Page 15 of The Fixer

“B?,” Rosa protests. “Leo is our guest. I don’t think?—”

She’s not half my age, thank fuck. That’s about the only thing I can say in my defense. Still, her father’s not wrong—Rosa is entirely too young for me. If it wasn’t for her idiot brother, I would have never gotten involved with her.

That’s not what you thought at Valentina’s wedding.

“That’s okay,principessa,”I say. “Let me reply.” I face her father squarely. “Rosa’s twenty-five, and I’m forty-one. She’s sixteen years younger than me. It’s a significant difference; I’m not going to pretend otherwise.” I smile at Rosa. “The first time I set eyes on her, I knew she was someone special. I tried to stay away, but?—”

“I wouldn’t let him,” she says. Her voice is sweet, but there’s a sharp edge underneath, one only I seem to be able to hear because, for some reason, Rosa’s family doesn’tseeher. “Like you said, Leo, when you know, you know.”

Elaine glares at her husband. “She’s finally seeing someone, and you’re scaring him off?” She pats my shoulder. “Don’t let Ben get to you, Leo. Forty-one is nothing. You’re in the prime of your life.”

Somebody kill me now. Thankfully, the waitress shows up before the conversation can get more awkward. “Do you know what you’d like to eat?” she asks us, notepad at the ready. “Our specialty is lobster in a garlic butter sauce, served with the vegetable of the day. Today, it’s broccoli and red peppers.”

“That’s what I’m having,” Elaine declares immediately.

“Me too,” Hugh says. He gives his sister a slyly amused look. “What about you, ch??I’m assuming you’re going to spare the lobster’s feelings by getting something else?”

Once again, Rosa ignores the bait. “I’ll have the vegetable pasta,” she says, handing the waitress her menu. “Thank you.”

The waitress turns to me. “And you, Signor?”

I just met these people. I don‘t know what their deal is, but I don‘t like the way they put Rosa down. First, her mother dismisses her accomplishments, and now Hugh is mocking his sister because she’s too soft-hearted to order a lobster? Given what we’re doing to save his ass, you think he’d shut up and be grateful, but no.

“I’ll have the pasta too.”

Hugh really doesn’t know when to shut up. “Oh God, Leo. Don‘t tell me that my sister has roped you into her ridiculous quest to save the animals.”

I give him an icy glare. “Just so we’re clear, my girlfriend’s feelings areneverridiculous.” Oh, what the hell? I was going to wait until after the meal but fuck that. I top up my wine glass and get to my feet. “I was going to hold on until later, but I can’t wait another second.” I pull the square box out of my jacket pocket. Flipping it open, I hold it out to my fake girlfriend. “Rosa Tran, there are no words to describe how I feel about you. You make my life better just by being in it. Will you marry me, principessa?”

She gives me a long look. The candles on the table make her deep brown eyes seem almost luminous. And then she smiles, wide and fake, and leapsto her feet. “Yes,” she squeals. “Yes, orsacchiotto mio, yes.”

I slide the ring on her delicate finger, the diamond glowing against her golden skin. I expect to feel a strong sense of wrongness, but strangely, I don’t. Instead, I’m thinking,orsacchiotto mio?Did she just call meher teddy bear?

We’rereallygoing to have to work on that nickname.

9

ROSA

Predictably, my mother is thrilled. “My baby girl is getting married at last,” she says, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. My news has temporarily pushed her worries about Hugh to the background, and for that, I’m thankful. It’s her birthday. She should enjoy it. “I thought this day would never come. And the ring.” I dutifully hold out my hand so she can admire the huge pink diamond. “So large,” she coos. “And so shiny. This must have been really expensive, Leo.”

She has no idea.

Leo gives me a tender smile. “There isn’t a diamond in the world good enough for Rosa.”

My parents beam. Hugh’s eyes stay fixed on Leo. My brother isn’t an idiot, and he’s gotto know all of this is fake. Thankfully, he’s smart enough not to ask questions in front of our parents.

“Do you know if you want a long engagement or a short one?” my dad asks.

“We haven’t decided,” Leo responds. “But soon.” He reaches across the table and takes my hand in his. “I know I don’t want to wait.”

He’s a really good actor. Everything he’s said and done in the last hour has been perfect. When my mom was dismissive of my boutique, Leo came to my defense. I didn’t realize he knew I now have a waitlist for my custom-designed wedding gowns. Valentina probably mentioned it in passing, and heremembered.He ordered the vegetarian pasta instead of the lobster, all because I told him I couldn’t bring myself to eat them.

But I have to remember that Leo is playing a part. None of this is real, and if I allow myself to forget that, I’ll be in a world of hurt.

Leo kissesmy cheek in view of my parents when he drops me off after dinner. “Look excited,” he murmurs. “We have an audience.”

“Who?” My heartbeat quickens, and I tell myself it’s because of the danger. My reaction isn’t a response to his touch—how can it be? It’s a quick kiss, the barest brushing of lips against skin. The kind of casual kiss I offer a thousand times a day, a gesture of greeting between acquaintances. But when Leo nears me, the smell of him fills my nostrils and sets my head spinning. He smells clean and freshly showered. There’s something else, too, but it’s a scent I can’t put my finger on. I think it’s Leo himself. There’s something strong and steady about him, and it comes through to all my senses.

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