Page 63 of Pretend Girlfriend

“Yes,” she reiterated, “I would.”

I leaned a little closer. “I promise you this: if you don’t get that position, I’ll make sure you get another one. It’s a big company. There are always a dozen or so open positions. And I have a lot of sway.”

Joanna put down her fork and stared at me for several seconds. “You would do that for me?”

“After the way you performed last night, and at the rehearsal dinner? Absolutely.” I waved a hand. “But forget all of that. Think about this: it’s a free vacation to the Caribbean! To an all-inclusive resort! We’ll be spending most of our time relaxing on the beach, or by the pool. You’ll barely have to do any pretending.”

I could see her thinking about it, realizing it was a really sweet deal.

“You make several good points,” she admitted. “And I could use a vacation. I haven’t been on one in years.”

“I thought you went to Jamaica for work earlier this year?”

Joanna rolled her eyes. “That was a work trip. It rained every day, and the company was awful.”

“So it’s settled, then?” I asked.

“I have one condition,” she said. “I get to order as much room service as I want. And you have to pay for it.”

That seemed like a weird thing to request. Like there was a joke I was missing or something.

“Joanna, it’s an all-inclusive resort.”

“Yes, you said that already.”

“That means everything is included,” I explained. “Even room service.”

Her eyes went wide. She had really pretty eyes, I was just now noticing. “You should have led with the free room service.” Then she waved at my mom a few tables over. “Danicka! I’m in!”

My mom came rushing over, all smiles. “That’s wonderful, because I found someone to watch your cat. His name is Hank, and he’s the young man who mows our lawn. I’ll give him your address and set up the schedule. He says he can stop by once a day.”

When she walked away, I gave Joanna a questioning stare.

“I may have told your mom I have a cat,” she revealed. “Great. Now I have to find a cat for Hank to watch.”

She grinned at me, which made my stomach flutter. She had a gorgeous smile when she wasn’t angry. Why hadn’t I noticed that before?

Yeah. I may have a crush on this girl.

28

Joanna

As I drove home from the wedding venue with a belly full of pancakes, I wondered what I had gotten myself into. In the past twenty-four hours I’d hooked up with Theo at a wedding, posed for wedding photos with a family that I was never going to see again, quit my job, and agreed to go to Jamaica for a week. I even listened to the voicemails my boss had left me. That bridge was thoroughly burned.

The lesson here: alcohol is the devil.

But as I packed for the trip, I started to feel excited. I did need a vacation. And now that I was definitely unemployed, I felt free. It was like I was tied to a bouquet of balloons, which lightened my steps around the apartment. My life was making a massive change—for the better.

That didn’t mean I was happy about Austin interjecting like that. I was going to make it my mission to get revenge on him while we were in Jamaica.

Theo texted me as I was getting in my Uber to go to the airport.

Theo: I heard a rumor that a certain sexy bridesmaid is going on the honeymoon now.

Me: I wouldn’t call Chloe sexy, but hey, whatever floats your boat.

Theo: Is it true?

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