Page 43 of Faking It with my Bestie's Billionaire Brother

That guilt had been spurred on tenfold today when I'd gone to her office to discuss the gala. I mentioned it to her that first day that Spencer had told me about it. I hadn’t known that Penny had been putting together a day just for the two of us since then. She wanted to help me find a suitable gown, and we would shop for hers. Then, she enthused, "We’ll get our hair and nails done, and Ava, I'm going to make sure you look like a princess when you get fake engaged to my brother."

I'd laughed nervously with her, even as I'd told her, "Listen, you know how much I love a girls' day out with you, but I don't want you to feel like you have to do this."

She had scoffed and waved a hand to dismiss my concerns. "Are you kidding me? I love the excuse to get to do this. To be honest, I’m glad that you’ll be at the gala with me. They’re so boring when I go by myself," she said, drawing out the last word dramatically. "I'm thinking having a little Ava Moretti will shake things up, and then, when they think you're actually going to marry my brother, I can't wait to see people’s reaction to that."

"Geez, Penny, you act like it's going to be the Loch Ness Monster getting engaged to your brother," I groused, slightly hurt.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You know exactly what I mean. These are the types of people I've grown up around. They all marry each other, it's a little on the incestuous side, actually," she said, pulling a face. "They're not used to your kind of vivacity, and I have no doubt that most of them—if they have any sense in their head, anyway—will fall in love with you just like I have. But I'm not going to lie, I'm going to get a bid of schadenfreude with the ones you make uncomfortable with your candor. They need someone like you to bring them down to Earth."

I laughed. "I guess whatever I can do to make it better for you, Penny," I said dryly.

"No, I mean it, Ava. I really want to have this day with you, and it means so much to me that you have gone to so much trouble for my family." She reached out for my hand, and I swallowed past the guilty lump in my throat, waving her off.

"It’s nothing, really."

"Ava, come on, I know you're modest, but even you have to admit that this is kind of a big deal. I mean, you've had to upend your whole life to live with my brother, of all people," she said in a flabbergasted voice. "It's not like you two have ever been each other's biggest fans, and I'm certain that living together isn't improving that situation."

I didn't know why her remark instantly made me defensive. " He's not that bad," I cut in.

She raised a dubious eyebrow at me. " You two have been like oil and water ever since you met. Are you really trying to tell me that you're softening towards my brother?"

Boy, you have no idea.

"I wouldn't go that far. I'm just saying we're kind of in this situation together since we have a common goal."

She nodded, still looking at me suspiciously, so I hastily added, "I just don’t think he’s as big of a prick as I thought."

She laughed. "Well, I guess that's progress. Hell, maybe the holidays won't be so awkward anymore, and we can invite him over for a Moretti Christmas," she said, wickedness lighting up her eyes.

"Actually, he didn't do so bad at my mom's house," I said before I could stop myself, and she looked at me, stunned. "We thought it might make the relationship look more genuine if he was seen going with me to one of the Sunday suppers," I explained hastily.

Her eyes widened, and her face dropped into a concerned frown. "And you didn't think it was big enough news to tell me? I want to hear every detail. My God, my brother in the middle of all your family members. You should've told me, I would have dropped everything I was doing just to witness it. Let me guess, Leo was the one who gave him the worst time?"

I grinned at her. "Oh, you know it," I told her. "Kept going on about where was Princess Penny and how Spencer was too old for me. Your brother was about to tie himself into a damn knot."

We laughed together at the thought of the two most fearsome brothers coming head-to-head. "I would've loved to see Spencer's expression at Leo’s nickname for me."

"Yeah, I think he might be onto Leo," I revealed.

"About what?" she asked innocently.

I remembered myself and then bit my tongue. "Nothing big," I said, trying to change the subject. "Where exactly do we have to go to get our makeovers?"

That was enough to pull Penny into another topic as she told me excitedly about all her plans and the best technicians to go to when we had our nails done, and by the time we were finished with our conversation, she was like a kid on Christmas.

I left her office feeling like an even bigger shit of a best friend than I had before. I managed to successfully get her off the trail, but I was just lying even more.

I hated myself for it, but at this point, I wasn't even sure exactly what I would admit to Penny.

Oh, by the way, I slept with your brother, and I think I might be falling in love with him, but scratch the last part because there's no way he would ever feel that way about me.

It did seem like inflicting a lot of unnecessary hurt just to clear my conscience, but still, I wrestled with it, which was why I was up at three o'clock in the morning, pounding this lump of clay, while one of my other “Spencer” sculptures called me. I picked up my carving tools, sitting down cross-legged in front of the bust I had been working on, running the pads of my thumbs over the eyes I had sculpted reverently.

He was beautiful in more ways than I had suspected the first time around.

"Ava?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin as my head whipped around to find Spencer filling the doorway of the bedroom. He looked at me curiously, but also like he was mentally undressing me in his head, but then, his eyes moved where my hands were resting. I saw confusion and interest in his expression as he moved toward me.

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