Page 57 of Forever and Other Lies

“Fake dating? What the hell is fake dating?”

“We are just pretending to date. Exactly like it sounds.”

“I know what fake means! What I am asking is why would you be FAKE dating him?”

“Because I want to date Lance Roman like I have never wanted to date a man before. I mean, I want to SERIOUSLY date him.”

“Well, you should have said that in the first place. Now I completely understand. NOT!” Jessica threw both her hands up in the air. “If you want to date Lance, then why are you fake dating Brennan?”

“Because,” she began again, speaking slowly. “Lance thinks that I’m a trollop who can’t be in a serious relationship. He isn’t interested in casual dating.”

Jayna frowned. Trollop was the old-fashioned term Derek had used. “And if Lance sees me seriously dating another man, then he will see me in a different light.”

Jessica leaned closer, her face growing large on the screen. “You need to keep explaining. I am not following.”

Jayna blew out a long breath. “It’s not that complicated. We date for a few weeks, then have a bad breakup. One that Lance will have to console me over.”

Jessica blinked again. “Okay. I get it for you. But why would Derek agree? What’s in it for him?”

“He gets to retain use of both his legs.” At Jess’s continued look of confusion, she elaborated. “Derek went out with his boss’s daughter without realizing who she was. He was his normal sleazy self.”

Jayna leaned back in the chair. “It’s safe to say that his boss was far from pleased. And this boss is well connected with questionable people on his payroll. Derek is pretending that we got back together because I’m pregnant.”

“You’re not pregnant, are you?”

“No, of course not.” Why did everyone keep asking her that question?

Jessica rapidly shook her head back and forth, her voice laced with sarcasm. “Well, it sounds like a really solid plan. I can’t see how it can go wrong.”

“It’s working, Jess. Tonight, I’m attending a work function with Derek, so we can sell our relationship to his boss. Last week we were at Patty’s and sang karaoke together. Lance was paying attention.”

“Whoa, back up. Derek sang karaoke with you?”

“Yeah, he’s pretty good. And a great kisser.”

“Kisser? You kissed him? Thought it was fake?”

“It is only fake. He kissed me.” Her brows furrowed. “Honestly, I’m still trying to figure that out. I think he may be messing with me.”

“No, not Dare Brennan!” Jessica laughed, but then her face turned serious. “You don’t need Derek to win over Lance. It’s a lie and lies never end well.”

“Well, Ms. I-Never-Tell-A-Lie,” she chirped back. The nickname was accurate. Jessica was honest to a fault. Jayna leaned back in her chair, preparing for the lecture that was about to come. “How would you propose I win over Lance?”

“You just need to smooth the rough edges.”

“Rough edges?” Jayna sat forward again.

“You are intimidating,” Jess told her softly.

“Intimidating?” she repeated Jessica’s words again. Wow, it wouldn’t hurt her friend to be a little less honest sometimes.

“I’m not trying to insult you, Jayna. But...”

“But,” she repeated yet again. “Buts are always followed by an insult. That word is only used to soften the blow.”

“True,” Jess giggled. “BUT,” she emphasized. “You are intimidating, Jayna. You have so much confidence. And you’re gorgeous.”

“That is true on both accounts,” she agreed, pumping up her chest.

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