Chapter 9
Olivia
There’s a moment’s silence, in which it’s quiet enough to hear a pin drop—or to hear the scrape of the chef’s utensils in the kitchen. Our friends’ faces are stunned, their eyes wide.
Then everyone starts speaking at once.
“You’re what?” Cole exclaims.
“Wait—is this a joke?” That’s Declan.
Riley turns to me, her brow furrowed in concern. “Why didn’t you say anything to me? Are you crazy?”
Only Shane seems to have nothing to say on the matter. He purses his lips as if stifling a smile, then lifts his wine glass to take a sip of merlot, waiting for the chaos to die down.
“Calm down,” Reed says, talking over the cacophony of voices. “It’s fine. This isn’t some kind of hostage situation. We’re not really together, but there’s something we can help each other out with—”
I find myself pitching in, almost unconsciously. This is a decision we made together, and I don’t like the idea that everyone in the room is second-guessing us without knowing why we did what we did.
But I don’t think our friends need to know that he’s paying me to play fiancé. In fact, I don’t think anyone needs to know that, or why I need that money. So instead of giving the details, I say, “He’s giving me a sort of… half gap year. To figure out what I want from my life.”
I make eye contact with Reed, and he nods, silently agreeing to keep my secret. I’m grateful for that. My family business doesn’t need to get dragged out for everyone at this table.
“This is about my image problem,” Reed says. “Some demands my father made. Shane knows about it.” He nods to his brother. “I needed to ‘get a fiancé’ for the media, just to get them off my back. He was insistent about it, but I figured that if I was going through with it…”
Everyone is finally quiet, listening to Reed as he explains things.
“This is mutually beneficial,” I chime in. “We have it all figured out, I promise.”
Shane huffs a laugh, setting his glass down. He seems quietly amused by this development. “Actually, it’s sort of brilliant,” he comments. “And a lot more realistic than you actually finding a wife.”
“Exactly,” Reed says, though the corner of his mouth tightens, like he’s more annoyed by Shane’s dig than he’s willing to let on. “Trust me, guys, this is a good thing.”
Now that they have a better idea of what’s going on, the others settle a bit, the initial shock wearing off.
“So this was your father’s idea?” Declan says.
“Not exactly. The fake-wedding thing… yeah, that’s all Lionel,” Reed tells him. “But choosing someone I already knew… that was all me. I figured it would be easier this way.”
Declan frowns, like he’s not entirely convinced, but he doesn’t seem as worried as he did earlier.
“And when you say that you have it all figured out…” Cole starts, but Reed hand-waves his concerns aside, too.
“I mean that we’re sensible people,” Reed says, to a chorus of uncertain muttering. “We just hang out in this penthouse, picking out color swatches and dresses and cake, until the whole thing blows over.”
He makes it sound so simple, and he’s confident enough that I almost believe him. Almost. I know it’ll be more complicated than that.
Eventually, the conversation drifts away from our false engagement, but as everyone digs into the food, I can tell it’s still lingering in the others’ minds. I don’t blame them. It’s definitely startling—the furthest thing from what they were expecting.
As we eat, I notice Riley and Sophie exchanging glances with each other, then both looking over at me.
Wonder what that’s all about, I think to myself. I’m sure I’ll find out later.
Reed’s personal chef serves us a three-course meal—some kind of fresh fish in a cream sauce, then a flan for dessert. It’s more food than I’ve had in a while, and I can only manage a couple bites of the flan. I’m full of nerves, too, which doesn’t help.
I guess I can get used to this part of our arrangement. I’ll certainly be eating well for the next six months.
After dinner, everyone adjourns to the living room, where Reed pours us glasses of brandy. Reed gets drawn into a quiet conversation with Declan and Cole. I can hear them on my periphery, discussing Reed’s image—asking him how he plans to navigate the fake engagement.
Over by the fireplace, Shane and Noah are engrossed in discussion about a new high rise in development in lower Manhattan. Riley and Sophie stand nearby, speaking quietly to each other; I can’t hear what they’re saying, but the fact that they keep glancing over at me doesn’t bode well.
My stomach twists, and I finish my brandy faster than I normally would, trying to soothe my anxieties.
It’s not long before Riley and Sophie come over to join me on the couch, sitting to either side of me.
“So you’ll be staying here for the next six months, huh?” Riley asks, her gaze sweeping the room. “It’s a crazy nice place.”
“Yeah,” I say. “It definitely took me by surprise.”
“Do you have your own room?”
“End of the hall. It’s not exactly personalized, but there’s a great view of the city.”
Sophie and Riley exchange a meaningful glance, then Sophie says, “Why don’t we head over there? I’d love to see that view, if it’s alright with you.”
“Um… sure,” I say, guarded. “I haven’t finished unpacking, so it’s a little bit of a mess, but—”
“I don’t mind a mess,” Riley says cheerfully. “Let’s check it out.”
Riley and Sophie stand up, and reluctantly, I join them. They marshal me into the hallway, heading for the guest room; as the others’ voices fade behind us, I realize exactly what they’re doing.
As soon as we step foot in the guest room, with its promised view of Manhattan—the lights of the buildings glittering like too-bright stars—Riley turns to close the door behind us.
“Olivia,” she starts, her hands wrung together in worry, “we thought we should probably—”
“What?” I frown. “You think this is a bad idea, don’t you?”
Riley and Sophie exchange another look, and I can’t help but feel a flicker of defensiveness in the pit of my stomach. It’s as if both of them know something I don’t.
“Seriously,” I say. “What’s the big issue?”
“It’s just… you’ve had a crush on Reed since you were kids,” Riley sighs. “Doesn’t that worry you?”
“Why should it?”
“In a situation like this, things could get messy really fast,” Sophie says. “What if your feelings developed into something else?”
I shrug, trying to play it off—even though that exact question has crossed my mind several times today.
“And… well, we might as well bring up the elephant in the room,” Sophie adds drily. “Reed isn’t exactly Mr. Faithful.”
Riley nods, and my defensiveness grows stronger—this time, on behalf of my fake fiancée. I’m upset that they think so little of both of us, me and Reed. Yeah, he’s a playboy; I’d never try to deny that.
But at least he’s always been upfront about what he is—and isn’t—offering to the women he hooks up with. He’s not the kind of man who would intentionally hurt someone else. Anyone who’s felt wronged by Reed… well, they went looking for something he was never going to give them, and they knew it.
“Reed’s not that bad,” I say quickly. “It’s not like he’s a cheater, or a liar. He just likes a certain lifestyle. What’s wrong with that?”
Riley frowns, and Sophie shrugs. I can tell that neither of them agree.
“Listen, I’m not worried about Reed,” I tell them. I try not to sound annoyed, but I can’t keep the edge out of my voice entirely. “He’s not as much of an asshole as everyone seems to think he is.”
“Are you sure?” Riley asks.
I nod firmly. “We’re in this together, and I trust him. Just… drop it, okay?”
At that, Riley looks a little taken aback. I guess I don’t blame her. She’s my best friend, and I just dropped a bombshell on her without any warning. Still, I don’t like the way she and Sophie both considered Reed a problem.
So far, Reed has been on his best behavior. If anyone’s going to cause a problem in our agreement, I’m worried it’ll be me, not him.
“I just want to know that you’re going to protect yourself,” Riley says. “And your heart. If you can promise me that, then we’ll drop the subject, okay?”
“It’s not going to be an issue,” I assure her. “I’m certain.”
Riley takes a deep breath, then walks over to sit on the edge of the bed, looking out at the Manhattan skyline. “If you say so.”
For a few moments, there’s silence between the three of us. Then Sophie chimes in, this time more brightly. “Well, at least you have all the fun of wedding planning to look forward to.”
“That’s true,” Riley agrees, a smile spreading slowly across her face. “And none of the actual stress. What are you planning on doing for the ring?”
“The ring?” I repeat, blinking in surprise.
“The ring—like, the wedding ring,” Riley says with a laugh. “You guys are planning a fake wedding, right? Won’t the press be expecting to see a ring reveal on Instagram, or something?”
I realize as she says it that I’d forgotten all about that aspect of the plan. I shrug. “Reed will probably just pick one up, right? Or have his assistant do it, even. It’s nothing to worry about.”
“But it could be something to worry about,” Sophie presses, grinning openly now. “If you wanted it to be.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Why don’t we go window shopping, all three of us?” she suggests. “It’ll be fun.”
“We can send the photos to Reed,” Riley says. “That way he can still pick something you like, and you get to have a fun day out. What do you say?”
I consider for a few seconds. I hadn’t even thought about the wedding preparations at all—until now. I guess, in a way, planning a wedding—being Reed’s fiancé—is my one and only job for the next six months. I might as well throw myself into it.
“Sure,” I decide. “That sounds nice.”
We emerge from the bedroom, making plans to meet up and go to some jewelry stores sometime in the next few weeks. I’m not looking forward to it nearly as much as Riley and Sophie seem to be, but at least it’s gotten them off my back a little.