Mister Fake Fiance

“The catch of the day.” I close the leather folio.

He lifts his head. “That’s all?”

I nod.

“Are you sure? Might be a little bland.”

Bland? “I thought you said this was one of the best restaurants in the city.”

“Try the seven-course dinner instead,” he says, ignoring what I pointed out.

I open the folio and flip through until I find it. Holy mother of God. It takes up two pages. Each course except for the main entrée comes with multiple items to “delight the most discerning palate.” More like to “delight the bean counters of the establishment” when the patrons fork over Lord only knows how much after such a meal.

“Seems like a lot of food…”

“You’re not eating seven entrées. Trust me.” He taps his menu with his index finger. “I want to get it, and it’ll be awkward if you watch me eat course after course while you have just one thing.” He gives me a sad puppy face. “I really hate feeling awkward when I eat.”

I have to laugh. “Okay. Thank you.”

“Thank you. Now I can enjoy my meal. I’ve always wanted to try it. And if you don’t like something, just send it back and they’ll substitute something else.”

That seems like such a hassle, though, and I don’t want to look like I’m being picky, especially when I can’t taste anything anyway. I can just wait for the next course if I don’t care for the texture of something.

When the server returns, we order. He’s very prompt and efficient. Almost immediately after we’re finished ordering, he returns with a bottle of red, then pours a little for David to approve. At his nod, he serves it to me and David both, then leaves.

“So. What kind of details should we get right?” I ask, then take a small sip of the wine. Since I’m the one who asked him to be my fake fiancé, I’m willing to go with any story he comes up with.

“Something along the lines of how you fell madly in love with me and decided to marry me?” he jokes.

I laugh. “Really? That’s all there is to the story?”

He grins. “Or maybe we should get to know each other better. Dane’s not that social, but Sophia is. She’s going to ask about everything, from the exact circumstances under which we met to when we fell in love to when we decided to get married. That means I need to know as much as possible about you, including what you like, don’t like…all that stuff.”

“What I like?” It seems like too much probing. “Why would you need to know that to tell her what she wants to know?”

“What if she asks, ‘What did you get her for her birthday?’ and I say, ‘Flowers,’ and she goes, ‘What kind of flowers?’” He uses a falsetto tone for Sophia’s part. “It’s going to be embarrassing if I can’t come up with something that’s genuine and plausible.”

“Fair enough. I wouldn’t want you embarrassed.” Especially when my reason for roping him into this fake engagement is as selfish as wanting to experience a normal relationship with a guy who doesn’t want to use me to benefit his career. Besides, it isn’t like my favorite flower is a national secret. “I like hyacinths.”

“That’s unusual. You just making it up?” David asks, half teasing, half serious.

I shake my head. “They’re only beautiful when all the flowers bloom together. I love the way every blossom is, you know, in harmony with others. How no one bloom is more precious than another.” That’s what I always wanted for myself. Not to be special, but not left out or rejected. Just normal. Part of something lovely.

I push the longing away before it depresses me. This is about David and me getting our stories straight.

David is giving me an odd look. Then he clears his throat. “I’ll keep that in mind. So I gave you hyacinths for your last birthday.”

“That works.” I suppress a wistful sigh. Nobody’s ever gotten them for my birthday. Or any occasion.

“Sophia’s going to want to know the color, too.” He frowns for a moment. “She can get really nosy.”

“She’s probably just a curious person,” I say. She seemed super nice when she came by to drop off the dress. “But purple. I love purple.”

“Really? I thought your favorite color was beige…maybe gray…”

I laugh at his feigned confusion. “That’s for work! Purple’s stunning, and it’s a mix of blue and red. I mean, who was the first person to realize that if you mix two different shades, you’re going to get a gorgeous new color? I think that’s so cool.”

The first course arrives, and our meal starts. I enjoy the cool texture, the buttery feel of the soup in my mouth.