Page 81 of Fake It For Glory

“Sweetie, I’m old, but I don’t live under a rock. One of my friends’ daughters sent it to her and she sent it to me. I had no idea you were going to Dubai! I thought you might be working on a story.”

“I kind of was.”

“What does that mean?”

“Oh, Mom, it’s such a mess,” I said, sighing.

“Start with the beginning,” she encouraged softly. “I’ve got all day.

I sighed, feeling the weight of my conflicting emotions. “It’s complicated, Mom. I’ve been working on a piece about someone I’ve grown close to, someone who’s more than just a job. It’s making me question a lot of things.”

“Would this someone be Jensen Loxley?”

“Yes. But it isn’t what you think.”

“Tell me what it is,” she said. “Clearly, it’s weighing on you. You know you can trust me to keep your secrets.”

“I do trust you, but I really need you to keep this one a secret. You have to. I’m under a pretty strict NDA. If I talk, I could be legally responsible.”

“An NDA?” She took a drink of her milk with her eyes gazing at me over the glass. “Now you have to tell me.”

“I was helping Dalton with a story he’s doing,” I started. “I was just supposed to sign up and get an inside look at the application process of a dating agency. I didn’t even get through the door when Jensen hit me.”

“Hit you?”

“It was an accident, but he offered me the job. He hired me to be his escort.”

The blood drained from her face. “His what?”

“No, no, it’s not that kind of an escort. I was just supposed to pretend to be his girlfriend for a few events.”

“Merida, I’m not blind,” she said. “I might be a little old, but I know you. I know what it’s like to be in love. You’re sleeping with that man.”

“I am. I was. I mean, I did but it has nothing to do with the money. I don’t know what happened. He’s not the man I thought he was. He’s kind and generous. Despite being ridiculously wealthy, he’s very down to earth. He has a lot of pressure on him. I like him. He’s a good man.”

“He’s who you are supposed to be writing about, though?”

I nodded. “Yes. I’ve actually written the article. It’s not perfect, but when Dad fired me—”

“What?” She slapped her hand on the table. “Your father fired you?”

“Yes. He got mad because I was taking too much time off. He fired me. I told him I had an amazing article he was going to want to publish. He didn’t care. He told me to spread my wings. I called Dalton and he told me he would look over my article and we would publish it another way.”

She slowly nodded. “You wrote an expose article on the man you’re in love with.”

“I didn’t say I’m in love with him,” I said.

“You didn’t have to.”

“I didn’t say I was going to publish the article,” I said. “I wanted to. It’s a damn good article. It would be the one that put my name on the map. I would love to have Dad read it and think it was amazing. He would be so mad he didn’t get the chance to publish it first. I want to make him regret firing me.”

“But?” she prompted.

I blew out a breath. “But I’m confused.”

“Because you feel like you’re betraying the man.”

I nodded, feeling the weight of my emotions pressing on me. “Yes, Mom. More than that. He’s become someone I care about deeply. And I don’t know what to do.”