Page 31 of The Temporary Fiancée
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 guysareplanning 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 itcouldbe something to worry about,” Sophie presses, grinning openly now. “If you wanted it to be.”
“What are you talking about?”
