Page 9 of Eligible Best Friend

Proving that he knows me better than anyone, Ford says, “You don’t have to see him again. It doesn’t matter what your parents want.”

I nod, dropping my gaze from his dark-blue eyes. My parents. More my mother. She adores Samuel. He reminds her of herself, and his indiscretion is only a blip on the radar as far as she’s concerned. A mistake he won’t make again, she insisted. “She messaged me before I got here. Told me to tell her how it went.”

“And ‘we had drinks and caught up and went our separate ways’ won’t cut it?”

Wouldn’t that be easy? “I wish I could actually enjoy being around my mother again.”

He lifts a shoulder. “You could tell her you’re dating again.”

“But then I’d have to pony up an actual person for her inspection, and I don’t have the energy to invest in a guy for even a pretend date.”

“Same,” he says, surprising me.

“Your mom wants you to get together with Cass again?”

“No. It’s more Cass who’s putting pressure on me to get into a stable relationship. As if she didn’t shatter all my expectations of how one’s supposed to go.”

It’s nothing but a power trip for Cass. The only child of prominent doctors, she couldn’t stand that Ford chose his mother over her, and her caustic remarks left scars. He won’t settle down until he meets someone who can undo all the damage she did.

I smile wryly. “So we both need a significant other to show everyone that we’re just fine on our own.”

He peers at me, his mind working behind his sharp blue eyes. His gaze narrows and then widens, a slow grin spreading across his lips. “What if we—” He shakes his head.

“What?”

He doesn’t get a chance to finish.

“Aurelia?”

My stomach sinks. Samuel has come looking for me. It’s what he does. Makes me feel special. Like I’m the center of his world, like I mean something to him.

I’ve been trying so hard to forget him, and I thought I could do this meal without old feelings smothering the hurt he caused, but it’s backfiring. Just looking at Samuel makes it hard to forget the good times. A suit tailored to his body like a second skin. His hair parted down the side like he walked straight out of Mad Men.

Ford mouths Aurelia? and I glare at him. Only my parents and Samuel call me by my full name. But my annoyance turns to bewilderment when he swivels around and snakes his arm around my waist, tucking me into his side. Instead of the cool wall, I’m pressed against a furnace. A hard furnace. Rock hard.

What the hell is he doing?

“You must be Samuel,” Ford replies, his tone smooth and extra rich. “Wesco—Lia’s told me so much about you.”

Either I play along with whatever Ford is doing, or I risk looking like a fool, and Samuel’s made me feel foolish too many times. Ford’s arm tightens around me, and instead of going rigid and stepping away, I relax into his hold. We’ve worked closely together for a year, but this is definitely the closest we’ve ever been. And like working with him, this feels comfortable, but it’s growing more uncomfortable for reasons I don’t care to inspect. Reasons that have to do with how good he feels and how hot my body is growing.

Samuel’s gaze hardens on Ford. My ex might be genuinely remorseful about us, but he also hates losing or looking like a fool. Ford’s threatening on both accounts.

“I’m sorry,” Samuel says, adjusting his tie. “You are…?”

Ford extends his hand but doesn’t let me go. “Ford Monroe. Lia’s partner at work, and her boyfriend outside of work.”

I manage to school my features before Samuel’s gaze jerks to mine. My smile must look more like a rigid grimace. “Ford and I…” I chuckle nervously. “Are dating?”

It sounds more like a question. Are we doing this?

So we both need a significant other to show everyone that we’re just fine on our own.

He’ll be my boyfriend for the benefit of my mother and Samuel, and I’ll be his girlfriend for the benefit of Cass.

We’ll pretend to date. No problem.

Except I’m supremely aware of his embrace.

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