Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
KEATON
I gawk at him.
What is the matter with him?
This day can’t get any worse, can it?
Don’t tempt fate, Keaton.
Did he just…?
We discussed his problem earlier. The one where he should just confront his mother, or…
“What happened to hiring an actress?”
“It was a great idea with many flaws. I’m already dealing with a plan that has more holes than the moon has craters. Let’s be real, you’re the best to play this part,” he says, satisfied with the solution he came up with all by himself.
“Let’s get a few things straight ? —”
“Please, Keaton. I’m asking for one tiny favor.”
Tiny?
Is he kidding?
This is worse than the time I had to cover for him for an entire week pretending that he was on a business trip so he could work on a project without the interruption of his family.
I shake my head a couple of times. “No. I’m not going to be your…
” I cover my eyes with the heels of my palms. He’s trying to fix my life, and I’m saying no to something that’s not that hard. Is it?
“Aslan, you had so many years to meet a nice girl and start a healthy relationship. Instead, here we are dealing with your bad ideas.”
“They aren’t that bad.”
I glare at him as if saying are-you-kidding-me . “I’m not doing it.”
“But you said it earlier. I need someone who can…how did you put it?” He rubs his chin, staring at the ceiling, pretending to think. Then he looks back at me. “Domesticate me?”
I can’t help but laugh as I imagine myself inside of a cage with a whip and a chair telling him what to do. Maybe there’s a reason he was named after the king of beasts in The Chronicles of Narnia . “That doesn’t mean I should be your lion tamer.”
“The plan is perfect,” he insists, gifting me a charming smile.
Like I’m going to fall for it. “It’s terrible. No one is going to believe that we’re together.”
“Your sister did,” he argues.
I roll my eyes. Is he for real?
He’s talking about the teenager who, in less than five minutes, had him hand her four hundred dollars. I swear if he ever has a child, the kid will play him like a violin.
“You’re going to base this on the opinion of an eighteen-year-old who doesn’t give a rat’s ass about anyone but herself and what’s happening on social media?”
“Well, my family would believe it.”
He’s so blind and desperate. I sigh, trying to calm down because he’s helping me and I’m behaving like an ungrateful person. “They wouldn’t.”
“If I prove it to you, would you agree?”
“How are you going to do that?”
He pulls out his phone. “Are you going to facetime them?” I ask, horrified.
Aslan Spearman has lost his mind. I should have him committed.
“No. I’m calling Cory,” he answers, and a second later, her voice comes out forceful. “What did you do?”
“That’s a lovely way to greet your favorite brother.”
“You’ve been lying to Mom, then to Fern…I can’t believe she’s gullible enough to…” She sighs loudly. “I’m not fixing this for you. I don’t know anyone who’d want to pretend to be with you. You’re…” She trails her voice off.
After a long silence, he says, “Please finish that sentence.”
“Obnoxious.”
I nod in agreement, mouthing, she’s right .
He glares at me. “Did you hear that, babe? She thinks I’m obnoxious .”
“You can be annoying,” I agree.
He tsks, touching the left side of his chest. “You wound me. I thought you loved me despite my flaws.”
Cory gasps. “Who is that?”
“Can you keep this between us, squirt?”
I shake my head, waving my hands the same way he did when he wanted me to end the phone call with his mom. He mouths, payback.
What is wrong with him?
I’m in the middle of a crisis and he’s being a fool.
“The identity of your so-called girlfriend? Sure…” Cory is the youngest Spearman, and she is full of snark and sarcasm—during board meetings.
“How much are you paying her to deal with you and your personality? Is this woman using her real name? If not, we can make up one and I’ll help you write a script.
Let’s go with Victoria and call her Tori. ”
“She’s not just any woman. She’s Keaton,” he says.
The screeches coming from his phone are deafening. “OMG! OMG!”
She sounds so excited, as if she just won the lottery, or a date with Taylor Zakhar Perez.
Aslan gives me a triumphant smile as his sister continues freaking out with what seems like the best news in the history of the world.
“Hux, Hux!!! Aslan is dating Keaton!”
“Can you chill, squirt?” Aslan tries to sound calm.
“No. Why are you keeping that a secret? You two are perfect for each other. Didn’t I say that before, Hux?”
“She did. Now, let me find a doctor. I think you screwed up my eardrum.”
“Listen, that’s not why I called you, Cory. This is too new, and I don’t want Mom to scare her. At the same time, I don’t want to go to Hawaii without her. How do I get off the hook?”
“Sorry, Asly, but you won’t be able to get away with that. If Mom figures out it’s Keaton, she’ll be dragging her to Westfield on a shopping spree.”
I almost have a heart attack, as I imagine Dawn Spearman dragging me out of the house on Saturday morning. Brunch first, then Bloomies.
“We can’t go,” I finally speak. “My sister can’t be alone in the house for a week.”
“She can come too,” Cory says. “Asly will pay, right, big bro?”
“We have to work,” I insist, trying not to panic.
“Mom will fire you both for putting work before family. I think you have to come clean to Mom. She’s going to be on cloud nine. Welcome to the family, Keaton!” She hangs up, pleased with the news. Or what I’ll call the biggest lie in the history of the world. Well, my world.
“You threw me under the bus,” I complain.
“I showed you that they’d believe the lie.”
“Again, my sister can’t stay here while I vacation in Hawaii.”
“You heard Cory.”
His phone rings again. He waves it in my face. “It’s Fern calling. I bet Cory gave her the news.”
“Don’t answer. I think you should leave the country, change your name, and pray that your mother doesn’t find you.”
He glares at me. “You mentioned it earlier, this can be a lot of fun.”
“Don’t answer,” I order.
“Too late,” he says. “Hey, Fern.”
“You’re dating Keaton Nealy?” she shrieks. “Drag your ass to HR right now and sign those documents. This is important.”
“We’re in the middle of a family crisis.”
“Learning that she’s with you isn’t a crisis. It’s a reason to celebrate. You should take her to dinner next week.”
I shake my head.
“I mean her family is having a crisis,” he growls.
“Oh, is there something I can do for her?”
“I think we have it under control, but if we don’t, I’ll call you. We’ll figure out the HR issue later, okay?”
“That’s understandable. I’ll be here if you need me.”
“You’re the best, Fern.”
He looks at me with a satisfied grin once he hangs up and puts away his phone.
“I’m not doing it,” I warn him. “I like your family, but not enough to spend a week with them.”
“As a united front, we can convince them that I should stay in San Francisco,” he pleads. “You could help me with that.”
“It’s going to fail.”
He nods, almost defeated. “I’m afraid you’re right. We might as well give in and plan our trip to Hawaii. You’re only going to date me for a couple of months. How bad can it be?”
I cross my arms. “What’s going to happen when we break up?”
“You’ll be in Arizona working on the new branch, and I’ll be brokenhearted because you’re no longer mine.”
The last four words wrap around my heart, spiking my pulse.
You’re no longer mine.
His.
Do I want to be his?
Keaton, focus!
This man doesn’t take relationships seriously. He’s your boss, and your future is in his hands. The answer is no, I won’t be your girlfriend, and most importantly: Stop fantasizing about him.
“So, by the end of the ordeal, I’m going to be the bitch who shattered your heart, huh? Nope. I refuse to be that woman.”
He shakes his head. “No. The official statement will be that I can’t do long-distance relationships, and though I adore you, we couldn’t work things out.”
“Still no. If I was a good actress, I’d be in Hollywood. Boardrooms and spreadsheets are my passion—within reason.”
He laughs. “You’re too shy to put yourself out there, but I still think you’ll be a good fit for me .”
The way he says it sounds flirty.“Think about it. This could be a simple exchange. You help me with this reunion, I’ll give you a hand with your financial problems.”
It’s tempting, but I don’t know if I’m desperate enough to say yes.
“Can I have a couple of days to think about it?”
This time my phone rings.
“Can people stop calling?” he roars like an angry lion.
“Keep your anger at bay, Spearman.” I search for my phone. My heart deflates when I see the caller ID reads St. Johns Long Term Care.
“This is Keaton, how can I help you?”
“Ms. Nealy, we’ve been trying to contact you since last week about your past-due balance.”
“You did, and as I said, I get paid the first of each month. I’d appreciate it if you could wait a week. All I’m asking for is a week. After all, your medical personnel made some decisions that increased the cost of the procedures my mother required without my authorization.”
I walk around the coffee table as the business office tells me that they can’t wait any longer.
“You can’t just kick her out because you’re?—”
“May I?” Aslan extends his arm. “I’m an expert at talking to inconsiderate assholes.”
He is, and though I always fight my battles, I hand him the phone.
“Listen, my people will be looking into your facilities. It seems like there are several irregularities…I’m not threatening. We’ll be picking her up within the next couple of hours.”
I stare at him in disbelief. “Umm…did you just get my mom kicked out of the facility?”
“They didn’t like that I threatened them.” He looks at me apologetically, handing me back my phone and reaching for his. “We’ll send her to a facility where we know she’ll be treated with respect, and they’ll be contacting you before they make any decisions that affect your mother’s health.”
I want to argue with him, but that’s exactly what I wanted to do for the past year.
Something about the facility makes me feel uneasy.
I just can’t afford to move her. They won’t release her to another facility unless I pay the bills in full.
It’s almost impossible. I also think that clause is illegal, but I can’t afford a lawyer to look into it.
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to make some calls. Send Lulu the information on where your mom is currently staying so we can take care of everything, okay?”
“But I can’t…”
“This is about your mom’s health and well-being. We’ll discuss the rest later, including your own health. I’m starting to think that you haven’t been taking care of yourself.”
“I’m fine.”
“I’m just concerned, Keat.” The way he says it, with so much fondness, maybe adoration, makes my heart skip one too many beats.
He might always be growling, but…he’s also a really good man who tries to make sure that everyone around him is doing well.
Who takes care of him?
Aslan never asks for anything in return. He’s so giving. I want to tell him I’ll do it, that I’ll be his girlfriend for the next few months or as long as he needs me.
But can I fake being in love with him?