Page 14 of A Flighty Fake Boyfriend
“Are you free this weekend?” I asked.
“What?” He blinked as if he’d just noticed I was there. “This weekend?”
I nodded, certain I was doing the right thing. “How’d you like to go to a wedding?”
* * *
“You askedEpic to Luis’s wedding?” Daniel’s incredulous expression worried me a little as we walked to the lot where we’d left his car. “The waiter, Epic?”
“Yeah. He liked the idea.” I didn’t think it was that big a deal. “Apparently he has his own black tie, so I won’t even have to rent him a suit.”
“Epic the waiter has a tuxedo,” Dan repeated.
“He said he had a vintage tux. I hope it’s not powder blue.”
“I could totally see him showing up in a powder-blue tux.”
If he did, so be it. “It’s fine. We’ll be fine.”
“I can’t believe you’re so calm about this.” The street was empty. The sounds from the bar faded the farther we walked.
“I don’t know why you’re so shocked. He’s a nice enough kid.”
“I think he’s wonderful, but he’s so young.”
I agreed, but Epic had held his own in our conversation. “When Laurie cancelled and I was feeling awful, Epic and I just started talking. He’s funny and very bright. I think he’ll be great.”
“Does he know you asked him because you want to poke your ex in the eye?”
“I’ll fill him in on the drive down. We’ve got a couple days before the ceremony to get to know each other.”
Daniel shoved his hands into his pockets. “You were so worried about this event you were going to bring an A-list actor as your date. Now you’re going to abandon that idea and take a kid you just met?”
“Laurie suggested I hire an actor. How is this any different?”
“Because with an actor, presumably you get to write the script. With Epic…anything can come out of his mouth. You know that, right? He really is the neighborhood eccentric—and that’s saying something in St. Nacho’s.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing. Maybe since I can’t have my envy producing A-list actor, I simply want to go with someone pleasant.”
“Pleasant?”
“Yes. I want a pleasant fake boyfriend. Why is that so hard to understand?”
“It’s not.” Daniel reached the car and opened the driver’s side door. “I admire your ability to adapt, but I’ll warn you. Epic is well liked around here, and you will get your ass kicked if you mess with his head. Make sure he knows it’s afakedate, okay?”
“I explained the situation when I asked him. He’s going to take the weekend off to stay in a posh hotel and attend an aristocrat’s wedding. There’s no downside—his words, not mine.”
“And here I thought you couldn’t surprise me.”
I opened my door and got into the car.
In truth, I’d surprised myself. This wedding had been a log jam in my peace of mind for almost six months. Everything that came before and after stood in stark contrast to the time I had to take off to attend, the worry finding the right date caused me, and the anxiety I felt about going.
Making the decision to throw my plans to the wind and invite someone entirely by chance broke that log jam. My life felt “in flow” again.
When we got to Daniel’s place, we talked for a bit more before heading to bed. I slipped between the sheets in the guest room without setting an alarm for the morning and had the most peaceful night I’d had in a long time.
Chapter Four
