Page 58 of Boss's Baby: A Fake Fiance Romance

“That can’t be it.”

“Are you really this unsure of yourself?”

“About work, no. About being successful, no. But when it comes to love, maybe. OK, not maybe—definitely.”

“Or maybe you still think you’re that gawky girl from high school.”

“Now I think you’re onto something.”

“But here’s the thing about that—you’ve always been beautiful. How you have no idea about this, I can only guess.”

I shifted in my seat, surprisingly moved by what he’d said. I didn’t know how to respond. “Um, thank you.” Then I thought better of it. “Wait, this is you being charming, right?”

He smiled. “Maybe a little. But here’s the thing about being charming—I never lie about it.”

“Oh, come on. You’re telling me all the girls you’ve been with, you’ve been straight-up with them?”

“OK, maybe back in the day I wasn’t totally forthcoming. But that was mostly about little details like how many other girls I happened to be involved with at the time. But when I was with a woman one-on-one, I was always straight about what I liked about them. Because every woman has something wonderful about her.”

“Really?”

“You want to know the secret to winning a woman’s heart?”

“Sure—always a skill I’ve wanted to pick up.”

He smirked at my joke. “Seriously, though.”

“OK, let’s hear it.”

“Like I said, every woman’s got something wonderful about her. It could be her eyes, her laugh, the way her smile’s crooked just a little bit—and that’s only about looks. But you find that thing, whatever it is, and make her understand how wonderful it is.”

Sure, the subject was about womanizing. But I couldn’t help but find what he said kind of sweet.

“And what’s that about me? My successful career or something?”

He shook his head. “Too much to choose from.”

“Now I definitely know you’re playing it up.”

“I’m being serious—I never lie about things like this.”

“Only about being engaged.”

“Only things like that.”

I smiled. “But really, you’re saying that to pick up my ego after what I told you.”

“Couldn’t be more wrong. Like, how about the way you scrunch up your nose when you’re nervous.”

“I don’t do that.”

“Sure you do. You’ve never had anyone notice it before? You did it the first time I talked to you, and you did it when you realized I’d overheard those oh-so-kind words you had to say about me at the office.” He paused, looked at me, and smiled. “And you did it just now.”

I felt, um, a touch nervous. “No, I didn’t.”

He laughed. “Sure you did. Anyway, don’t be too worried about it—it’s totally adorable.”

I wasn’t sure what to make of what Josh was telling me. It felt…good. And it made me worry that I was falling for his charms all over again. This time, however, I couldn’t write off what he was saying as only playing a game. After all, hadn’t he told me his whole thing with flirting was being truthful?

Truth and lies—the two concepts my life seemed to be revolving around these days. Who the hell knew which was either anymore?

But I wanted to change the subject. Josh was making me feel overwhelmed in a way I wasn’t sure I wanted to be, a way that made me like him a little bit more. And I didn’t know if I was comfortable with that feeling.

“OK, enough of me complimenting you—we’ve got other stuff to worry about.”

“Is that right?”

“Yeah, like making sure you’re ready for the party tonight.”

It’d totally slipped my mind that we had a major social event this evening. More lying, more acting. It wasn’t going to be easy.

“Here’s what I’m thinking. You said you didn’t have anything to wear tonight, right?”

“Right, assuming the dress code’s a little more high-end than my usual blouse and jeans.”

“Definitely more than that. How about we head downtown in a little bit and you can pick something out to wear. And it’s on me.”

“I like that. Except for the part about where it’s on you.”

He cocked his head to the side. “How do you mean?”

“I mean, I am perfectly capable of paying for things on my own. I have a good job, I make decent money. I can afford to buy my own clothes.” As I spoke I could feel that old defensiveness crawling back, that self-consciousness about not having any money. But I put it aside.

“Listen—I insist.”

“You insist?”

“I do.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because this whole plan is my idea. And if you’re going along with it, the least I can do is take care of any added expenses. I don’t need to add any hits to your bank account to what you’re having to put up with for this thing.”

“It’s fine. I agreed to be a part of it, and if I have to add a dress to my wardrobe that I never wear again, so be it.”

“It’s not only about that. It’s also about how it looks. If someone happened to catch word that you were buying your own stuff like that, it wouldn’t really help sell this thing. Aren’t fiancés supposed to dote on their brides-to-be?”

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