Page 11 of Fore-Ever Yours

“Owen Bennett.” The name rolls off my tongue with ease. I doubt I’ll need to discuss anything. Just in case I do, he’d be one to understand.

“Beth, any other questions?” he asks.

Her green eyes meet mine, then flicker to the phone. “What about…physical contact? Is that written in the contract or…?”

Travis stifles a laugh as John speaks, “That’s something you two will determine on your own. There’s nothing legally binding you to do anything besides look like you’re a couple.”

“And Matthew, you’ve agreed to pay Beth a total sum of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for the initial four months, though an extension can be discussed at a later date. Is this correct?”

Beth’s eyes go wide, and her mouth drops open.

“Yes, sir,” I answer.

“Great, I’ll email that contract over for both of you to look over and sign.”

The phone clicks as they hang up.

We sit in silence for a moment.

“Beth—” I begin to say.

At the same time, she says, “Matthew, that’s—”

We both laugh, which helps shake the awkward tension away.

“Ladies first,” I offer with a playful nod.

“That’s a lot of money. Why so much? It’s only for four months. That’s like two years’ worth of salary for a brand manager.”

I turn to face her directly, meeting her gaze. “You’re giving up the next few months of your life to work for me practically around the clock. I think your time is worth it.”

“Thanks.” Her lips curl into a small, appreciative smile. “And you know Owen Bennett? How?”

“Through Travis. He’s both of our agents. Over the years, we’ve become friends. Owen mentioned you’re friends with Emma.”

“Practically since we were born, we were inseparable until we went off to college.”

“Is Desiree your sister? Friend?” I ask, curious about the person she chose.

“She’s my best friend. We met in our freshman year of college. I only have an older brother, Ethan.”

“And I have a little sister, Alison.”

“Look at that, learning things about each other already.” She smirks. “Which we’ll need for our backstory. How we met, how long we’ve been dating, and we need to clarify the, um, physical rules.”

“I’m good with whatever you come up with. And so we’re clear, I’ve never done this before. This whole fake dating thing. It’s a one time thing.”

“Well, I don’t go fake dating either.” A light chuckle escapes her lips. “But good thing I read and watch a lot of romances, so I think I can come up with something.”

“Okay, good.” She seems confident, which makes me feel a bit more at ease.

“You should follow me on my social channels.”

“That’s your job, remember?”

“No, I mean to learn more about me. See pictures of my friends, my interests. You’ll need to know these things.”

I groan as I pull out my phone and hand it to her. “Download whatever apps I need.”

---