Page 44 of Twisted Truth

Her teasing tone lightens my mood and I find myself wanting to play along.

“Is this boss difficult to please?”

“Always. Especially if you’re late to work.”

“I can’t help but agree with him, there. Lateness can’t be tolerated.”

“Well, there were strong extenuating circumstances that led to the lateness, but the tyrant didn’t want to hear about it.”

“Hmm. He sounds like someone I’d like.”

“I’ve no doubt about that.”

She laughs quietly, and the sound of it warms my blood. I don’t mind this flirting with Ms. Hale, not at all. But I rein it back, reminding myself that this is a business arrangement. The lines need to stay clear.

“Anything specific you’re trying to get right for the meeting? You could always bounce some ideas off me now.”

She takes a long drink of her own wine. “I don’t think so. We had a strong strategy underway already, we just had to flip some things around now thatI’mthe . . . fake girlfriend, or whatever we call it.”

“Let’s just call it girlfriend.”

She frowns. “Even when it’s just us? It’s weird for me to say girlfriend when I’m not actually your girlfriend. If I’m in front of people, that’s fine, I can pretend. But when we’re alone? It feels wrong to keep speaking the lie.”

“I don’t want to get in the habit of saying ‘fake girlfriend.’ One of us could say it at the wrong time and accidentally sabotage ourselves.”

“This is all so complicated,” she says with a sigh.

“Then let’s simplify it. Reduce it down to the elementary level. You’re a girl, and we are friends. Therefore, you are my girlfriend,” I tease.

She snorts.

“Would it be helpful if I asked you to be my girlfriend with a note? You could check the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ box.”

She lets out a laugh. “I think I signed your note today. It was twenty-five pages long and required several lawyers, witnesses, and a notary.”

Now I bellow out a laugh. So much for not flirting.

“Okay, in all seriousness, what if we think about it this way? What if we think of each other as boyfriend and girlfriend, but it’s a platonic relationship? It’s still a relationship, but without romance involved. We’re like an old married couple who’ve been together so long there’s no spark, no romance left. I’ve heard plenty of married couples complain that their relationship with their spouse is like a glorified roommate they share kids with.”

“Oh, god,” she groans. “So, it’s like I missed all the fun times of life and skipped straight ahead to the old boring ones.”

“We can still have a lot of fun.”

“Just not thefun, fun kind.”

I raise my brows.

“Speaking of that,” she says, shifting uncomfortably in her chair, “the clause about no outside relationships.”

“Yes?”

“This arrangement is a long one.”

“Yes.”

“Are you seriously not getting where I’m going with this?” she says, sounding exasperated or possibly embarrassed. “I have a hard time believing you’re just going to suddenly turn into a monk for months on end. Are you planning to have women on the side to . . . fulfill those needs?”

“I also signed the clause that stated I wouldn’t.”