She tensed again and jumped up. “Well, good luck with that. Look, I should get going.”
I pressed my hand to my heart then waved to my dining room. “I’ll have dinner served.”
She rubbed her scalp. “Dinner?”
I nodded. My family chef had sent over boeuf bourguignon, which she’d enjoyed when we had dinner a few days ago. “Well, it's late for lunch. You slept pretty soundly.”
She headed into the dining room and took a seat. I offered a bottle of wine, but she shook her head. "I never drink like that so early. I’m not even sure what we discussed and why Britney would say it was okay for me to come here.”
I joined her with just water. “You told her you liked me.”
“I don’t remember. I just remember I was fired, and I need to get a job.”
“Are you in debt?”
“I live check to check, and now I have no check, which means yeah, I need to fix me.”
Fair enough. I’d never been fired, but I remembered how stressed the bosses were when I quit the airline a few weeks ago.
We removed the silver dome plate, and she sighed as she saw the offering.
“I want to help.”
“That’s impossible. I need a job that pays me money.”
“I want to hire you to reform me for a few months.”
“A job?” Her nose wrinkled, but she picked up her first piece of food to eat. “I didn’t imagine the fake fiancée thing, then.” She ate her foot and sighed like she enjoyed it.
I watched her, and my heart pounded. I picked up my spoon. “No. I need you, Hope.”
For a few minutes, we just ate without speaking. Color came back in her face, and I smiled. I wanted to know more about her. Since being with her, I hadn’t even noticed another woman, and that was unusual.
Finally, she said, “You don’t need me. You can have and literally have slept with my favorite singer.”
I'd only briefly dated one pop star when I was in high school. I finished my last bite. “We were both kids, and she made a lot of money singing about how she dumped me.”
Her eyes widened. “She what?”
Maybe now wasn’t the time to dig out all her secrets. I needed her help first, and this was a win-win for both of us. She finished her last few bites. I waited and watched her. Then I said, “The past shouldn’t matter, but she broke my heart and wrote a song about it. What matters is now. Earlier, you said I couldn’t commit, and I want to add that there has been no one since you, and for however long you and I last, there will be no other.”
“So our whole week together changed you for good?”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be good.”
“Right, but one week, and I’m supposed to believe you’ve changed, just for me.”
“I know what I know.”
She sat back in her chair and stared at me. I had no idea what she saw in me—I was a walking, talking disaster. Then she said, “I believe you mean that for now, but then temptation isn’t here.”
Clearly, there was pain there. I lowered my head to be closer to her. “I think you’re tempting enough.”
She laughed and shook her head. “You can charm the panties off anyone, but we were never meant to be more than a fling.”
I couldn't remember anyone ever boxing me into that label, but then again, I'd never stuck around with most women long enough to find out. Heat rose to my face as I said, “I was being honest.”
My heart beat faster when she blinked. I never liked being rejected.
