Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 85135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
“Okay,” he says. “You got it. Let us know how it goes with Beau.”
“I’ll give you a call later.” Before they start trying to convince me of either handing over his number or asking him to be my fake husband, I hang up.
ELEVEN
Beau
This view of London from the sofa in Vivian’s hotel suite is spectacular. If the woman in front of me wasn’t trying to convince me of the perils of becoming her fake boyfriend, I don’t think I’d be able to concentrate on anything else.
“How many times would you like me to say ‘yes’ before you believe that I’m completely up for fake dating you?” I take a swig of the beer Vivian got me from the in-suite bar. Apparently, she moved into the hotel this morning after she left my office. I get it—she’ll be safer here. Though I would feel better if she had a personal security team.
I can’t remember ever being concerned about a woman’s safety before. But I suppose most women I’ve known haven’t been in imminent danger.
“I’m not talking about real dating,” Vivian says. “There’s no sex on the table if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Vivian, I ended up with a dislocated shoulder the last time I thought about a relationship with a woman. I understand this is just me doing you a favor and we wouldn’t really be dating. To be honest, if you needed a real boyfriend, I wouldn’t… That’s not what I’m looking for. I like you, we get on. I’m happy to step in and help you out.”
“Right,” she says.
“And anyway, it won’t be for long. You’ll be through your publicity tour and life will move on.” Part of me wants to help her out, but part of me thinks this will be good for me too. I’ve been in a cycle of being in London and looking forward to going on my next trip and then being on the trip and thinking about being in London. It feels like I need to step off the hamster wheel and reassess. Maybe doing something a little different will help me look at my life and what I want in a different way.
“It will pay well,” she says. “Tommy will talk to you about that side of things.”
I choke and lean forward as beer drips out of the bottle.
“You’re not going to pay me,” I say. “Like I’m going to accept money for taking a friend out to dinner.”
“You see, I don’t think you’re getting it. This isn’t just a couple dinners at Nobu. This will require sacrifices on your part. When you’re off work, I might need you to fly to New York for a photo-op.”
Not doing what I normally do is exactly what I want: an excuse to press pause on the next trip, a reason to change the patterns that are starting to feel constricting. Maybe this is the chance I’ve been waiting for, an opportunity to sit still long enough to put together a business plan—or even learn what exactly a business plan entails. My brother Nathan is the businessman in the family. I have no idea where to start with setting up a new venture, but I bet he does.
“Sounds terrible,” I say, sitting back on the sofa, watching her crossed-legged in the chair opposite me, trying to convince me how awful jet-setting around the world will be. She’s beautiful and smart and talented…if I wanted to date someone, she might just be my type.
“I mean it, I will take up all your free time. From what we’ve talked about, there’s lots of things you like to do. Cold-water swimming for instance. Didn’t you rappel down a building the other month? And then there’s the press attention you’ll get. If you’ve got any skeletons in your closet, prepare for them to come tumbling out.”
I laugh. “Well, as long as they stick to me and don’t focus on my dodgy brothers, I think we’ll be okay.”
“They might dig up stuff on your brothers.” She stops herself. “It’s unlikely—but given your brother is Nathan Cove, they might take that angle.”
“They’re big boys. They can handle it.”
“And there’s no sex.”
I look her dead in the eye. “Vivian, believe me when I say I don’t want to get into anything.”
Silence settles between us and I feel the need to tell her more.
“I haven’t told anyone this.” I slide my beer bottle onto the table and sit back. “But I’ve been thinking that maybe I need to shift direction.” I pause. Have I been heading in a direction or just…living life, directionless? Definitely the latter. “I have a business idea that I’ve been turning over in my brain for the last ten years and never done anything about. Lately, I’ve been thinking about it a lot more. The dislocated shoulder could have been a lot worse and…it made me realize that if I had been injured more severely, or worse…I’d have one regret, and it wouldn’t be not climbing Everest or making it to the South Pole. It would be not giving this idea a go.”