polite at all the first time they’d talked. Maybe now that she’d
thought about it and didn’t have the idea sprung on her, she
was more receptive. Or maybe she just wanted or needed the
money. Emily wasn’t sure, but she quickly found out, because
Dani sat down in the opposite chair, put the deck in the middle
of the table, and raised one black brow.
“How much?”
Emily stared at her. “How much what?”
“How much are you going to pay me to do this? The fake
wife? And for how long?”
Emily was flustered the second she realized she hadn’t
thought out the logistics. “I-I don’t know,” she stammered
awkwardly. “I’m not sure how long it would take.”
“I think you should go for something more subtle. Instead of
getting your parents to agree to drop the law school idea, you
should apply. If you don’t like it, you could always quit. Or
maybe they’d change their minds once you got in, before you
actually paid your tuition. I think you should try to get more
support for your art first. Show them that you’re serious. That
you’re willing to sacrifice. That you won’t take no for an
answer because you want it more than anything in the world.”
“How would a fake wife be part of the deal, then?”
“Because…” There was more than a small amount of
wickedness to Dani’s grin. “Because you could make them
listen to you. The fake would make them sit up and see you.
You said they don’t notice you. They’d notice then. You’d be
going against what your dad wants. You’d be blowing the fact
that you’re a lesbian wide open. You could tamp that down
and keep things on the quieter side if they agree to listen to
you about your art. You said your mom’s an artist? Get her to