The Fake Engagement

“So, Preston, we hear you’re engaged to our friend here,” Mackenzie said.

He glanced at Eliza, looking a little unsure of himself.

“They know, okay? Don’t let them fool you. They know that we’re pretending.” She rolled her eyes and turned toward them. “And they’re just acting out their own little fantasy or whatever it is they’re doing.”

“We’re taking care of our girl, and this is a good practice run,” Julie said, looking at Mackenzie. “Don’t you think?”

“I do think so. We need to make sure the guy who finally falls for our girl deserves her.”

“I’m sure whoever falls for Eliza will be more than capable of taking you ladies on.”

Juliet leaned on the table, leaning her chin on her open palms. “Is that right? And what kind of man does our girl need?”

“Someone who will love her no matter what. Someone who wants her to have everything her heart desires.” He looked at her. “Someone who makes her happy.”

“Damn, he’s good,” Mackenzie said. “Are you two sure this isn’t the real deal?”

Eliza held up her finger. “No ring. This isn’t the real deal. We’re only pretending. All of this is fake.”

“That’s something you two are going to need to rectify, and you’re also going to have to spend some time together,” Juliet said.

This was news to Eliza. “Come again?”

“You’ve got ’til Friday to make this work. I get you guys pretending and doing your little assignments, but you should go and live with him for this next week.”

Eliza laughed. Her stomach twisted. “That’s crazy. We don’t need to live together to pull this off.”

“No? And what if you’re observed? You don’t know each other’s bathroom schedule. What color her toothbrush is. This is stuff engaged couples know about each other. They’ve gotten past the nitty-gritty. They’ve seen each other at their worst and best. In fact, I suggest you guys go home and get wasted. Actually, you get wasted, and then you,” Mackenzie said, pointing at each one in turn.

“You know, I thought you guys were crazy before and this just confirms it. We do not need to get wasted or live together to do this,” Eliza said.

“Actually,” Preston said. “It sounds like a good idea. It makes total sense.”

“I like him,” Juliet said.

“You like anyone who agrees with you,” Eliza said. “This isn’t a good idea. We need our space. There’s a chance we will kill each other.”

“Precisely,” Mackenzie said. “Which is why you need to do it. You’re going to be with each other for an entire month. This isn’t a weekend break, or being able to call in sick just to have time away from your boss. I’m not saying Eliza ever did that, but you guys get it. You know the drill. To make this work, you are both going to need to put in the effort. Eliza, my love, you hate failure. It would be an epic failure if his parents saw right through you. It would crush you.”

She hated and loved her best friend with equal measure.

“She’s right,” Preston said. “To make this believable, even for Mr. Aguire, we’re going to have to get the extra mile. After lunch, we’ll stop by your apartment and you can gather your things.”

“So, I’ve got to come and live with you. It can’t be the other way around?”

“Nope. This is the only way.”

She rolled her eyes. “I think it’s time to eat. You two are banned from speaking. You’ve done enough damage.”

Her friends smirked.

The waiter came and took their order. Eliza was starving, so she ordered a large plate of roasted tomato pasta. Anything to take the edge off. She also took a breadstick from the center of the table and started to eat it.

She needed carbs, and a brand-new common sense gene or whatever the hell common sense was supposed to be.

Living with her boss was just … wrong.

Their food arrived.

Preston had been merrily talking with her friends about the world, some art piece, or whatnot. His cell phone rang, and he apologized, explaining he had to take it.

With him gone, she glared at her friends. “What the heck was that? You guys are supposed to have my back. Not be throwing me at him with lame excuses.”

“Since when is failure a lame excuse?” Mackenzie asked.

“This is … that’s beside the point. You guys know how I feel about this.” She growled. “It’s not … I cannot live with him.”

“For the next week, you’re going to have to. If this thing fails, which there is a big chance it will, we’ve got to live with you,” Juliet said. “I hate living with you when you feel like a failure. All you talk about is being the biggest loser, and I love you way too much to let that happen. We’ve got your back. We’re going to be a phone call away, and you never know, you might like being with him.”