Page 36 of Fake

“Twenty percent.” Fallon does not look impressed. “You gave him a sixty percent discount for one measly text, and he can only fork up twenty for an entire fake relationship? Oh, Mina…”

“That twenty percent is gonna help Mom.”

“That twenty percent should have been eighty. Or ninety.” Fallon sighs deeply. “I was going to go for the ice cream, but I think this situation calls for a drink. This man does not have your best interest at heart. And you…” She shakes her head. “You’re so kind and loyal, you expect the same thing from everyone you come across. You dismiss giant red flags because you see this little nugget of goodness, like your mom did with your dad.”

I frown. I’ve worked hard to build a better screening process than my mother’s, but challenging Fallon’s point will do no good. Once she decides she’s right on a topic, she’ll fight to the death over it.

Fallon grabs a bottle of wine and her giant glasses, filling them to the brim. I remind myself to sip carefully tonight. The last thing I need is another drunken mishap.

“You’re gonna need some insurance,” she says, sliding a glass my way. “In case Nathan turns on you.”

“Turns on me? What’s that even mean?” My feet are still aching, so I hop onto the counter while Fallon stares into space. She does that when she’s brainstorming new ideas. She once described it as watching mind-movies.

“That’s the thing with these guys,” she says, her eyes still far away. “You never know. Nathan’s so rich, his grandchildren’s grandchildren won’t need to work. That kind of money comes with power.” She hops onto the counter beside me and lets her legs swing, shaking her head at the blight of generations living to excess while others struggle.

“But what’s he going to do with that power?” I lean in, caught up in her vision and her eyes snap back into focus.

“How am I supposed to know that?”

“You’re the one who brought it up.” And spoke with so much confidence, I was sure she knew what she was talking about.

“I just think you need a little leverage. In case things get squirrely.”

Leverage? What in the world does she think is gonna happen? Nathan’s going through something, and he’s not always easy to be around, but he’s not actually an evil asshole. Not by a long shot. I’m not in any real danger. Not unless death by annoyance is a thing. Though with Nathan and his Jekyll and Hyde mood swings, it just might be.

Fallon hefts her wine glass to her lips, then freezes, a grin blooming. “I know! I’ll write an article about the relationship being fake. ‘It’s Fake, Folks!’ That’s such a catchy headline, I’d grab more subscribers for sure.”

“No. I already told you this whole thing is protected by best friend code. You will do nothing of the sort.”

“You’re not seeing the bigger picture here.” Fallon’s grin continues to grow as she turns to me. “If things go off the rails or you’re in a bad situation, I’ll publish the article to give you a little breathing room.”

“That’s a bad idea.” And I’m seriously starting to regret letting her in on this secret.

“Worse than pretending to date a man you know nothing about and can’t really stand, without spending time to lay some ground rules?” The arch to Fallon’s brow says she thinks she has me.

“I don’t know…” I drag out the last word, hoping to buy time for a catchy comeback that doesn’t arrive. “But I’m sure we won’t need leverage.”

“Why? Because Nathan’s been such an upstanding guy since you met him?”

I can’t get away from the image of him carting his niece around on his back. Or the way his whole demeanor changed when he was around his family. Fallon herself has said Nathan used to be this amazing guy. Why assume he’ll stay in this grumpy state? He probably just needs time to work through whatever he’s working through and meeting bad energy with more bad energy isn’t helpful.

“I just don’t like it, that’s all. I just met the guy. I’d like to give him a chance to prove my first impression wrong before we start planning ways to bring him down.”

“We don’t even have to use it. We’ll write it tonight. Just in case. I’ll save it with my drafts and if things go off the rails, we’ll have it.”

“Nope. Not happening, Fal.”

Fallon hops off the counter and takes my hand. “If only you’d been this resistant when you were at lunch with Nathan. He was the one with the bad idea. I’m the one looking out for your best interests. Villain,” she says, waving her hand toward the door. “Best friend.” She places her hand to her chest. “And, you know, bonus for me, my readers would just gobble the story up. I might actually cross the one million subscriber mark.”

“Good thing it’s not about that,” I say as she leads me into the living room and plops on the couch.

“Of course not. This is about protecting you.”

“Double good thing I won’t need protecting. Nathan’s a jerk, but…” I shrug and plop down next to my friend. “I can’t imagine a situation where I’d, what? End up in danger?”

Fallon snorts. “With this new version of Nathan West, there’s no telling where you’ll end up.”

“It’s a no on the article.” I lift my brow and stare until she lifts her hands in defeat.

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