“Jane?” I giggled, finally understanding why he’d called me Jane. It struck me as absurdly cute that he’d mistakenly called me by the name of his pretend girlfriend. Not that I’d let him know it. “You named your fake girlfriendJane?Couldn’t you come up with something a little more modern?”
“It wasn’t my proudest moment, sure, but they wanted a name and I said the first thing that popped into my mind.”
“Emma,” I blurted out.
“Huh?”
“That’s the first girl’s name that popped into my mind.”
“That’s definitely more modern.” He leaned back and stared at me with a sparkle in his eye. “See, Olivia, you’re quick on your feet. This is exactly why I need you for tonight.”
I sighed. “You’re certainly persistent; I’ll give you that.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Well, I know you’re going to ask me regardless of what I say. So sure, go ahead.”
“You said you’d done something like this before.”
I groaned. “I made the mistake of telling you that, yes.”
He leaned over the table, intrigued. “Can you tell me about it?”
“No. Sorry.”
“Were you paid for it?”
I sternly shook my head. “I really can’t say anything about it. At all.”
“But how long did you do it for? Was it a one-night thing? Longer?”
“Dakota … the less you know, the better. So please, stop asking.”
He chuckled. “Damn. You sound serious.”
“That’s because Iam.” I sighed and glanced at the time. I had to get going if I didn’t want to be late for my next interview. “I’m really sorry, Dakota. But I can’t help you tonight.”
“Really? You won’t help me out?” Poor boy looked crestfallen. I’m sure he was doubly shocked, because you could just tell he wasn’t used to hearing girls tell him no. “There’snothingI can do for you?”
“I’m afraid not.” I stood and stuck out a hand for him to shake. “It was nice to meet you, Dakota. I hope you find somebody that can help you.”
“But Iwon’tfind anybody else.” Dakota stared at my hand but didn’t take it. “What am I supposed to do tonight?”
I folded my arms. “I don’t know. Try telling your boss the truth, maybe?”
“Too late. If I do that now, I’m fucked.”
“I don’t know what to tell you.” Eager to get going, my body leaned in the direction of the exit. “But I’ve really got to get going. Bye, Dakota.”
“Wait. Can’t you stay a little bit longer? Even if you decide not to come tonight—” He squeezed his eyes shut and sighed. “I feel like talking to you really helps.”
Aw.I’ll admit, I was a little touched. It wasn’teasytelling him no …
I frowned. “I’m sorry, Dakota, but I really have to go or I’m going to be late.”
“For what?”
I ignored his question. “It was nice meeting you, okay? Bye.”
