Page 36 of Fake-Off with Fate
“His new girlfriend,” she repeats.
“I’m not his …” before I can say “girlfriend,” Jamie takes my arm and starts to pull me away from her.
Then he says loudly, “Come on, honey. You don’t need to talk to the press. Our relationship is none of their business.”
What in the world is he talking about?
CHAPTER 18
JAMIE
“What’s going on?”Ashlyn asks me while skipping to keep up with my determined stride.
I take two more steps before stopping. Then I look around to see if Emily is following us. When I don’t see her, I gently take Ashlyn’s elbow and lead her to a nearby bench. Once we’re seated, I confess, “I made a huge mistake.”
When I don’t start explaining myself right away, she prompts, “Go on.”
Sighing dramatically, I tell her, “I’ve been avoiding the press ever since Allegra left me. All they want to do is dig up dirt and make me look like a jilted fool. I want no part of that.”
“I suppose they’re just doing their job,” she says like that somehow makes it okay to drag me over the coals.
“Right.” Running my hands through my hair, I tell her, “Dale set up the meeting with Emily, and as expected, she did her best to make me look pathetic.”
“So, you told her you were dating me?” She doesn’t sound pleased.
“I told her I had a new girlfriend. I might have mentioned her name was Ashlyn, but only because your name was the first one to pop into my head.”
“Are you asking me out?” Her tone can only be construed as horrified.How unflattering.
“Not at all,” I assure her. “But I don’t suppose you’d be willing to go along with the charade until you go back to Los Angeles?” I feel like a hopeful puppy waiting for a bone. Or at the very least, a pat on the head.
Ashlyn is quiet for so long I’m sure she’s going to say no. But then she asks, “What would being your fake girlfriend entail?”
I hurry to tell her, “You would have to be seen with me occasionally. I would pay for everything, of course. And whatever you want on top of that.”
Her eyes glitter with excitement. “Are we talking shopping sprees here?”
“I suppose.” Up until this point, Ashlyn has not struck me as that kind of woman, but I don’t really know her well. If she wants to shop, I can get behind that.
“Just kidding,” she laughs. “What I really want is for you to agree to be part of the bachelor auction.”
She sounds so hopeful, I’m tempted to tell her the truth, that I’ve already been ordered to step up on the auction block. Yet, I don’t feel it’s in my best interest to share this piece of information. “I would absolutely participate in the auction.”
Her smile is radiant, and I feel an unwelcome stirring in my chest. I remind myself that I’m not really going to be dating Ashlyn. If being with Allegra taught me anything, it’s that there are enough complications in relationships that you shouldn’t go out of your way to look for more. And Ashlyn living in LA is a giant complication.
“If you do the auction,” Ashlyn crosses her legs before facing me head on, “I’ll be your fake girlfriend.”
I’m so relieved I want to jump up and shout at the rooftops. But then an image from that old Oprah episode pops into my head. You know, the one where Tom Cruise did the same thing while confessing his love for Katie Holmes? On top ofeverything else going on, I cannot be portrayed as that much of a fool, so I sit still.
“Thank you, Ashlyn. You don’t know what this means to me.”
“You’re doing me a huge favor as well,” she tells me. “Any chance I can get you to come to the emergency town meeting tomorrow? It might lessen some nerves knowing that we have the Ice Breakers on our side. Especially being that … well …”
“What?” I ask nervously.
Her body slumps noticeably against the back of the bench. “I just went to the library and looked up the original map of Maple Falls. The entire arena is on Victor MacDonald’s property.”
“What does that mean for the Ice Breakers?”
