I hold up my hands. “Wewerefaking it.”
“No,” Karina corrects. “You both just never shot down the narrative. But if we share the story of how you and Mallory first met and how you found your way back to each other…” She taps a pen on her desk. “People will eat that up.”
Mallory shifts on the couch cushion and looks out the window. I’m surprised she doesn’t immediately reject the idea, laugh in my face at the ridiculousness of it.
She finally turns to me. “If I did this—” A smile immediately pulls at my lips, and she holds her pointer finger up. “If,” Mallory repeats, with emphasis. “What would be in it for me?”
“That’s a fair question.” Karina leans back in her chair. “I’m speaking to both of you about this for the first time, so I’m not sure if Griffin’s had a chance to consider—”
“Whatever she wants.” I clear my throat and face Mallory. “Whateveryouwant.”
“I don’t think there’s a dollar sign big enough for you to convince me to date you.” She waves a hand in front of her face. “Fakedate you.”
I pull my phone out and text my agent how much I’d be willing to pay Mallory to do this. I know how inconvenient it would be for her to get pulled into the spotlight, especially since she wants nothing to do with me. It would make a dent in the savings I’ve built up from my two movie earnings, but money is just something we need to pay the bills. Spending time with Mallory? That’s priceless.
Karina’s eyes go wide as she glances at her phone. I can see the question in her gaze as she looks back at the camera, and I give the barest of nods.
“How about this?” My agent reads the amount I texted her.
Now, Mallory’s eyes are the ones bugging out. She whips her head to look at me, the enticing tropical scent in her hair wafting my way. “It would take me over five years to make that with my teaching salary.”
“I think it’s only fair. I understand it’s a big ask, so I want to make it worth your while.”
She raises an eyebrow. “You’re serious.”
“I’ve learned that Griffin doesn’t say anything he doesn’t mean,” Karina adds.
“I’d beg to differ,” Mallory mutters under her breath.
I suppose I can’t blame her. I’d be hurt if I were in her shoes. It just gives me even more reason to remind her who I am. And who we could be—together.
“Shall I draw up a contract?” Karina asks.
I wait for Mallory to answer. If we’re going to do this, it needs to be on her terms. Her decision. I’ll deal with whatever happens to my career. But I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I made Mallory uncomfortable or did something that hurt her. Again.
With a sigh, Mallory shrugs. “I’ll do it as long as there are clear boundaries in place.”
I nod. “Like I said, whatever you want. Whatever you need to be happy and feel comfortable.”
She scoffs. “How about a time machine for this to never have happened?”
“Unfortunately, I just sold my last DeLorean,” I tease, and she rolls her eyes.
“Seriously, if we’re going to do this, I need rules.”
“That’s a good starting point.” Karina types away on her keyboard. “Okay, let’s discuss how often you’ll post on social media to make this look believable.”
“That’s going to be a problem,” Mallory cuts in. “I don’t have any social media.”
“You don’t have…” Karina trails off, shaking her head. “You’ll need to make an account. Congratulations, your first post can be a collaborative one with Griffin announcing your relationship.”
Mallory pales.
“To make this look real,” Karina goes on, “you need to post a picture together on your pages at least once a week. Twice a week, preferably. You can alternate who posts or figure that out amongst yourselves.”
“If it’s fake, how are we supposed to post pictures together twice a week?” Mallory crosses her arms.
“It’ll require more effort from both of you if you want to make it believable. I think posting together, being seen in public, and going to an event or two of his should be enough to pull it off.”
