Page 39 of Falling for your Fake Boyfriend

Isla patted the popcorn bucket in the holder and the candy bars tucked in the tray next to her. “I’m ready.” Her phone beeped. “Oops, let me silence my phone.” She pulled it out and glanced at it. “Oh wow, I would not want to meet up with the leprechaun under this toadstool.”

Before I could ask what on earth she was talking about, she held her phone in front of me. A young woman wearing a straw hat and wading boots was holding a massive mushroom. She had black hair and beautiful green eyes. “Only need one of those for stroganoff. I take it that’s the sister on the fungus-finding mission.”

“Yep, that’s Ava. She’s the adventure sister. She has a big world map up in the bedroom we share, and she sticks pins in the places she’s been. That poster is covered with pins.”

“How about you?” I asked. “Are any of those pins yours?”

“My sisters and I did travel to North Carolina one summer. Ella was dying to see the Biltmore and Aria had Ocracoke Island on her bucket list. She’s strangely enamored with pirate lore. Honestly, I think I’d miss Whisper Cove too much if I traveled too far away from it.” Isla silenced the phone, pushed it into her pocket and turned to me. “Luke, thank you for taking the time to do this with me. I know it’s kind of cheesy, but I’ve never done anything like this.”

I looked over at her. The light sconces on the walls put a soft glow over the whole room and her pretty face. “I don’t think this is cheesy at all. In fact, thank you for asking to do this. Sometimes, my world races past, and I forget to take time to enjoy it.”

“Then I’m glad. Now fire that sucker up. I’m ready to be completely immersed in the world ofDr. FrederickvonFronkensteen.”

ChapterNineteen

Isla

Darn Mel Brooks for not making his movie classic longer. I didn’t want it to end. It was by far the highlight of the weekend so far. There was still a long list of events for the evening. After a wedding rehearsal (which I thankfully didn’t have to attend), light supper would be served on the veranda and then there was a half-hour respite before festivities began in the karaoke room. A big, fluffy pile of nerves had settled deep in my belly (just above the popcorn and candy). Why did I decide to sing? I supposed it was to show Margaret that nothing she’d thrown at me had worked or intimidated me. However, I was, in fact, feeling intimidated and nervous. I just had to find a way not to show it.

I didn’t have nearly enough outfits for all the events. There was a more formal party, a ball of sorts, tomorrow evening, the night before the wedding, and I had no idea what to wear for it. I had the fancy dress Ella and I had picked for the wedding, and it seemed I’d have no choice but to wear it for both occasions. It didn’t sound crazy to me, but I was sure wearing a repeat outfit was a faux pas that would garner lots of disapproving looks from the other guests. Fortunately, I didn’t care.

Since I was singing a country song, I opted for a denim skirt, T-shirt and my short boots. They weren’t western, and they weren’t real leather, but they looked cute with the skirt. I added Layla’s gold hoop earrings to the look and then stared in the full-length mirror for the hundredth time. I rarely spent much time checking out my reflection, and I hated that this weekend had caused me to go back on the promise to myself to never focus on the way I looked in a mirror.

“I never, ever want to own a full-length mirror,” I said with a sigh. I sat on the edge of the bed to practice a few breathing exercises. They were once again interrupted by my phone. It was Aria.

“Hey, Ar, how’s it going?”

“That’s what I called to ask you. El mentioned you weren’t having a great time.”

Being the oldest, although only by fifteen months, Aria always saw herself in a parental role, especially after mom died. She tried so hard to be stalwart and a steadying force for her four younger sisters, who were falling apart at the seams. But at night, I’d hear her weeping into her pillow. It scared me when she wasn’t in control because, in truth, she was our rock.

“It’s been an interesting weekend. Luke’s mother is a—gosh, I can’t even think of a word for it. I can’t believe Luke turned out as well as he did, but I think his nannies and governesses had more influence on his character than his mom. Seems she was a rather hands-off parent. But I’m determined to leave this weekend with a few good stories and a new understanding of the world.”

“Well, those are lofty goals.”

“Not really. Frankly, I’m almost there.”

“Hey, La, no heartbreak, okay?”

“Nope. Heart still intact. I knew going into this that it was a business deal, and I’m going to stay pragmatic about the whole thing.”

“She said with the confidence of a woman who’s already suffering a major crush.” It was scary how perceptive she could be.

“Luke is handsome and charming and, admittedly, there’s very little not to love about the man, but it’s only two more days and then we part ways for good. So don’t worry about me. How are things in Whisper Cove?”

“Hot, humid and kind of dull without you. Oh, and Maryanne gave her two-week notice, so I’m down a server.”

“Well then, this is my chance to throw my server hat into the ring. That horrid woman at the cleaning company fired me because I took two days off.”

“I’d love to hire you if you think you can stand working under your bossy older sister.”

“Fortunately, I’ve had years of experience handling my bossy older sister. We can talk about it when I get back. Right now, I’m expected on the veranda for a light supper.” I said it with the best posh accent I could muster.

“Well then, can’t be late for that. Have fun … or at least try. We’ll see you soon.”

I did a shortened version of my breathing exercises and headed to the veranda.

There were a lot more guests than I expected for the light dinner. I assumed this was the precursor to the karaoke party, and most everyone would eventually make their way downstairs to the party room. I couldn’t see Luke’s tall head anywhere in the crowd. No sign of the beautiful Alex yet either. Maybe she was warming up her professionally trained vocal cords. I wondered what song she planned to dazzle the crowd with. Several people glanced my direction and then went back to their conversations. I might have been the topic of some of those conversations, and I was all right with that.

---