Page 14 of Fool Me

“He was clear on three dates, notat leastthree dates, Grant.”

The dosa’s edges were browning rapidly, maybe too rapidly. He found a spatula and tried to lift the dosa, but it was stuck to the pan. “Yes, yes. Three dates. But I imagine he’ll insist on all three.”

Julia huffed a breath so loud Grant expected to feel it through the phone. “Right. Ronny gets what Ronny wants, doesn’t he? And that’s why I’m stuck going to photoshoots with that human ape, Mark Briddle.”

Human ape?Mark consistently ranked as the number one bachelor in all of Hollywood. Certain Julia was joking, Grant laughed. “I know, poor you, huh? AndTake Me Outis another box office hit, too. Congratulations.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she said, unimpressed. “It’s all so predictable though, you know? Sometimes a girl wants something new in her life.” She paused. “Does substitute me want something new in her life?”

While she’d been speaking, Grant tried to loosen his now self-destructing dosa from the pan with increasing desperation. He’d only half focused on her question. “Substitute who?”

“Sadie,” Julia spat. “Is Sadie looking for something new, or is she spoken for?”

The vinegar in Julia’s voice wrenched Grant’s full attention away from his burning lunch and back to the phone conversation. “Uh, honestly, I couldn’t say,” he said, spatula held at attention. “When we’re not on camera, she barely talks to me.”

“Really? So, all those happy, happy smiles are…?”

“Completely fake. She’s trying to get discovered. That’s all these dates mean to her.” The truth of it clunked like an icy boulder into his stomach.

Smoke from the now rapidly burning dosa began to roil out of the pan. He whisked it off the stove and into the sink, but it was too late—the fire alarm began to blare. “Sorry, Julia. I’ve got to go. My lunch is on fire.”

“Ta-ta, Farm Boy!” he heard her say cheerily. “And don’t have too much fun on date number two!”

His thoughts smoldered as much as his dosa as he stretched up and pressed the button to silence the alarm. What was Julia’s game asking him all those questions about Sadie? Why would she care? Whatever the reason, something was upsetting her, and upsetting Julia Menlo was the last thing Grant needed. One word from her and he’d be out ofSurf Summer. Two words from her and no producer would touch him for any other movie ever.

He stared into the sink at his ruined pan of soggy char. So much for the Sadie distraction he’d hoped for. So much for practicing patience.

9

This time, Sadie had insisted on picking Grant up. She’d miss riding around in his convertible—the corkscrews of her hair blowing behind her and the palm trees zooming past like giants standing at attention—but she had to make sure Grant couldn’t escape from the Saturday night date-disaster that she and Monique had planned for him. He also might not appreciate being anywhere near her rusting hatchback with its hideously stained fabric seats, so that’s exactly where he had to be. The more emotionally off-kilter she nudged him before they’d even arrived at their destination, the better.

Considering her prim and proper reputation, Monique nurtured a surprising number of odd connections, mostly gained through her work as a real estate lawyer. There seemed no end to the shady types involved in real estate. After witnessing the utter meltdown and subsequent social media destruction of the jerk in Rick’s Diner, Sadie assumed the meaningful look Monique had sent her would result in the fastidious Grant wearing a four or five-star dinner on their next date. And while that outcome would be perfect on so many levels, Monique’s plan, once she had fully described it to Sadie over the phone, launched that basic concept into a whole new orbit.

Ronny had given her the address to Grant’s apartment, and it was only fifteen minutes from hers. Though not exactly high rent, the tasteful landscaping and actual parking lot at his two-story, stucco building made her place look grungy. Of all the cars in the lot, his blue Mustang stood out as the nicest. Figures. Show off.

The setting sun burnished everything a deep gold as she texted him that she was outside. Once again, she sighed in disappointment over wasting the next several hours of her life with Grant. But if this date went as planned, there’d be no need for another.

At least he didn’t keep her waiting. He strode out of his first-floor unit and headed toward her car. “Hi,” he said as he opened the creaky door on the passenger side and folded his tall frame into her tiny car like human origami.

She watched in unsmiling silence as he struggled with the wonky seat belt. So far so good.

“Yeah, that thing’s hit and miss,” she said finally. “My sisters won’t even ride in this car. They don’t trust it.”

“I think I’ve got it figured out.”

“And sorry about the dirty seat with your fancy suit,” she added as she pulled out of the parking lot. “What’s it made of? The fabric is a little bit shiny.”

He looked down at his cloud grey suit, which he’d accented with a light pink tie. “There’s probably a little silk in it.”

“Oh.” She waited a few beats. “Your shoes look nice too. Were they recently shined?”

He lifted the toe of his tan leather dress shoe as if inspecting it for wayward smudges. “They were, yeah. Don’t tell anyone, but I enjoy shining shoes.”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” she said as she did a fist pump in her mind. A silk suit? Shoes he freshly shined himself?Perfection.

“And what culinary delights do you have in store for us this evening?” he said as they climbed the ramp to the highway.

She feigned surprise. “Culinary? Didn’t you eat already? I specifically told Ronny to tell you to have some dinner ahead of time,” she lied.

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