Chapter 10
Lacey
Yesterday, he didn’t get back to the hotel room until around ten thirty p.m. Shawn brought him and gave him to me to take care of him. He was a drunken mess. I tried to be quiet. The last thing I wanted to do was wake him up. He looked peaceful, despite being a complete asshole. I lay down on the pull-out couch and regretted having to sleep on this damn thing again. It was by no means comfortable. Matter of fact, for the amount of money he was probably paying, I would’ve thought it would be a lot more comfortable even for a pull-out couch.
I tossed and turned most of the night, but then my mind and body finally gave up. The hours in this place seemed to drag on, reminding me how miserable I was. I wished I was back in my dorm with my books and fluffy pillows. Unfortunately, after cracking one tired eye open after another, my vision reminded me I was still trapped in the hold of Matteo and his impossible demeanor.
Thankfully, my suffering wasn’t too prolonged. The next day, I spent most of my time in the spa with Abigail. We got deep tissue massages, facial cleanses, and then there was the sauna. I’d never been in one, and everybody made it seem so awesome, but hell, I was just hot. I could feel my cheeks turning beet red as the heat left me sticky and uncomfortable. It wasn’t my idea of fun. I understood it made the toxins sweat out but why spend that much time in there? I wouldn’t pay to sit in there. I could think of a million other things I’d rather do than sit in a hot steaming room in a towel with a bunch of sweaty, half-naked strangers. If I wanted to sweat out toxins, I’d sit in private in my car, with the windows rolled up, blasting the heat on a summer day.
“I take it you’re not a summer baby,” Abigail suddenly remarked as I lay exasperated at the very edge of my seat. I faked a laugh and swiped away a dribble of sweat.
“Nope, I was born in January,” I wheezed. She smiled, nodding her head slowly. When she smiled, I realized just how much she and Matteo looked alike. The same deep-brown eyes, high cheekbones, and adorable smile. Matteo rarely smiled at me, but I caught him smiling when Shawn cracked a joke. His smile crept on his face slow and easy, quickly reaching those gorgeous eyes.
“What?” Abigail asked with a confused look. Oh fuck. I had been staring at her like an idiot.
“Oh. Nothing. It’s just that you and Matteo have the same smile,” I admitted. She chuckled, leaning back.
“Yep, he’s my twin. We get it from our father actually.”
I smiled back, enjoying the pleasant conversation. She was so kind and gentle, which was the opposite of Matteo.
Afterward, we both went and got our hair done. She wanted to get some highlights in her brown hair and then talked me into doing it too. Honestly, I’d never colored my hair. It had always just been this same color. So I was excited about the change. The only thing I didn’t like about it was how long it took. The hairdresser picked and probed at my hair for what felt like hours. Finally, he whirled me around with a satisfied look on his round face.
“Feast your eyes on your new look,” he announced. My jaw dropped. My hair looked incredible, and for once, I felt extremely pleased on the trip.
“You look beautiful, Lacey!” Abigail squealed, hugging me out of the blue. Stunned, I stiffly hugged her back, my shoulders eventually falling as I felt the warmth of her embrace.
By the time we got back to the hotel, it was time for dinner. Abigail told me to get Matteo and meet them at a restaurant for dinner. When I walked in the door, I found that Matteo hadn’t been there yet. I took advantage of the quiet and hopped right into the shower, plugging in my phone to the Bluetooth speaker and jamming out. No one was there, so I sang loud in the shower. I wanted to enjoy myself. Afterward, I straightened my hair and put on very subtle makeup for a classic look.
I went to the closet to find something to wear tonight. I had brought a couple of nice dresses, and I decided on a lilac knee-length dress. I went back into the bathroom to slip it on when in walked Matteo.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Why didn’t you shut the door?” he said, flabbergasted and trying not to stare.
He continued staring at me with his jaw to his ankles. “Well, you could stop staring at me. That would be the first step to making this a little less awkward.”
He apologized some more and went into the other room to get changed. Wow, that wasn’t awkward at all. He was just standing there. He could have at least looked away, but he didn’t.
I came out of the bathroom to put my heels on, and he just looked at me. “What, is this not fancy enough for this family dinner outing?” I was entirely sarcastic because I was wearing it whether it was or not. I didn’t care that much about how I dressed.
“No, uh— You look beautiful,” he said. “So, I just wanted to apologize for the other night. A lot of things were said. Let’s just make this work.”
I smiled at him because I knew we would have to agree, or this wasn’t going to work. I really needed that money, or this all would have been for nothing. There were some things that I still needed to make clear. “For this to work, you are going to have to be better at acting like you like me. I know it’s hard, but you have to.”
His family wasn’t stupid. Eventually they were going to figure out I was a fake if he didn’t do a better job at acting. He needed to be able to show me affection and smile more.
“Okay, tonight we will act like the happiest couple ever, besides the bride and groom, of course. No one can be as in love as them.” He laughed, but I knew he was telling the truth. Seeing the bride and groom together made it obvious how happy they were with their constant smiling and laughing. They truly seemed happy with one another.
“Let’s do a great job at acting tonight. You in?” he said with a smile, holding his hand out to mine. I didn’t hesitate to take his hand because we were in this together even if we didn’t particularly like each other.
When we arrived at dinner, we were holding hands and smiling which caught everyone’s attention. Just like we wanted. Dinner was bound to go smoother this time since I didn’t need coaching with what silverware to use.
The conversation consumed us tonight; everyone wanted to talk to each other, and I couldn’t keep up. I noticed how Matteo kept very quiet though, not even raising an eyebrow about what anyone said. I started to piece together why he hired me in the first place. To pretend and blend. His family had no idea who he was, and in a way, that made him an outcast. Deep down inside, aside from how much I loathed him, I felt sorry for him. Being an outcast was hard, and I knew better than anyone the toll it took on you. Once dinner was over, Matteo’s mom asked to speak with me. No pressure or anything. We walked out onto the beach, and I could tell she wanted to ask me something. She kept rubbing her hands together and biting her full lips. Her graying hair was flying around her head as a soft wind hit us. I wanted to be bold and confess what happened, but that would ruin everything.
“Are you happy with him? I’m just worried. He has had his heart broken badly, and I don’t want to see that happen to him again. He seems happy with you. I just wanted to know what your intentions were.”
Here I go, having to lie some more. After this trip, I was going to be a professional.
“Of course, your son is exactly who I want to be with. He’s an amazing man that treats me well.”
Not all of it was a lie. I was finally getting to see the true Matteo, the sweeter side of him, not the asshole. This was just a job. His mom didn’t need to know that part.
Once back at the restaurant, I found Matteo. “Hey, honey, I’m a little exhausted. I’ll see you back in the room.” I gave him a smile and a quick kiss on the cheek before departing.
I needed some alone time. I felt like a horrible person lying to all of these people. His sister was the sweetest. I was growing attached, and I knew better. His mom proved to be a meddler. Sure, it was her little boy, so she wanted to make sure my intentions were good. It wasn’t like she didn’t have a good reason. Matteo did have a lot of money, and many girls would flock to that. I would like to say I would never be with a man just for money, but wasn’t that exactly what I was doing here?