Page 45 of How Jenna Became My Dilemma

And non-disclosure clauses.

“I don’t know.” Trey laughs. “Those pictures of you and Cody in Malibu looked pretty true to me. But I was kind of surprised by them. I thought Cody was dating Calista James. Didn’t she leave her husband for him?”

Trey is alarmingly up to speed on celebrity gossip. But I didn’t even think about the Calista James thing when I made this deal. In some ways, she makes this whole thing easier but also more awkward. I’m not sure how it accomplishes both of those things, but it does.

“It’s a publicity stunt,” I blurt so Trey knows I’m not crowding in on Calista’s territory. “We’re pretending to be a couple to help promote the series.” I detach my voice from any feeling because if I let myself feel anything, I’ll probably start crying.

“Wait. Like a fake relationship?”

My fingers slide over my brows as if that could somehow save me from my embarrassment. “Something like that.”

Trey laughs. “When you said you were going to try your hand at acting, you really meant it. Mom and Dad are going to flip when they find out.”

I sit up straight. “They’re not going to find out, because you’re not going to tell anyone that the relationship is fake. I’ll be sued or fined or something really terrible if the information gets out.”

“I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

“Forever!” I bark, sending all eyes in the makeup trailer to me. I smile and point to the phone. That’s enough for everyone to go back to what they were doing.

“You have to pretend to be in a fake relationship with Cody Banner forever?”

“No.” My entire body slumps farther into my chair. “Just until ratings for The Promised Prince go up and Flixmart has signed on the series for a second season.”

“That sounds easy enough.”

“Really? That’s your response?”

“What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know. You’re my older brother. Aren’t you supposed to tell me how inappropriate and immoral this whole thing is, forcing me to stop it before it even begins?” I’m secretly hoping for that. Then I can go to Tawny and Dallas and tell them the entire fake relationship is off. My brother says it’s unethical. Too bad. So sad.

“Jenna, you’re an adult woman. You can make your own decisions yourself. But if someone is pressuring you into doing this, then…” His voice turns hard, “Wait, is Cody pressuring you to do this? Because if he is, I’m going to kill—”

“No!” I groan. “This arrangement is mutually beneficial for both of our careers, not to mention everybody involved in the series.”

“So what’s the problem, then?”

I bite my lip, glancing around again to make sure I’m out of earshot. “You know my dating history.”

“Yeah.”

“So you know I always fall for guys like Cody Banner.”

“Douchebags who break your heart?”

“Exactly.”

“That’s in real life. This is fake, right? You’ll be acting the whole time.”

“What if all the fakeness turns to realness? I’ll just get my heart broken all over again.”

“Don’t let that happen.”

I wish he could see my eye roll. “That’s easier said than done.”

“I know, but what if you approach this like an acting job? Use it as practice. How would you play the part of a woman who isn’t scared of falling for the playboy and getting her heart broken?”

“That woman would be confident and flirtatious, almost to the point of leading him on, not the other way around.”

---