Page 57 of The Match Faker

On the plus side, she was the only other person who knew the truth. And if she was convinced we were crazy about each other, that meant the rest of the world would believe it too.

‘Hi, Mum,’ I answered.

‘Sweetheart! I saw the photos! Why didn’t you tell me you’d reconnected with sweet little Liam? The phone’s been ringing all morning! I told your father you’d find someone soon. We were all so worried after Boris broke your heart.’

‘I know, Mum.’ I swallowed hard. My parents were shocked when I told them what he did. He didn’t visit my parents’ house often, but when he did, he’d bring Mum flowers or chocolates (whatever was cheapest at the supermarket). Not because he cared. It was all for show.

‘But look at you now! Dating your childhood sweetheart! We’re so happy for you!’

Oh crap. I supposed I should be grateful that the family had only seen the photos from last night and not the earlier Bumgate snaps.

It was awkward. Lying to the judges and people I didn’t know was one thing, but my parents knew Liam, so not telling them the truth was different.

Actually, was it really so bad? People lied all the time to get ahead. It was no different to tweaking your CV. My competitors did worse. This was a good lie. It wasn’t impersonating a surgeon, just pretending to like someone.

Plus, Mum sounded happy that I wasn’t going to end up like a lonely cat lady (I hated that stereotype). If I fessed up now, she’d be disappointed. And I wasn’t like Alice. I hadn’t done much lately to make her proud.

Thinking that made me wince. Was being photographed with a man really how my worth and achievements were measured?

Anyway, back to focusing on the positive. Everyone was convinced Liam and I were an item. This was good. If Mum had seen the photos, that meant that the industry (and hopefully the competition organisers) may have seen them too. The plan was working.

But as much as I didn’t want to burst Mum’s happy bubble, I had to manage her expectations.

‘It’s still very early days… remember, he lives in LA, so who knows how long this can last?’

Yes. That was good. I was setting things up for the future.

When this fake-tionship ended, I’d refer back to this conversation and quote the long distance putting a strain on the relationship spiel that Liam and I had agreed on.

‘You two are made for each other. You always were. This is fate!’

‘Mum, we were just friends back then, not…’ I caught myself.

Despite the fact that it wasn’t true, saying we were childhood sweethearts would actually make our story sound more convincing.

Note to mention that in the interview.

My stomach twisted. This all seemed so manipulative. So contrived. Doh. That was the point. I couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty, though.

‘Yeah, you’re right,’ I added. ‘It must be fate. What are the chances of us bumping into each other after all of these years?’

‘Exactly!’ Excitement bubbled in her voice. ‘So how did it all happen? Tell me everything!’

‘Um, I’d love to, but maybe another time? I’ve just got to the office and I’ve got loads on.’

And even though Liam said to stick to the truth, I haven’t rehearsed the story of how we met properly yet.

‘Course, darling! Your father’s calling me back to bed anyway… stop! Chris! Our daughter’s on the phone. Behave yourself!’

Mum giggled like a schoolgirl and I winced at the thought of what my parents were getting up to. It was nice that they were still in love. If only I could find my perfect match like they had. And my grandparents and Alice.

‘And that’s my cue to leave…!’

‘Hold on. Can you two come for lunch on Sunday? It’d be lovely to see Liam again.’

I should’ve known Mum would suggest this. I might’ve got away with faking it in front of the cameras, but I couldn’t pull it off in front of my parents.

‘Sounds nice, but…’ Think, think, think. ‘I’ve got to do the housework.’

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