Page 23 of Faking the Shot
One hundred.
“What the fuck could he possibly have done in the span of a single night?” I mutter, dread pooling in my stomach like lead. I can already picture Kimmy’s face turning a shade of red that would make a tomato jealous.
My mind whirls, racing through worst-case scenarios. Did Kaden punch someone? Flip a table? Pick a fight with a bouncer? My shaky hands swipe through the lock screen, desperation taking over as I scroll to the first notification.
And then, my heart doesn’t just drop—it fucking disintegrates.
“No. No, no, no. Fuck no.” The words tumble out in a panicked rush as my eyes lock on the headline glaring back atme. “I wasn’t ready for this. Not yet. I wanted a week, maybe two so I could be more . . . less. I’m not sure, but even though this was the plan I’m so not ready.”
And there it is. A gossip site, complete with a photo of Kaden and me at the restaurant last night. The exact moment he wiped chocolate off my face, immortalized forever. The caption?
Kaden Crawford’s New Mystery Girlfriend Sparks Dating Rumors.
Mystery. Girlfriend.
My mouth falls open as waves of horror crash over me. For now, I’m just some “unnamed woman,” but it’s only a matter of time before someone puts two and two together.
I groan loudly, sliding down the wall until my ass hits the floor. My phone dangles from my fingers as I stare at the photo like it might burst into flames if I glare hard enough. This is a fucking disaster. A nightmare.
“Goddammit,” I mutter, letting my head thunk back against the wall. My hair sticks to the sweat on my neck, and I shove it away, the frustration bubbling up like a volcano ready to blow. This was supposed to be a smooth transition—not . . . whatever this is.
My head spins, a nauseating mix of dread and panic. How the hell am I supposed to spin this? Two shitty options flash through my mind. Option one: make Kaden look like a womanizing asshole. Option two: turn him into the victim of an elaborate PR scheme. Either way, I’m screwed. My job? Gone. My sanity? Hanging by a thread. Worst of all, I’ll have to talk to him.
I close my eyes, exhaling sharply as a new thought creeps in, cold and unwelcome. He’s going to find out. And when he does? Oh, Kaden’s going to fucking love this.
The phone buzzes in my hand, snapping me back to reality. With a groan, I swipe to answer the incoming three-way callfrom Jacob and Kimmy. Perfect. Nothing like a group strategy session to salvage a clusterfuck.
“Please tell me you’re already fixing this,” Kimmy’s voice is tight and exasperated. “Because the phone calls I’ve gotten this morning? Un-fucking-believable. One guy literally asked if Kaden’s planning to announce his engagement today. We weren’t ready to go viral this fast, what happened to the plan?”
“Engagement?” I shriek, practically swallowing my own tongue. “To who, a carton of milk? He doesn’t even commit to his favorite beer, let alone a woman.”
“Your sister is going to kill me,” Jacob says. “I’m trying so hard to convince her that I’m not pimping you, it’s just a publicity stunt. With this . . . I don’t think she’ll believe me.”
Before I can answer Kimmy says, “Relax. This isn’t as bad as it looks. We spin it right, keep the story organic, and nobody has to know it’s fake.”
I blink at the phone like Kimmy just suggested I moonwalk across hot coals. “You want me to sell this as real when just a few days ago there was a big scandal?”
“Well, that was the plan all along,” she says, unfazed. “If the media already believes it, let’s lean into the narrative. Make it look natural, like you’re just a private couple caught off guard. People eat that shit up.”
Jacob snorts. “Natural? Kaden doesn’t do ‘natural.’ He’s about as warm and fuzzy as a cactus dipped in vodka.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “So what’s the plan here? You want me to meet with him and . . . what? Stage some cutesy date for the cameras as of right now? I needed more time to get to know him.”
“Well, your time is up,” Kimmy announces. “Text him, set up a meeting, and actually, you two should probably move in together.”
I freeze. Is she kidding? I’m not moving with a stranger just for publicity’s sake. That’s my hard limit, she can fire me if she wants. Sharing a house with another man . . . and one I work for is a big no.
I let out a strangled laugh. “Yeah, because talking to Kaden Fucking Crawford is such a walk in the park. Moving in with him . . . I’d rather move back in with my ex-husband. I prefer to stay here, with my sister.”
“No, you don’t need to leave,” Jacob says.
“Why don’t you move in with him, Kimmy?” I propose.
“Better you than me,” Jacob deadpans.
“This isn’t a game,” Kimmy says. “I’m not the one he’s allegedly wiping chocolate off of.”
Ignoring the heat rushing to my cheeks, I pull up my text messages and send him a quick, painfully neutral note.
