“Four a week—”

“Four? No. I have work.”

“Lunch dates can count.” Realistically, we’d only need a week at most to come up with a story, but I’d be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t take advantage of the time that I have.

She sighs, extending a hand to me. “Fine, it’s a deal.” She continues after we shake hands. “So what happens now?”

Pulling my phone out from my jacket pocket, I open the camera app. “We take a selfie.”

I grab her hand in a gentle but firm grip across the table, while extending the opposite arm out to take the photo. “Say ‘fake fiancé.’”

Kami pastes on a convincing smile.

She pulls from my grasp when I lower my phone. “You could have warned me.”

“I did.” I send the photo to Kami’s phone before shoving the device back into my jacket pocket. “That should take care of your mom for now, but we’ll have to start staging more photos within the week.”

“Stage them how? For what?”

“That’s what the four dates a week are for. It’d also help to have photos of each other on our phones.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t think my mom wants to see a dick pic on my phone.”

Cracking jokes. How lovely.

“Funny. But I’m talking about the ones where we’re laughing with each other, maybe a kiss or two. Photos that couples would take.”

“Taking photos of me without my knowledge? Nothing says ‘I’m a stalker’ like that,” she quips.

She doesn’t realize it yet, but her snarkiness and sass is turning me on. “Call it what you will, but we have to appear enamored with each other.”

She scoffs. “I can be in love with someone and not feel the need to take ridiculous photos with them.”

“And have you ever been in love?” I retort, though it’s a genuine question I’m curious to hear the answer to.

She hesitates. “No way in hell am I kissing you.”

She dodged the question. Interesting.

I let it slide for now. “If we don’t, she’ll get suspicious as to why we don’t engage in PDA.”

She groans. She knows I’m right. “Okay, one kiss photo and it has to be on the cheek.”

“One on the cheek and one on the lips,” I negotiate further.

“Are you trying to make this awkward?”

“Is it working?” I tease. Strangely, the more annoyed she looks, the cuter she becomes.

She gives an exasperated glare. “Fine.”

“So…Darling…”

She rolls her eyes at my nicknaming.

“How did we meet?”

She crosses her arms over her chest. “You must really be enjoying yourself.”