Page 55 of It's Only Make Believe

“Then I accept the offer. Thank you,” I say.

“After this conversation, there can be no mention of us dating. We will have the same relationship as any two peoplewho work together. But first, I have to ask you one thing,” Luke says. He looks at me and I nod for him to go on. “I get why you and Louisa did what you did in some ways. And I can understand that you felt no loyalty towards me at that time. But once we started dating, why didn’t you tell me the truth then? Did you not trust me?”

“I trust you with my life,” I say, purposely using the present tense to let Luke know he might have given up on us, but my feelings for him are still very much there. “I wanted to tell you so badly, but I had to push the idea away, because I knew if I did tell you, even if you took it well, I couldn’t possibly stay working here as Louisa once I told you because that would implicate you in the lie.”

“And I’m not Louisa. I’m not a trust fund kid. I don’t know my father and my mom died while I was at college, so I have no one to fall back on. If I left this job, I would have essentially been making myself homeless,” I say.

“Ok, I guess I understand your fear. And I want to be able to move past it, but I can’t. Never the less, I’m sorry about your mom and about your situation. I had no idea,” he says.

I smile sadly at him.

“I could never tell you. But I guess none of that matters now,” I say.

“No, I guess not,” Luke agrees.

For a moment, he looks sad, and I just want to hold him, but I know he won’t welcome my touch and so I stay where I am, and the moment passes, and Luke is all business again.

“Go and get on with your work. Tell Karl you’re late because I was making you a job offer. Make his day. I’ll call down to HR and get the ball rolling and they’ll be in touch when they have a contract put together,” he says. “And it will be in your true name, so I suggest you start telling people who you really are. Tia…?”

“Lake,” I say.

He jots it down and then he just looks at me without saying anything else and I stand up, aware that I’m being dismissed.

“Thank you,” I say again and then I stop talking, because there is so much I want to say and none of it is appropriate and I’m scared if I say so much as another word, it will all just spill out of me. I don’t want to make Luke regret giving me this chance and so I scurry from his office without a backwards glance.

Chapter

Thirty-Seven

LUKE

It’s been almost two weeks since everything fell apart with Tia and me. I have purposely avoided her where I can at work, getting only progress reports from Karl who continues to be pleased with her work. We have had another one today and I have told him he doesn’t have to keep coming to me now, that Tia is a member of staff, and he will be responsible for her just like the rest of his team.

I miss her so much, and the thing is, the more time passes, the more I think that I could get past her lying about her identity, because when I think about it, the only lies she told me were her name and that Enrique and Sophia were her family but from what I’ve gathered after the event, Tia is as good as a part of their family, so it literally is just her name she lied about.

No one but me seems to have a problem with it. It’s kind of a running joke between Tia and the rest of the staff and even Enrique seems to be in on the joke. He called yesterday and was laughing as he asked how his surrogate daughter was settlinginto her new role. I know none of these people have such an intimate relationship with Tia as I had, but even so, I’m really starting to think that I overreacted.

Of course, I overreacted. I see it clearly now. I want Tia back, and I don’t care about the stupid lie she told when she didn’t even know me. I know everything else about her was genuinely her, and I really feel like this woman is my soul mate. I’m not going to lose the love of my life over something so stupid as my own stubbornness.

The trouble is, I have made a ton of effort to avoid her, and she must have noticed that. And when our speaking to each other has been unavoidable, I haven’t exactly been nice to her. I haven’t been awful either, I’ve been cold and indifferent, and I think that can be worse than being horrible. Being horrible would have showed her I still felt something for her – hence the reason I didn’t do it – but cold indifference must have made her think I’ve moved on.

God, I hope she hasn’t moved on and found someone else. In some ways, I think it would serve me right if she had, but I’m not going to let myself even consider it. I know if I want her to take me back, I’m going to have to do something epic to make her be able to get past the way I have treated her since we broke up.

I wonder if Mel has any ideas of what I could do. I’m sure she will have. I go to stand up, but then a better idea comes to me, and I text Enrique asking him for Louisa’s number saying I want her advice on something. He sends it to me, and I write out a text to Louisa.

“This is Luke Jackson. I’ve been an idiot, and I need your help. I’m in love with Tia, and I want her back, but I’m afraid I may have waited too long. Do you have any idea what I can say or do to win her back?”

I reread the message and send it, crossing my fingers that I get a reply, and that Louisa agrees to help me. I’m starting tothink she’s just going to ignore me when a text comes in and I see it’s from her. I read it quickly.

“It took you long enough to work that out! Luckily for you, Tia is still very much into you, and you have me to help make this reunion special for her. Meet me at the mall at six. We need a few things to make this work. Oh, and if you ever hurt my best friend again, I will cut your balls off,” the message says.

I can feel my smile growing wider the more I read. Tia still likes me and Louisa, her best friend, thinks I have a chance and she’s willing to help me. Even when she threatens to cut my balls off, I’m happy. Tia deserves a best friend who will do that for her, and I will never ever hurt that girl again, so my balls are safe.

“I’ll be there,” I write and send it back.

Chapter

Thirty-Eight

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