Page 68 of The Fake Dating Plan

“Great. I like it. When’s the shoot happening?”

“The first studio shoots will be done this week. I’ve already booked the studio, and the photographer is looking for the best spots to do the on-location shoots.”

“Wow. You got a handle on this.”

“That’s what you pay me for. Now you can go back to dreaming about Hot Holiday Guy who tots doesn’t exist.”

“Who says he’s hot?”

“Honey. Nobody goes into a daze for an average Joe on the street.” He closed the sketchbook and got up.

“I might join you for the shoot.”

“That would be great. We might want some input from you regarding the pieces. And the overall look.”

A message came in on my phone at that moment. It was Ax. He had sent me a devil and an eggplant emoji. I smiled.

“I’m going to assume that text was also not from Hot Holiday Guy who doesn’t exist.”

“You assumed right.” I wasn’t about to tell the entire office that their boss was now fucking technically their boss’s boss. And telling Blake would be telling the entire office.

The post-holiday debrief took longer than necessary, thanks to Laura’s rambling explanations. When I passed by my office on the way to the shoot, Kira greeted me with a smile. “These came for you.” She handed me a bouquet of peonies with a note that said, ‘remember when’ and nothing else. “They must be so expensive. They aren’t in season.” I had an idea where he might have got them. Sofia’s greenery.

Kira made a grand show of giving me the flowers, such that everyone’s attention was on us. Laura was peaking from her office, her brow furrowed, and Dylan was giving me inquisitive eyes. It was something that made me feel like I was under a microscope.

“Thank you.”

She leaned in and whispered, “There’s another message inside,” she said, pointing at the bouquet.

“Thanks.” I gave her a tight smile.

“So, who is he?”

“None of your business.”

“Right.” She seemed to get the hint and dropped any more questions. Everyone else in the office, though, looked curious. I ignored them and took the flowers into my office. This is what I got for not dating often. One bouquet and everyone was acting like I was getting married.

I sent Ax a text.

Me:Your display of affection caused a scene today. Everyone’s speculating.

I thought that was the end, but he responded sooner than I expected.

Ax:Should I not send the five-foot rose arrangement I had organized then?

Me:No!

Ax:[three laugh emojis]

Me:[middle finger emoji]

I put the phone in my pocket and rushed to the photoshoot. When I got there, Gia was in the middle of being photographed.

“You’re here. Great,” Blake said as soon as I stood beside him. He was supervising the shoot. Gia was draped in a chain and a bracelet from our new collection. The photographer was giving her all sorts of instructions for her to follow. She seemed to be doing well.

“What do you think? Not too much, is it?” The clothes they had chosen were edgy enough to stand out, but not too edgy to clash with the jewelry. “It’s good. You paired it well. The grunge look is exactly what we were going for.” He grinned at my compliment. It made me feel a little uncomfortable, so I glanced around the studio. There were a lot more people than I expected. Most of them were working on the shoot. Fiddling with the lights, the fan, some were managing the stage. It all looked like a big production. It was the type of shoot you would see on one of those reality-TV shows. Even the studio was in an upmarket area and far from the places we used to shoot in, back when Steel Cute was still new. But I wondered if it was unnecessarily expensive.

“This is a nice place you booked.”

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