But it’s also the most reckless idea I’ve ever had.
6
LOLA
Karl is staring, and it makes me shift in my seat. I really, really—and I do meanreally—want a fourth slice of pizza, but he’s only had two, and what would he think if I dove in? What would my skinny jeans think? I sit on my hands so I don’t reach for the fourth—the last slice of pepperoni with pineapple. I should get up and leave. I’ve overstayed my welcome by now, but hanging out with Karl is like hanging out with an old friend.
We discussed music all evening, and I can pinpoint most of the influences in his playing now—at least I think I can. I’ll go home and listen to the last album,Breaking this Way, which was the album he contributed to the most.
But he’s still looking at me funny. Brows pinched together, thoughts rolling behind his blue eyes. “What?” I ask finally, rubbing my chin. “Did I miss some cheese?” I wipe my face but find nothing.
“How would you like to double your savings?” he says.
I blink at him. “What?”
“You have close to twenty grand, right? What if I were to double it?”
“Karl, I don’t know what you have in mind, but—”
“It would be a better down payment for your house in Mexico, wouldn’t it?”
Tilting my head to the side, I study him. Is he proposing something illegal here? Or perhaps something sexual?
Before I can let my thoughts wander any further, he speaks again. “All you’d have to do is pretend to be my girlfriend for a month.” His smile is a mile wide, and I burst out laughing.
“What?” I ask, more than a little amused.
“Oh, this is perfect. Pretend to be my girlfriend, help me prove to the band that I’m mellowing, settling down—whatever they fucking call it. Help me dissipate the hordes of women who follow me everywhere. This is brilliant. Just a few months. No partying, serious couple stuff. A few public dinners and early nights in. That kinda thing.”
I laugh with a shake of my head. “How much have you had to drink?” I ask.
“I’m sober. And dead serious, Lola. Pretend to be my girlfriend, go to some band practices or events, look dotingly at me, and help me prove I’m actually serious about the band. But more importantly, help me prove to the fans that I’m taken and unavailable.” Then his smile turns mischievous. “And you get twenty grand for a month’s work.”
At a loss for words, I just blink at him again. I take a deep sigh and grab my fourth slice of pizza, skinny jeans be damned. I chew and think. Twenty thousand dollars could do a lot for my fresh start. And I can’t believe that for one shameful second, Karl has me contemplating this half-baked idea.
I finally shake my head. “You’re insane, and while that kind of money is tempting, I don’t really need it. I’ve saved up my goal already. I don’t need the money.”
He purses his lips, then his eyes lock on mine. “There must be something else you want, if not money.” His words are drenched with meaning.
A little voice inside me whispers,Yes. I want you. And I shut it up with thoughts of Ethan.
“Nope. Nothing I need. Besides, it’s a terrible idea.”
He grins, flashing me those pearly whites. “I think it’s a great idea.”
“You haven’t thought this through. For starters, Sofia would blow a gasket. By extension, Bren would too—”
“Only until they realize how serious we are.”
“You have Sandy—”
“No.” He shakes his head. “We’re not exclusive. I would end it with her, of course—”
“And I have Ethan,” I nearly whisper.
Karl’s smile vanishes, and his face falls for a moment before he recovers. “Ethan?”
I nod. “He’s my boyfriend.”