For my part, I’ve got my arm slung over her shoulder. My body is curled into hers, and my head is tipped down toward her hair.If I didn’t know that I was completely wasted in the photo, I could almost pass it off as the look of a besotted boyfriend.
Going in to smell his girlfriend’s hair.
Or something.
Do guys do that?
I wouldn’t know.
“What are you getting at?” My head is pounding too hard to deal with any funny business.
“I was going to say yes.” Noli drops her gaze to the ground.
My mind feels like it’s working in slow motion. “You were going to say yes to…”
She holds up her hands. “Notto marrying you. But at first you said your dad wanted you to date one person. Exclusively. I was going to say yes to that—if you’d be willing to drop your proposal down from fake marriage to fake dating.”
I shake my head. There’s no way I’m understanding her correctly. “Let me get this straight. You’d be willing to date me. Like, for real. For the next year. Are you crazy?”
She balls up her hands and puts them on her hips. “Hey, I’m not the one who proposed this. If you don’t want my help, then that’s fine.”
I stare at her, twisting my lips and biting them between my teeth. My gaze flicks down to the photo. If Noli and I were a couple, we could easily spin this story in my favor. It could be almost like our coming-out party. Save me from confirming my reputation as a party boy and establish that I’m in a committed relationship. One that is now guaranteed to last a whole year.
Two birds. One stone.
“You’re serious?”
“Yes, Rattler. I am.” Her voice pitches with impatience. “I had all night to think about it. Your recliner is not comfortable at all. And then there was the puking that kept me up, so…”
“I don’t understand why youwould—”
She holds up her hand, cutting me off. “And that’s what you can’t do. You can’t ask me that, or I’m out.”
“Wait. What?”
“It’s one of my conditions.”
“You have conditions?”
“Um, yeah. If we’re doing this, I think we need a set of ground rules, don’t you?”
“Well, sure. But you don’t have to sound so snooty about it.” I lean back on the couch.
We stare at each other for a moment.
“So, are we doing this?” she asks. There’s no hesitation in her voice. It’s the calm, no-nonsense delivery I’ve come to expect from Magnolia Kasper on the job.
Except, this isn’t the job. This is her life and my life, and we’re about to link them together.
I could use another shot of whiskey right about now.
I blow out a breath. “We’re doing this.”
She nods once. “Okay.” She looks to the door and then back at me. “Let’s meet at the café at noon for lunch and to figure out a game plan.”
I nod, and then she disappears.
I sit back on my couch, stunned.
