“No.”
Well, if it had worked, it would’ve been a hell of a story to tell our kids one day.“Okay, so I’m not asking for real and you don’t want me to. Got it. Would you please just consider pretending with me then? I’ve always been the single one, and I’m over it.”
“Why not just go out and get yourself a real girlfriend then?” she asked.
Because I don’t want anyone but you.“Work. Once the sale is made, I’m planning on getting right to it, but until then, I need to see things through. I can’t risk losing my focus this late in the game.”
Which was true, except for the tiny detail that the very woman who was helping me get the sale was the cause for my wavering focus these days.
She gave me a long look, but at least she seemed to be considering it now. Eventually, the fight drained out of her. “The whole idea just seems crazy to me.”
“Try it. I guarantee you’ll like it. Besides, you’ll get a few more parties with free drinks in other exotic locations. You’ve already agreed to that. I’m not asking you to do anything we haven’t already done.”
Her cheeks flushed, but she didn’t mention last night. “If we do this—and it’s a bigif—we’ll keep working like we originally agreed? And you agree to take it more seriously when we’re at home? I mean it, Parker. When we’re not at the weddings, I’m going to need you to focus. Properly.”
“Sure, but when we are at the weddings, you’ll at least have to pretend to love me.”
“I’ll be pretending, alright.”
Ouch. “Yeah, okay.”
She sighed deeply, but I swore I saw a momentary flash of excitement in her eyes. “Fine, I’ll do it, but only if you agree to buckle down for real. I need this win in my life.”
“Same.” I stuck my hand out. “So, Isabella Atkins, will you pretend that you’re going to marry me?”
Reaching out slowly, she put her hand in mine. “I have a feeling I’m going to regret this, but yes. I’ll pretend that I’m going to marry you.”
“Congratulations. You are now the proud owner of a never-been-used-before fiancé, and he’s quite a catch, even if I do say so myself.”
“Well, at least we know you’re not just marrying me to boost your self-esteem. You definitely don’t need help in that department. We’ll need to set a few more rules, though.”
I smirked. “You’d think we could have five minutes to celebrate our engagement, but sure. Let’s talk about the rules we’re just going to break anyway.”
“You’re the worst.”
I gave her another loving look. “Maybe I am, but you fake love me anyway. See? We’re perfect for each other.”
“You and I have very different definitions of the wordperfect,” she said, extracting her hand from mine. Every trace of humor disappeared from her expression after she averted her gaze and ran her hand through her long, damp hair. “We’re not breaking the rules again. We’ve been playing things too fast and loose, and that has to stop.”
“Why?” I asked. “It’s not like I’ve been breaking the rules all on my own. You’ve been with me every step of the way.”
“Sure, but I shouldn’t have been doing it.” She schooled her expression, suddenly back to the Isabella who had walked into my office that very first day. “It’s too important to me that you be a success. It will be the career boost I’ve needed for a long time, and I can’t keep risking messing it up for the sake of a few laughs.”
I can’t believe I’m hearing this.A little disappointed about how career-obsessed she was again, I nodded. The Bella from the last few days was gone, and back was worker-bee Isabella Atkins. It was a letdown, but maybe it was for the best.
While it had been fun, the time we’d spent in Verona was coming to an end, and once it did, I wasn’t sure I’d ever see the Bella I’d been developing these deeper feelings for again.