Page 22 of All Yours

“Only you,” she said through laughter, reaching into her bag and pulling out a tissue and dabbing at the corners of her eyes.

“I fail to see what’s so amusing,” I said, then took a pull from the beer bottle, the pungent flavor washing over my tongue.

“You’re dating this woman?”

“No,” I said. “Fake dating for her image.”

“How long is this supposed to last?”

“We haven’t talked about it.”

“So, you just jumped in and agreed to be her fake boyfriend?” My mother folded the tissue and pocketed it and glanced at me.

“I didn’t jump. It all sorta happened quickly, and I didn’t want to be a jerk and not help Sloane out. She was in a bind.”

She studied me for a moment. I shifted in the seat as a bead of sweat ran down my back. Her gaze seemed to peer into my soul and draw a conclusion.

“I was hoping your next girlfriend would be Jewish,” she said, her voice tinged in non-restrained wistfulness.

“We’re not dating,” I said.

“You must bring her to the house,” she said.

“That’s not necessary as this isn’t—”

“Do you think she’d be open to converting?”

“Ma, this isn’t real. It’s a means to an end for her.”

“And what’s in it for you?” she asked.

“Oh, I know,” Camden chimed in. “A chance to impress her.”

“Dude, you’re not helping.”

He laughed. “I have no intention of helping.” Camden grinned, and I gave him the finger by scratching the side of my nose with my middle finger.

“You’re always with this woman,” my mom said.

“I’m notalwayswith her,” I said.

“You go see her more than me,” she said.

“That’s true,” Camden said.

“Don’t you have something to go do?” I asked.

“Nope,” he said, grinning.

“She’s a friend that I agreed to help out of a tough situation. That’s it.”

“Is he serious?” my mother asked Camden.

Chapter Nine

Sloane

“They told me I’d be in the walking boot for six to eight months following the surgery,” Lauren said. The wind coming in off the lake whipped her hair around. We sat around a patio table at Lou’s. “I’m hoping to get the boot off next week, but we are only at the sixth month mark.”

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