to bring someone … well, someone nice. Someone who seems like they’re looking for a real relationship. And I thought of you.”

  Was that a compliment? On the one hand, it was a little flattering that he thought I was someone he could take home to mom. But on the other hand…after guiltily looking him up online, I’d seen the kinds of models and starlets and acrobats he usually went out with, and being categorized as “nice” felt kind of like being told I had a great personality.

  But that wasn’t the crucial factor here. What really mattered was—

  “You want the fake dating thing again, with me, long term?”

  “Yes, exactly.”

  There it was again, that tone that suggested what he was asking was a foregone conclusion rather than something he should be begging me to do. And he didn’t even say “please”!

  There was no way. I had too much on my plate to worry about being the perfect plus-one for a guy who skewed bossy. And in front of his family too? It was a huge ask. I needed to turn him down fast, before I got caught up in the fantasy of all the ways his money could help get me closer to my dreams.

  “That’s a very…surprising offer, but—”

  “I’ll pay you twenty thousand.”

  I froze. It was a conversation-changing amount, and he knew it. “I can’t… That’s not… Are you serious?”

  He nodded. “Very. I need someone who can roll with whatever happens, and you proved to me that you’re capable of that. Plus, you’re funny, and sweet, and gorgeous. You’ve got a normal diet, other than your unfair prejudice against calamari, and you won’t upstage the bride. My family is going to love you. Wait, you’re not a heavy drinker, are you? I mean, you didn’t even finish the beer the other night…”

  Theo rattled off the compliments—were they compliments?—like he was reciting facts.

  “No, I’m not a heavy drinker. And, um…thank you for the rest? I guess?” I couldn’t deny that I was flattered, even though it was pretty weird to hear someone complimenting me in the same brisk matter-of-fact tone he might use to place an order at a deli counter. He couldn’t have been more “all business” if he’d been wearing a suit and tie and seated behind a desk. It wasn’t a romantic offer, that was for sure.

  But was that really a problem? It wasn’t like I was looking for a romance with him, anyway. Viewing it as nothing more than a business deal actually made the idea a little more palatable. I hadn’t wanted the potential messiness that came with extending our fake relationship. But for twenty thousand dollars, I could handle a little messiness. Hell, that on its own was practically enough to cover my internship costs. Added on to what I’d already saved, and I’d be totally in the clear—with some extra cushion, too.

  He gave me an expectant look, like he was waiting for the only answer I could possibly give him. Part of me wanted to say yes immediately, before he could retract an offer that could change my life. But I needed to be smart about this.

  What had he said the other night? That “no” was just the start of business negotiations?

  “It’ll be fun,” he added. “You’ll enjoy every second of being my plus-one, I promise.”

  How I refrained from rolling my eyes was a mystery.

  “If I agree to this, I’d still need to be able to work,” I said, gesturing to where Desiree was still studying her photos on my camera. “You can’t keep interrupting me while I’m with other clients, just because we’re fake dating.”

  “Of course. I understand that your career is the whole reason for you to say yes,” he said.

  It wasn’t the whole reason I was considering it. Not that I wanted to admit that, even to myself.

  “Anything else?” he prompted.

  “And we’d need rules again. Even more this time,” I insisted. He hadn’t done anything inappropriate last time, but that didn’t mean I fully trusted him. I’d already seen the way he assumed everyone would always tell him yes—and how that manifested in him steamrolling ahead, not bothering to stop and ask. If he thought I’d let him get away with that kind of thing, he had another thing coming. I was a nice girl, sure. But “nice” doesn’t mean “doormat.”

  More importantly, I didn’t fully trust myself when I was with him. Rules would be good. For both of us.

  “Of course,” he answered. “We can outline them now if you want.”

  Damn, I’d hoped to have some time to think it through, organize my thoughts. But it looked like we’d be doing this on the fly.

  “Okay,” I answered, my mind spinning. “Um …how much of a time commitment will it be on my end?”

  “Obviously I’d need you to be with me for all of the actual events like the rehearsal dinner and wedding, plus the ancillary events. Some brunches and stuff like that. Oh, and that reminds me, you’re going to need clothing.”

  Ugh, rich people. What was wrong with the clothes I had? Did he think I didn’t know what to wear to formal events? Granted, he’d only ever seen me dressed to work, but it seemed a little presumptuous to just assume nothing I owned would be appropriate. I had nice dresses. Not a huge number of them, sure, but enough to get by, and I knew how to stretch them by switching out accessories. “I think what I have will be fine,” I said crisply. “I can send you photos if you want wardrobe approval.”

  His eyes widened as he seemed to cotton on that he’d offended me. “I’m sure your clothes are lovely. I have every faith in your taste,” he said—and to his credit, he mostly sounded like he meant it. “But I know I’m asking for a lot, so it only seems right that I make the whole process as easy on you as possible. Of course, the clothes will be on me. Every single thing you need to help me make this happen is on my tab, from your transportation to your perfume.”

  “I don’t wear perfume,” I said acidly. “Unless that’s part of your requirements?”

  “You mean you just smell that good without…never mind.” He cleared his throat and looked away. “The point is, the way you look—and smell—is your decision. Just be yourself…or at least, a version of yourself that can convincingly pretend to be in love with me.” He gave me a little smile—boyish, almost sheepish, and I felt myself soften a bit.

  Yeah, he’d bungled this in a couple of different ways, but it was also possible I was overreacting a little. I didn’t have the best associations when it came to men promising to “take care” of everything. But that wasn’t Theo’s fault. Maybe I could afford to cut him a little slack. At least enough to change the subject.

  “What about the physical stuff?” I asked. Just how couple-ish would we have to be in front of his family?

  “Yeah, that’s where we need to negotiate. We can’t be strictly no-touch if we want to sell this.”

  “Okay.” I felt my palms go sweaty. “What are you thinking?”

  The sun suddenly felt hotter, like my skin was baking.

  “I might put my arm around you. Maybe hold your hand now and then. A little dancing at the wedding. That okay with you?”

  The thought of Theo sweeping me across a dancefloor made my stomach flip.

  “Sure, that works,” I answered quickly. The deeper we got into negotiations the stranger the arrangement felt. But I had to remind myself what I stood to gain. The internship was as good as mine. That was more than worth a little awkwardness. “Yeah, I’ll do it.”

  “Perfect. Then it’s settled.”

  He held out his hand, so we could shake on the deal. I put my hand in his, trying to ignore how good his skin felt on mine. All the things those hands could do to me if the relationship he was proposing wasn’t one hundred percent fake.

  “I’ll text you all of the important dates,” Theo said, ending the handshake. “The first one is the engagement party. You’ll need to be ready to go this Saturday night.”

  I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and pretended to check my calendar even though I knew my weekend was open. I needed a moment to get control of my hormones. “Yes, that’s fine for me.”

  “I can swing a shopping trip for tomorrow so we can get you a formal gown. Are you free?”