I nod. “You just have to remember they’re people, like the rest of us.” I step closer to her, keeping my hands in my pockets, so I don’t touch her. “Is there something I can do to make the other issue easier?”
She shakes her head, gnawing on her lower lip again. “I don’t know why this part makes me so nervous.”
I shrug. “Probably because we’re not really engaged. You don’t like me.”
She frowns. “I don’t not like you. In fact, I do like you, but just as a friend.”
Deciding it will be easier to test things out here in private, I pull my hand from my pocket and reach out to touch a soft curl of her hair. Her breath hitches slightly, and I wish it was because my gesture turned her on, not made her nervous. “I have something for you.”
Her gaze lifts to meet mine. “Oh?”
I reach back into my pocket and pull out a ring. “Theo is letting me borrow this.”
She studies the ring carefully. “Is it real?”
“I don’t think so. It’s a movie prop ring. Despite this whole thing being fake, I feel a little weird about giving you a fake ring, but it’s part of our cover, so to speak.”
She takes the ring from me and slips it on her left finger. She stares at the diamond-like rock on her finger, and her expression is almost sad.
I reach out using the crook of my finger to tilt her chin up to me. “Are you okay? I know this is a lot to ask, so if it’s too much, just tell me. I’ll still maintain my side of the deal. No problem.”
She lets out a long sigh. “It’s nothing. And no, I still want to keep to my side of the deal.”
There’s a part of me that wonders if maybe she had hoped her ex would give her a ring like this. Well, not like this, a real one, and perhaps that’s why that look of sadness came over her face. I wonder what kind of man could be with a woman like Charlotte and then just walk away, leaving her financially strapped. It was quite the asshole thing to do.
“Shall we go?” I put out my arm, and she slips her arm through mine, and we leave her condo. On the ride up in the elevator, we stand next to each other, but not touching.
When we reach Theo’s floor and exit the elevator, I put my hand lightly on her lower back. She flinches slightly but, other than that, doesn’t respond. Finally, I knock on the door, and Theo answers.
“Come on in, you two love birds,” he says, opening the door. With my hand still on her lower back, I encourage her through the doorway.
“Charlotte, you look fantastic in that dress,” Madeline tells her as she greets us in the lobby.
“Thank you. You look gorgeous. That green is a great color with your hair,” Charlotte responds.
“Come on in. We’ve got booze and wine, and we have some hors d’oeuvres,” Theo says, gesturing for us to proceed to the living area.
“Are the rest of your guests here?” I ask Theo.
“Just a few of them so far. You’ve met them already, Oliver.”
We make our way to the large living area of Theo’s penthouse, where I see several people I recognize, including Jon Laken, a producer Theo worked with on the movie he made with Madeline. Then I see Blaine Maxell and Lauren Biggs, both of whom work for Theo’s production company.
“Listen up, everyone,” Theo calls over the din of the handful of people in his living room. “This is my brother Oliver and his fiancée, Charlotte.”
Charlotte looks up at me, and I can see the nerves in her pretty eyes. My hand still on her lower back slides around her waist, and I nestle her closer to me. Not for show, but to help ease her anxiety. I smile down at her and hope that it allows her to relax. Her lips twitch upward slightly, and then she looks toward the people at Oliver’s party.
Once Theo is done with the introductions, I quickly get myself and Charlotte something to drink, feeling like the alcohol might settle our nerves.
The interesting thing about the evening is that Charlotte stays by my side nearly the entire time, making us seem like a real couple. Maybe she stays close because I keep my hand around her waist whenever possible. I didn’t set out to be that hands-on, but Blaine and another man watch Charlotte in a way that suggests they might approach her if she wasn’t fake-engaged to me. I want them to know that she’s off-limits, which is strange since she isn’t really mine.
* * *
“I feelthat that went pretty good, don’t you?” I ask Charlotte after the party while riding in the elevator back down to the condo. Again, I’m standing next to her but not touching her since we’re supposed to be done pretending. The problem is, I’d still very much like to touch her. I will have to work on that because we’re just friends without benefits.
“I thought it went okay. But I wonder what others thought?” she says.
“Theo and Madeline seem to think we pulled it off.” At least that’s what they told me when they caught me alone at the bar glaring at Blaine Maxwell as he chatted up Charlotte. “So I guess we’re good. Are you still game to come to that event I was invited to by Dr. Kramer?”