The Fake Engagement

“You don’t have to apologize. You might want to let me go so I can get off your lap. You probably have a dead leg.”

He didn’t want to let her go but chose not to make a scene, removing his hand from her thigh.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.

“No, I really don’t.”

“Then we won’t talk about it.” She picked up her noodles. “Let’s eat.”

Chapter Seven

Friday morning

“So, what’s the plan?” Juliet asked.

Eliza finished her piece of bacon and looked between Juliet and Mackenzie. This was the first meal they had shared with each other all week since they became the enemy and sent her off to live with Preston.

“He’s coming to pick me up from here. I wanted to say goodbye to you guys. Make sure we’re still friends before you attempt to get rid of me.” She pouted.

“Come on, how was living with your boss?” Juliet asked.

“It was … fine.”

“She’s gritting her teeth.”

She sent another glare toward Mackenzie. “I didn’t want to live with him. I’ve never lived with a man ever.”

“But you also never pretended to be engaged to one either,” Juliet said. “Don’t you feel more prepared to meet his parents now than before?”

She thought about the video call with his family and the truth was, no, she didn’t feel more prepared. “No, I don’t. I feel so far out of my depth. His family is close to him. You can see that, but I don’t know, I think there are a few problems at home.”

“They’re abusive?” Mackenzie asked.

“No, no. Nothing like that. It’s hard to explain. It’s like…” She paused and frowned, glancing around the café they’d picked. It was a nice, down-to-earth place, with white walls and a brown border. Tartan cloth covered each table and the waitresses each wore an oval half-apron. She liked the family feel of the café. It reminded her a little of being back home.

All this talk of families and going back home had started to make her realize how much she missed her own home. “It’s like his family isn’t happy with him going out on his own. I could be wrong. From what I know, the Boone name is a big deal back in Westcliffe.”

“He’s going to be a celebrity?” Juliet asked.

“Probably. I can’t help but wonder if there is going to be a spiteful ex in the woodwork, you know?”

“Maybe she will try to murder you and Preston will save you. You’ll get married for real and have little genius babies,” Mackenzie said.

“Where did that come from?” Eliza asked, laughing.

“I don’t know. I’ve got a hundred bucks that you fall in love with Preston.”

She looked toward Juliet, who held her hands up as if she was innocent.

“I’ve got a hundred bucks that Preston falls in love with you, but he does something stupid and he has to come and grovel.”

Eliza rolled her eyes. “Guys, you are putting way too much stock into this. We all know this is going to end badly. Preston is going to look like the lying bad guy. I’m probably going to look like a gold-digging whore. I’ll lose my job. His business will get sold or torn apart, and we’ll ruin everyone’s lives. I’ll turn to drink, and you’ll bury me before I’m forty.”

Juliet gasped. “Or, you both fall madly in love but he has to go away to war, and you are pregnant with his baby, and he comes home to discover the love of his life has moved on.”

“I have no idea what movie that’s from,” Eliza said.

Mackenzie laughed. “I’m not thinking of movies. I’m overdramatizing what is going to happen.”

“I hate you both,” Eliza said. “I’m going to miss you guys. You’ll call me every night?”

“Nope, we’re not stalkers,” Juliet said. “We’ll call you twice a day. Once in the morning, once in the evening. I vote on Code Crap. You say that, we give you a reason to get the hell out of dodge, or we come down there.”

Eliza got up and went to her friends, hugging them tightly. “This is crazy what I’m doing. You know that, right?”

“Totally crazy, but you’ve got to admit, it’s kind of fun,” Mackenzie said. “I hope you guys do fall in love. You and Preston look great together.”

She hadn’t told them about how he’d pulled her onto his lap so they could talk to his parents. How it was a struggle for her to follow the conversation because she was sure he stroked her hip.

It was always the little touches that did it for her. The light stroke or gentle caress.

She hugged Juliet, then Mackenzie, then both at the same time. This was the longest they had ever been apart.

Out the window of the café, she saw Preston park his car. Her bags were already packed and ready. He said if she needed anything else, he’d take her shopping.