Page 40 of How To Fake A Fiancé

“What part of ‘I don’t need your help’ do you not understand?” Mia snaps, crossing her arms.

Wow…quite the chilly welcome. Why is that? All he did was show up. I feel like I’m missing something here.

“Is it that you don’t want any help, or rather you don’t wantmyhelp? Because clearly you had no problem asking Kami,” he points out.

“Kami lives here. This is—”

“Different?” he interrupts her. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that.” He looks at the mountain of stuff inside the U-Haul, then back to Mia. “If you think you two can haul this bulky and heavy furniture by yourselves up the stairs, you’re sorely mistaken. You could—”

“What? Hurt ourselves? My, that’s awfully sexist of you,” Mia bites back.

He does have a point though.

Mia and I could carry a headboard or mattress by ourselves, but it’d be more difficult, and take longer, without Jake’s help. So why is Mia, as logical as she is, refusing to see this? Why the pushback? Jake, a very tall and muscular guy, is offering his help, yet she still says no.

“Baby doll, this isn’t about sexism, and you know it.”

Could it be…No way.

I’d be curious to see how this plays out if it weren’t for the nagging question in the back of my mind. Does Jonathan know his best friend is pining after his little sister?

Not my monkey, not my circus.

“I told you to stop calling me that.” She looks cautiously over at me. This is more awkward than being a third wheel. Whatever is happening between them, Jake is clearly not hiding it.

I don’t know whether to intervene or let them hash it out. I don’t want to get caught in the middle, but at the same time, saying nothing isn’t going to make the boxes and bins move themselves.

I look to Jake. One thing is for sure: I need to keep the peace. “Since you’re here, why don’t we get the heavy stuff out of the way first and go from there. We’ll do it all together.”

Mia grips my arm. “Why are you agreeing with him?”

“Because he’s here, willing, and we could use the help.”

“Kami’s right.” Jake turns to us as he successfully gets the headboard out of the trailer. “Why argue with someone who’s only trying to help?”

I see the fire in Mia’s eyes as she stares daggers into him. I can’t tell if she wants to kill him…or kiss him. Maybe both. One thing is for sure, this argument isn’t about sexism or moving furniture.

Mia groans. “Fine, he can help.”

“Thank you, ladies,” he says cheerfully as he makes the climb up the stairs with the headboard.

“How did you know where I was moving anyway?” Mia asks as she grabs the other side of the piece of furniture.

He smirks. “Kiera couldn’t make it, so she had me step in for her.”

That would explain why she hasn’t shown up. But why didn’t she tell me ahead of time? She said she was available. Could that be the reason why she didn’t have anything to do with Mia and Jake’s…confrontation? I hope for Kiera’s sake it isn’t. Mia would have her head if Kiera was playing matchmaker for them.

A few hours and multiple trips back and forth later, we’re all in Mia’s bedroom. Jake assembles the queen-sized bed, Mia arranges her closet, and I fill out an online order for a large deep-dish pepperoni and mushroom pizza.

The contemporary elegance and modern feel of Mia’s room is fit for a queen. The wall just above her bed shows a picture of lilacs. Her bedspread is a light taupe color, complementing well her white, fluffy pillows and beige bedroom furniture. A chaise is at the foot of her bed.

Just as I finish ordering, my phone begins to vibrate in my hands. The screen shows an incoming call from Ian. But rather than feeling a sense of dread, I feel excited, anxious, even happy to see his phone number.

I’m stuck playing pretend with a man who has single-handedly ruined all my plans, yet I feel giddy at the fact that he’s calling me? I need to get a grip on myself.

“I’ll be right back,” I mutter to Jake and Mia as I leave the room, and head straight to my bedroom. I close the door behind me.

I accept the call. “You rang?”

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