Page 123 of Knocked Up by My Fake Fiancé
"What do you want… deserter?"
"Deserter?"
"Yeah. You left me to deal with our crazy family all by myself."
"Good morning to you, too."
She grunts and turns, padding back into her condo—an expensive chaos of clothes, shopping bags, and random clutter everywhere.
"Someone went on a bender," I remark.
She shoots me a glare, then flops onto the sofa, clearing space by sweeping everything off it in one dramatic motion.
"What do you want?" she snarls.
"I came to check on you," I say. "You haven't been answering my calls."
"I haven't been answering anyone's calls."
"What happened?"
She sighs heavily. "Amira left me. Said she's done with my ‘avoidant bullshit.'"
"And?"
"And I can't get over it! Is that what you wanted to hear? Are you happy now?"
I cross the room, sit beside her, and sling an arm around her shoulders.
"You're in love with her, aren't you?"
"No, I am not!"
"It's okay if you are," I tell her. "You don't really get a choice in that. Even if you fight it, love hits you out of nowhere. You might as well stop resisting."
"Like you would know."
"Actually, I do."
She hesitates, then grins. "Aha, you finally realized."
"Realized what?"
"That you're in love with Jenna. I knew way before either of you did."
I grin. "I thought you figured it was fake."
"Oh, I knew youthoughtit was fake. That was obvious—even a five-year-old could tell. Mommy didn't see it, bless her oblivious heart. Lucky for you she didn't. But I saw the chemistry right away. You were crazy about Jenna. Maybe that's why Mom bought the act." She claps her hands, delighted. "This is great. Almost as great as you quitting in the middle of dinner last night. I thought Father was going to have a heart attack, and Mommy was on the verge of one of her famous fits. They argued for hours—he told her she was wrong not to accept Jenna, and she told him he was wrong not to make you CEO because George doesn't have a clue."
"Wow. They're both right and both wrong at the same time."
"The duality of our parents," she says dryly. Then she narrows her eyes. "So… are you really quitting?"
"Yeah."
"What are you going to do?"
"Not sure yet. I've got friends in business. A few recruiters have been sniffing around for years, offering introductions to companies looking for an experienced CEO. Or maybe I'll take a consulting role—help other firms avoid the mistakes ours made. But honestly, I think I'll just start my own company."
