Page 62 of Fake It For Glory

JENSEN

As I settled into my seat on the flight to Dubai, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement mixed with trepidation. The interview from the night before with the late-night talk-show host in Paris had taken an unexpected turn, and I was about to relive it all over again. Hattie was always one to do a bit of Monday morning quarterbacking. She was going to tell me what I did right and wrong. Carl would have emailed her a list of things to cover as well.

Merida was on her laptop with a Coke and a tray of fresh fruit. She looked pretty comfortable and natural sitting on my private plane. She glanced up and smiled at me before returning her attention to her work.

Hattie pulled out her tablet and sat beside me. “Okay, ready?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I said, sighing. “Am I?”

“It’s not bad.” She laughed and started playing the video.

I hated watching these things. Seeing myself on TV was awkward. When I looked at myself, I saw the geeky kid from high school. I didn’t see the man I was. I cringed when I saw my crooked tie.

“Why didn’t you tell me my tie was crooked?”

“It’s fine,” she said. “Stop nitpicking. This thing is gold. It has already gone viral, trending everywhere online.”

I cringed. “Why? Are people pissed about the AI?”

“No! It’s not the tech questions you answered or the innovative projects you discussed,” she said, smiling. “It was the human element. You’re human!”

“I’ve always been human,” I said dryly.

“Not like this,” she said, smiling.

I knew what had changed. I had a girlfriend. Kind of.

I glanced over at her. She looked a little embarrassed. I knew she had watched the interview. I fell silent as the video played. I found myself cringing when the host began asking the inevitable questions. Who was this mystery vixen by my side? Where had she come from? How had we met? And, most importantly, was it serious?

The host’s grin widened as he leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “Come on, Jensen, spill the beans. You’ve kept your personal life locked away for years, but now you’re parading this stunning lady around. Tell us everything!”

The host’s enthusiasm in the interview had made me laugh. I never realized just how invested people were in my life. Even though my stomach churned with nervousness, I did my best to answer the questions. Watching the replay of the video was strange, but it was the look on my face that surprised me. I was grinning like a damn idiot. My smile never left my face the whole time he was talking to me about Merida.

“You look so happy,” Hattie said.

“You do,” Merida commented.

“I told you this was a good idea,” Hattie said, grinning. “All you needed was a little humanizing. You’ve played your role very well, Merida.”

Merida blushed again. “Thank you.”

“You two actually look like a real couple,” Hattie went on. She paused the video when the show put up a picture of me and Merida together at one of the parties we’d attended.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the still frame of us. Merida was wearing a sleek, black dress that fit her curves perfectly, while I had on a formal suit that complemented her attire. I remembered that night very well. It was the night I realized I was crazy about her.

She didn’t know that. I didn’t want to say anything because it confused me. I had never had such feelings and wasn’t even sure what I thought I felt was real.

“Okay, let’s get back to the interview. Your story was good.” Hattie picked up her notebook. “The only pointer Carl wanted me to pass along was the next time someone asks you about Merida, offer a little anecdote.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“A story,” Merida chimed in. “Right?”

“Yes,” Hattie said, smiling. “It can be something about how you guys were at dinner the other night and you realized your AI could make the service better or you two know someone—”

“I got it,” I said and stopped her. “Lie.”

“No, not lie,” Hattie said. “Like right now, you’re on the plane together. You can mention something about a show you watched together or a song you heard.”