Page 31 of A Perfect Fit

“It’s fine, Jen,” Isabelle tells her. “It’s not like I’d agree to it, even if he offered to be my fake boyfriend, which he obviously wouldn’t.”

Ouch. Somehow, that hurts more than any other insult she’s ever thrown at me.

Aaron bursts into a fit of laughter, as if what Isabelle just said is the funniest thing he’s heard in his whole life, before pointing a finger at me. “Oh man, you just got fake rejected!”

I narrow my eyes at him. “I never said I’d be willing to do it.”

“See?” Isabelle says to Jen. “Point proven and case closed.”

“Don’t believe him, ladies,” Aaron tells them. “He doesn’t always say what he’s really thinking.”

I toss him another glare. I think I need a new best friend and work partner after this. “How are you so sure?”

“Because I’ve known you since you were five,” he proudly says. “And believe it or not, kid Jackson was way more fun than adult Jackson ‘I’m in Denial’ Carter.”

He’s right. I mean, not the part about adult me being more fun than kid me or me being in denial, but Aaron does know me better than most people.

And I’ll admit, my cup of curiosity is stirring and brewing. I don’t know exactly why, but I’m quite intrigued by Isabelle’s quest for a fake boyfriend, and I’m suddenly determined to show her I’m not as predictable as she thinks I am.

“Fine. Challenge accepted. I’ll do it.” The words crawl out of my mouth before I can stop them.

“I knew it!” Jen exclaims.

Isabelle looks at me as though I morphed into an alien. “What did you just say?”

“I said, I’ll do it,” I repeat. I’ve probably lost the plot, but there’s no going back now. “I’ll be your fake boyfriend.”

“Jackson Carter finally succumbs to his feelings and officially offers to be Isabelle’s fake boyfriend,” Aaron says, his voice mirroring that of a sports commentator. “But will Isabelle say yes?”

Ignoring Aaron’s unwarranted commentary, I focus my attention on Isabelle, who’s shaking her head.

“It’s not happening,” she says.

“And she said no!” Aaron dramatically gasps.

Of course, I didn’t really expect her to agree; nonetheless, for some reason, a small stinging feeling stabs my chest.

“Someone’s pessimistic,” I say, the words leaving a bitter aftertaste in my mouth.

Isabelle rolls her eyes. “It just wouldn’t work.”

“It wouldn’t work, or are you too scared to make it work?” I probe.

She shrugs. “I just know the outcome would be an absolute train wreck of a disaster.”

A frown permeates my face. “Who says it would be a disaster?”

“Sorry, Belle. I’m with Jackson on that one,” Aaron adds, slinging an arm around my shoulders.

Finally, he’s said something useful today.

“Well, for starters, there are risks,” Isabelle continues, a certainty to her voice.

“High risk, high reward,” I point out. “It’s just like investing in the stock market.”

If I lost the plot before, that’s nothing compared to what’s happening now. I don’t even know why I’m bothering to try to change her mind like an idiot who can’t take no for an answer.

“I can’t possibly imagine there being any rewards,” Isabelle says.