Chapter 8
DANNY
Edenand I sit in the waiting area of an office on the tenth floor of a skyscraper in downtown Portland.
“So this must be Ava’s workspace?” I say while gazing around. Every surface in this waiting room is sleek and some shade of white. The floors and walls are marble, the leather chairs we’re sitting in boast an eggshell color, and the coffee table is blonde-hued wood.
“It’s very…monochromatic. And shiny. Very, very shiny.”
Eden giggles at what I’ve said, which makes me feel the slightest bit more at ease.
“It fits with her social media aesthetic. And her public persona. And her personal style,” she says. “Sleek. Minimalistic. Crisp. Pulled-together. Pretty. She comes from a prominent fashion family, but she’s trying to build a brand name all her own.”
Eden explains that Ava has a popular lifestyle blog.
“Wow,” I say once she’s done giving me the rundown on Ava. “You really did your homework.”
Eden smiles. “I mean, I already knew about her from her Instagram account. I’ve followed her on there for years. But I just wanted to be as prepared as possible for today, you know?”
I know there’s a lot riding on this meeting—if it goes well, it could launch the Dream Guy app into the stratosphere. If it goes poorly, it could tank us. Yeah, the app is performing well right now, but if we blow this meeting with Ava and she tells her social media followers or her friends, that could be it for us.
I straighten up in my chair, determined. No way am I letting that happen. Eden worked herself to the bone to create this app. I know she spends every minute on this app when she’s not in class or studying. She’s constantly working to improve the features, promote it on social media, and engage with clients. This business means so much to her, and it’s not going to fail on account of me.
Just then, a tall blonde woman in an ivory pantsuit emerges from the hallway, a bright smile on her face. “Eden and Danny?”
“Yes,” we say in unison as we stand to meet her.
She shakes our hands. “I’m Ava. It’s so great to meet you two. Right this way.”
We follow her to a massive corner office overlooking downtown Portland with a killer view of the Willamette River.
“Whoa,” Eden mutters, her brown eyes wide. “Awesome office. And view.”
Ava beams, pushing up her gold wire-rimmed glasses with her hand. I stare at the design of her nail polish: bright pink and green with tiny black dots. It takes a second before I realize they’re little watermelons.
“Thanks. I’ve always wanted a corner office,” Ava says.
She gestures for us to sit in the two chairs, which are identical to the ones in the waiting area, in front of her massive blonde wood desk. Folding her hands on her desk, she aims her focused green gaze on us. “I’ll get right down to it. I need a date for this upcoming gala that my family is hosting. My cheating shit-bag ex-boyfriend will be there, and I don’t want to have to see him on my own. I’m also petty and want to make him jealous.”
I peer over at Eden, who blinks at Ava’s blunt words before smiling. “We can definitely help you. I designed Dream Guy with the intent of serving this exact purpose.”
Even though I’ve heard her speak a million times, I’m in awe of her. She’s so confident, so sure of herself and her business.
“And for what it’s worth, I’ve always thought your ex came off like a massive tool on social media,” Eden says. “All those alkaline diets he’s constantly pushing? That’s douchebag red flag number one.”
Ava’s head falls back as she laughs.
“But in all seriousness, I’m sorry for how he treated you,” Eden says in a softer, more serious tone. “No one deserves to be cheated on.”
Ava’s smile softens. Her blue eyes read sad. “Thanks.”
“It’s just crappy, you know? I’m tired of seeing amazing women like you getting screwed over by the worst men,” Eden says. “Like, so many of my friends are killing it—they’re beautiful with impressive degrees and great jobs, yet so many of the guys they date are mediocre and treat them so badly. It’s infuriating.”
Once again I’m impressed at how savvy Eden is. It’s like she can gauge perfectly when to be professional and when to slide into more casual conversation mode.
Ava nods along at what Eden has said. “Yes. Exactly the case with most of my female friends too. God, it’s like an epidemic of shitty men.” She quickly turns to me. “No offense.”
I hold up my hand and chuckle. “None taken. You’re right. There are far too many crappy men in this world.”
Ava looks between Eden and me. “Okay, you’re definitely on your way to winning me over.” Ava sits up in her chair, her posture straight as she aims her focused gaze on Eden. “Your app seems like it would be a perfect fit.”
Eden’s expression brightens.
“Here’s the thing though: my ex is a self-important asshole,” Ava says. “He thinks he’s god’s gift to literally everything when he brings literally nothing to the table. He rides on the coattails of his rich parents. He’s never had to work a day in his life, failed out of school, and if I can be completely honest…”
“Always,” Eden replies without missing a beat, a gleam in her eyes.
“He’s even less impressive in bed. Average in every single way.”
“I knew it. It was all the alkaline crap, wasn’t it?”
Ava belly laughs. “I need a date who’s gonna show him up.”
“Danny’s your guy,” Eden says. “I mean, look at him. He’s an Alex Pettyfer lookalike. You can’t get much hotter than that.”
I bite back a smile and shrug at Ava. “Her words, not mine.”
Ava smiles before reining in her expression to serious. “That’s definitely true. But I need smart in addition to hot. And confident. I need you to be willing to lay the verbal smackdown on Brock, but in a totally composed way that doesn’t cause a scene. My family will be at the gala and they’re even stuffier than they appear in the press. They’re all about maintaining composure in public, always, no matter what.”
“Danny can do that, no problem. He’s well-traveled and well-educated. He’s got a master’s degree in art and is a professor at Portland State College. He paints and sketches in his spare time and is a voracious reader. He used to play college baseball too.”
Ava raises an eyebrow at me. “Wow. I’m impressed. The most traveling Brock ever did was monthly trips to Las Vegas on his parents’ private jet to get wasted at whatever new nightclub paid him for an appearance. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen him even reach for a book. God, how did I even fall for him?”
She crosses her arms and shakes her head like she’d disappointed in herself.
Just then, Eden reaches across her desk and pats Ava’s arm. “Hey. It’s okay. We’ve all been charmed by a guy who didn’t deserve for us to give him the time of day.”
A sad chuckle falls from Ava’s lips. “That was Brock. Charming, sweet, and thoughtful—or so I thought. I guess I fell for all that superficial stuff in the beginning—the flower deliveries, all those fancy dinners, and trips he surprised me with. If I had just stopped for a second and paid attention to his behavior—how he was always on his phone around me, how it always felt like he was never really listening to me when I talked to him, how he never could seem to remember the little things, like my favorite flower or my favorite snack or, god, even when my birthday was…”
Eden nods along with what Ava says, the look in her eyes distant and focused all at once—like she knows exactly how it feels to be taken for granted in a relationship. I suddenly feel all the muscles in my torso tense. My jaw clenches before I make the conscious effort to relax it. Just the thought of some jerkoff mistreating Eden makes me want to rage.
I force a slow, silent breath and quietly tell myself to chill out. What was that about?
I blink and observe Eden as she focuses back on Ava.
“I can promise you that Danny is a total sweetheart. He’s a genuinely kind person who everyone adores. He’s always been that way, ever since we were kids.”
“Oh wow, you’ve known each other for a while, then?”
“Yup,” Eden says. “That’s why I can say with one hundred percent confidence that he’s the whole package and the perfect date for you.”
It’s oddly satisfying sitting here, quietly listening while Eden chats me up. It makes me feel…excited. And proud. God, what is that? Do I have a praise kink or something?
Just then, an image flashes in my head. There’s Eden lying tangled in my bedsheets, snaking that beautiful tattooed arm across my torso. She runs her fingers along the hard ridge of my stomach, lower and lower. Those brown eyes rake over my body before capturing my gaze.
She licks her lips and says, “You’re the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
I jerk my head, kicking that imaginary moment from my mind. What the hell was that?
Ava squints at me like she’s studying me, deciding if I’m what she’s looking for.
“I’m gonna need you both to sign an NDA. I don’t want anyone to know this is a fake date. If that gets out, it’ll be all over social media.”
“Totally.”
“I get it.”
Ava smiles wide before clapping both hands together. “Perfect! I’ll have Helga draw up the paperwork.”
She shakes our hands before picking up her office phone and rattling off some German. When she hangs up, she leans down to reach under her desk.
“Celebrate with champagne?” She holds up a frosty green bottle with French script on the label. Damn, does she have a mini fridge built into her desk? That’s bougie as hell.
I’m about to say yes to some champagne, but Eden speaks before I can say anything.
“One more thing. If this goes well, will you promise to promote Dream Guy? I know you don’t want people knowing you used a fake dating app, and I totally get that, but I think we deserve something out of this arrangement too.”
Ava quirks an eyebrow, as if she’s intrigued by what Eden’s said. “Deal. I won’t say I used Dream Guy publicly—my family is annoyingly old-fashioned and buttoned-up, and would be pretty pissed to find out I used a fake dating service to get back at my ex. But trust me, if the gala goes well, your business will blow up. I’ll make sure of it.”
I could swear I hear Eden make a soft squeal sound, but she clears her throat before I can be sure.
“Thank you,” she says.
Ava produces three crystal flutes from some other magical compartment in her desk and pours us all champagne. We hold our glasses up and toast.
As we clink, Ava looks at me. “I hope you don’t let me down, Danny.”
“I won’t.”