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Crap. She hadn't meant to let that slip out. "It's complicated," she said evasively.
"Let me guess," he said, watching her. "You were one of the top wedding planners for the rich sect. You did something that destroyed your reputation, so no one will hire you. You got fired. And can't get another job. Right?"
She bit her lip. "Basically." That made her sound like she'd embezzled funds or something, but the effect was the same.
"So, what you need is a rebuild of your reputation." He grinned. "Dating me would fix that."
Piper cocked her head. "You're a grubby landlord. Hot, but grubby. And you seem to be unemployed. No offense, but that doesn't really help me."
"Ahotplant?" He looked amused. "My stock is rising."
"Not high enough to help me."
"Actually my stock is plenty high. My mom was a huge pop star in her twenties and thirties. We're rich. Celebrity rich. I'm part of that circle. I can get in at any club or any event I want."
Piper digested that little tidbit. "So, your mom really has twenty-grand to pay a woman to date you?"
He nodded. "It's pocket change for her. Look, you and I don't even need to date. Just tell her that you'll do it and take the money."
"No. I won't date you, or anyone, for money. I need my career fixed, not some extra cash in my bank account. I'm a long-term visionary, not a short-term dopamine addict, so, no thanks." She'd seen how the latter had ruined her family, and there was no chance she'd ever go there. She turned to head back into the kitchen. "I have twelve hours left to fix my reputation, and I need to focus."
Her deliciously hot and apparently insanely wealthy grump of a landlord followed her into the house, not bothering to wait for an invite. "I can help with your reputation. My mom can, as well. The Jones name is powerful around here."
Piper grabbed her coffee mug from the center island in thekitchen. "Not if I'm dating you for money! That's not going to work—" She paused suddenly, as an idea came to her.
His eyebrows shot up. "What's that look for?"
"What if—" She cut herself off. "No. Never mind."
"What if, what?" He leaned on her kitchen counter, watching her intently. "What are you thinking?"
He was too close.
She pushed back from the island to give herself space from his intensity. "Did you mean it? That your family's reputation carries weight in the elite circles?" The elite circles Piper traveled in were small, but somehow Piper hadn't paid attention to Kitty Jones. Maybe because she focused on brides and their mothers, and Kitty was outside that life phase.
"Absolutely."
Piper chewed her lip. "What if I didn't take your mom's money? What if we just made a deal between us where we fake date? No one knows but us. Your mom already thought we were sleeping together, so that wouldn't be a stretch to convince her of that."
His gaze narrowed with suspicion. "If you're not doing it for money, then what do you get out of it?"
"A fake fiancé who adores me." She thought of April, and hope flittered faintly through her. Would Declan be enough to convince April that her wedding planner had created a happily ever after for herself? "You come to some events with me, look rich, gorgeous, and completely smitten with me."
He stepped back, his body suddenly tense. "A fiancé?You're serious?"
"Yes. A very public fiancé." The idea of being engaged again made Piper tense, but she reminded herself it would be fake. Not real. Not trapped.
"For how long?"
She shrugged. "Hopefully not long, but you'd have to stay flexible about it. You and I can show up at a couple of events. I get myreputation stabilized, hopefully, and you get your mom off your back."
Declan drummed his fingers on the counter. His body was coiled tightly, a reflection of the tension ramping up inside her. "You want me to go to events? Like fancy dinners and shit like that?"
"Yes."
He swore. "I've avoided those for years. I hate them."
Relief rushed through her. "Okay, then. Fine. That's fine. No worries." She waved him off, and shook out her shoulders, trying to relax them. "Probably for the best. Fake engagements can get complicated, right? Good luck with your mom." She turned and hurried toward the living room before he could respond.
