Page 58 of Knocked Up by My Fake Fiancé
Just as I make this decision, I spot Stephanie, rushing in with shopping bags in both hands.
"Sorry, I'm late," she says. "You wouldn't believe the traffic."
"Yet you had time to shop at Neiman Marcus right next door," I say, eyeing the bags.
She winks. "You caught me. Sorry, I had a fight with my girlfriend last night and needed some retail therapy. Also, I wanted to get her something to make up for it. Then once I was there, I got distracted, and you know how it goes."
"I do, but I usually don't keep people waiting while I shop. I also make sure I'm reachable by phone."
"Oh, that was you calling? The phone was buzzing in my bag, but I assumed it was Daddy, angry at me for running up the credit card again. I went crazy last summer in Paris, and since then, he's had me on a strict budget."
"Right." Stephanie reminds me a lot of the girls I'd met in my old boarding school. Spoiled, well-meaning but ultimately completely out of touch with the way the rest of society operates. She sets no value on other people's time, because she's been taught that other people's desires and wishes can always be moved around to accommodate her anyway. It's the way things happen when you're that ultra-wealthy.
I used to be resentful, but now I'm just accepting.
It's still irritating, though.
"Oh, and I bought you something," she continues.
"You shouldn't have," I respond, and I realize my voice is perhaps showing a little less enthusiasm about receiving a gift than it would have been if I hadn't endured her brother's shopping spree just two days earlier.
"Oh, it's just something small," she says and opens her shopping bag to rummage around inside. Eventually, she manages to retrieve what looks suspiciously like a jewelry box. Taking it from her proffered hand, I see the word Valentino embossed onto the box lid. I carefully unclasp and pull back the lid. Inside, I find a very lovely, delicate, and feminine chain bracelet, nestling on the silk cushion inside. The chain itself is in 18ct yellow gold, with gold stylized roses set into the chain itself at regular intervals. Each rose petal has been carefully painted in crimson enamel, and a tiny pearl is carefully set in the center of every flower. The bracelet fastens with a tiny, gold, heart-shaped clasp that is itself a miniature work of art. The whole thing is perfectly enchanting, and it suits me to a T, as well as looking like it's horribly expensive.
She must have spent a fortune on it.
"I saw it and immediately thought of you. I hope you like it."
"Thanks, yes, I love it. I… I don't know what to say, except you shouldn't have." This was a very thoughtful gift, actually. I wasn't expectinganythingfrom her, or indeed from any member of that family.
"It's fine." She waves a hand. "You're going to be family anyway. This is what family does."
Hmm… this is awkward. It's something I hadn't thought about, but it feels like I'm receiving a gift under false pretenses. What can I do though, when I'm sworn to secrecy and under an NDA not to reveal the truth?
"Right." I'm still not sure if she buys that Grayson and I are dating for real or if she knows this is just a game, so, I play along.
First things first, I need to set the tone moving forward, so she doesn't think she can just walk all over me. I smile sweetly, though my voice stays firm.
"Gift or not, the next time you're more than five minutes late to a date, I'm going to leave," I tell her. "Just so you know. We'llhave to tip the server well, because he'sreallypissed about his table being under-used."
She pauses and leans in to whisper conspiratorially. "Wait, is this a date?"
"No. You know what I mean."
She chuckles. "Yeah, I know. I won't do it again. Probably. As for the server… "She eyes him up and down, assessing his worth. "If he looks after us then I will look after him."
I figure that's as good as I'm going to get from her, so I nod to the server, who comes over to take our order. He looks relieved.
We chitchat until the food arrives, then I finally venture, "So I kind of have a bet with your brother."
Her eyes widen. "A bet? Really? What's it about?"
"I told him that I would get your mother to like me, and in return, I could dress him up however I wanted for a week."
"Ooof. Good luck with that one, babe. That's a steep hill you've chosen to climb."
"I know." I shrug. "But I'm the competitive type and I wanna know. How do I win? What can I do to get your mom to like me?"
She chews thoughtfully, swallows, and takes a sip of her champagne. "To be honest, probably nothing," she finally says. "In fact, I can't think of a single thing you could do, short of maybe quitting your job and joining a few women's groups and charities. Thatmightmake her like you. Or anyway, make her hate you a little less." She giggles and sips a little more of her champagne, and I somehow get the feeling it's not her first glass of the day.
