Page 99 of Fake It 'til You Make It

I swallow the ginormous knot in my throat. He knows.

How the heck do I explain this? Where do I even begin?

‘Does Abbey know who you really are? Does she know that you’re engaged to be married?’

Fuck.

My voice finds me. ‘That isn’t right. I swear to you. The engagement is off; it’s just that publicly, that’s not knowledge yetand when I gave that interview, I’d just found out my fiancée and best friend, my business partner, were having an affair. It was so recent that I— I just got caught out and didn’t know what to say. I swear to you I would never do anything to intentionally hurt Abbey. You have my word on that, sir.’

Though aren’t I? Haven’t I been by letting her believe my lies?

He rubs his chin, softening, I hope, ever so slightly. ‘That’s something at least. Now I don’t have to feed you to the bears after I’ve killed you.’

I genuinely don’t know if he’s joking or not but I fear it’s the latter. He picks up the magazine and rolls it into a tube. I wonder if he’s tempted to beat me with it but he taps the end on the edge of his desk instead. ‘That still doesn’t explain why you’re pretending to be your brother. Nor does it tell me why you’re lying to my daughter. So I suggest you start talking, Theodore.’

I’m sweating. My throat feels like it’s constricting. But Terry deserves an explanation. I only wish I was giving it to Abbey first. ‘The affair is how all of this started. I never expected that what started as a case of mistaken identity would go this far.’

I tell him everything. From Abbey moving into Blake House and me winding up there after running from San Francisco. From me banging a baseball against the wall to my brother throwing me a party and Abbey turning up in her fluffy slippers.

Then I tell him about Andrew seeing another woman in the apartment block and how I pretended to be Abbey’s boyfriend the night Andrew took a date to dinner with Abbey’s siblings. I miss out the ensuing Tinder date Abbey went on and I don’t mention that Andrew is a deceitful, lying jerk and Abbey deserves better. Those are her stories to share.

When I’m finished, Terry stands from his chair and moves around the room to a bar table, where he pours himself a glass ofsomething I suspect is whisky from a decanter and offers the same to me, which I decline.

I shift in my seat to face him, not knowing what’s coming next but feeling like I have to tell him… ‘Abbey is an incredible woman, sir; I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that. She doesn’t deserve my lies and for what it’s worth, I’ve been beating myself up about not telling her. When I bumped into you just now, I was on my way to tell her everything. I just… got so deep into this that I didn’t know how.’

I’m terrified of finding out her response.

‘And for her part, Terry, she didn’t set out to hurt anyone; she did this to protect herself, I think. She knew she would come up here, where everyone loves Andrew and the idea of them as a couple, and she thought Andrew would bring a date.’

His eyes narrow. ‘She doesn’t want him back, does she?’

‘I— I hope not. I don’t think so. I think she thinks you and Anna would like her to get back with him.’

He nods, thoughtfully. ‘Then that’s my failing.’

‘Terry, please don’t let this be something that comes between you and Abbey. She loves you so much; I see that every time she looks your way, every time she talks about your business and how she loves helping out with your work.’

He sips his drink, stoic. ‘There are some holes in your story, son. I don’t know what they are but I understand you’ve got an allegiance to my daughter and I’m grateful for that. I’m also grateful to you for looking out for her these past weeks.’

‘She’s very easy to care for, s?—’

‘I don’t appreciate being lied to by either of you. I won’t tell Abbey who you are because you’re going to do your own dirty work. But this will upset my wife immensely when it comes out.’ He moves to the window, turning his back on me, but I see in his reflection that he takes another drink. ‘Given where we are withour occasion and the efforts Anna has gone to, I’d like us to keep this between ourselves. Whether you tell her today or tomorrow, you and Abbey can keep up your façade for one more day, I’m sure?’

I nod. ‘Yes, sir.’

I wait for a response, his approval, I think, but it doesn’t come and I’m left staring at his back, not knowing what to do or say next. Knowing that even if, in some universe, Abbey managed to forgive my lies, her family might never. It’s another hurdle we might not be able to leap.

Eventually, Terry speaks, dismissing me. ‘Go.’ But before I reach the door, he says, ‘Andrew was unfaithful, wasn’t he?’

I turn back into the room and find Terry looking my way.

‘I don’t feel like that’s my story to share,’ I say.

I don’t deny it. He should know. One day, everyone will know and maybe their knowing would be the only hope I have of Abbey and I being able to see each other after this trip. The alternative being something I really don’t want to have to think about.

So for now, I’d at least like to have another person on Abbey’s side, another person who loves her and can shield her from the venom of others.

Terry makes a noise somewhere between a grunt and a snarl. ‘I never did like that boy and I should have made my feelings known. Now I want to tear his head off.’

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