Chapter 19

March 18th

You know what's worse than seeing your cousin that you can't stand? Being invited to her "Surprise! We're getting married!" wedding in a week and you don't have a date. But sometimes you have to fake it to make it.

Paige stared down at the invitation. It was so over the top. The invitation shimmered with a pearl coating and the two embossed silver doves clutching rings in their claws at the top were all metallic and gaudy as hell.

Paige's phone rang and her mom's name came up. She must have gotten the invite too. "Hey, Mom. Did you get Ashley's wedding invitation?"

Her mother sighed. "I did and my sister won't stop calling to make sure we're going," her mother said, sounding entirely out of patience. "Gretchen keeps saying things like she knows it will be hard for me to come since my daughter is all alone, but it would mean the world for us to be there."

"Aunt Gretchen has always been jealous of you and Dad. This is how she thinks she's winning," Paige said as she dropped onto her couch with dread. "Let's just not go. It's next weekend. Who has time for that with no notice?"

"I thought about that. But Gretchen's already thrown down the gauntlet. If we don't come, it's because we're embarrassed that you're still single. Which, according to her, is to be expected when her daughter is the first one to get married, just like Gretchen was the first in our family to get married." Her mother sounded as if she were partaking in some culinary self-care while she talked as the sound of the pots and pans clanged in the background.

"Are you baking?" Paige asked with a grimace. Aggressive baking was never a good sign. Lily Turner was always so sweet and kind to everyone but her younger-by-two-years sister just knew how to push her buttons. Happily, the end results of baking therapy were always delicious. Paige's mom released a lot of pent up feelings by mixing, kneading, and rolling out one yummy treat after another ?her cinnamon rolls were legendary.

The fact that Gretchen got whatever she wanted and whoever she wanted so that she was always the first to do something had run Paige's mom from their hometown of Westbrook, Connecticut, straight into the flannel-clad lumberjack arms of her father at the University of Vermont. However, Gretchen made sure to marry the boy Paige's mother had a childhood crush on the second Lily and Adair Turner had gotten engaged. They literally held their wedding the evening of her parents' engagement brunch.

Aunt Gretchen couldn't see that Paige's parents were madly in love and happy in Vermont. She always made every interaction into a competition, and it only got worse when Ashley was born six months after Paige. She pitted the two cousins against each other so that Paige and Ashley never had a chance to enjoy the kind of friendship that only cousins could share. Her mother shielded Paige from it for as long as possible, but it became apparent at a family dinner at Paige's grandparents' house when she was thirteen. Every question her grandmother asked Paige, Aunt Gretchen or Cousin Ashley jumped in and answered how they did it and better.

"Any chance you could bring a date?" her mother asked hopefully. "Gretchen had Grandma call me to make sure we were coming and to say it was okay if Paige didn't bring a date since they all know you have trouble with men." Lily's voice sounded strained to the point that she ended the sentence in a growl.

Yes, it was petty, but Paige wanted to show them up, just this once. Show them she was a successful publishing senior editor with a smoking hot boyfriend and they could shove their insults. Eli might be able to go if he was off that weekend, but weekends were usually the biggest shows for him. Although she'd been texting with Fraser since she fell asleep on him the other night, asking him to a wedding seemed very relationship-like. Right now, they were flirting and trying to find time to get together again. But weddings were big panty dropper events, so maybe he'd be up for it if she made it clear she wasn't expecting a relationship. She'd sound crazy saying she'd exchange her virginity for hot sex and a hunky doctor wedding date, but she would do it at this point.

"I might. Tell them I need a plus one. I'll work something out."

The aggressive baking sounds stopped. "Really? Who? I didn't know you were dating anyone."

"I'm not. I'm talking to someone though. Let me ask him. I'll get back to you."

"Gretchen will just die if you show up with a date. I can't wait!" Her mother hung up before Paige could tell her to hit the brakes on what she shared with Aunt Gretchen and Grandma.

Paige took a deep breath and pulled Monty out of his bunny play area. She needed support for this. Paige dialed Fraser's number and listened as the phone rang. And rang. And rang. His voice came over voicemail, but this wasn't something she wanted to leave on a voicemail. Paige hung up and sent a text to him telling him that she had a favor to ask and to call her as soon as possible.

Paige shoved the door to Felix's open with the level of aggression her mother reserved for angry baking. Amelia almost jumped from her chair. Felix looked concerned. Leah raised an eyebrow and Eli applauded.

"And the Tony for best dramatic entrance goes to Paige Turner!"

"Book off," Paige snapped at Eli, dropping into her chair and glowering.

Eli's smile dropped. "Girl, you better explain before we have a problem."

"I'm sorry," Paige said with a groan. "You're right. I'm being a dog-eared book page to you. Fraser never called me back. I got a text that he was on call and super busy and would call me this weekend. The trouble is, I have to leave tomorrow for my cousin's wedding and I promised I would have a date."

All three friends cringed. They'd met Ashley when she came to the city to shop. It hadn't gone well.

"I know!" Amelia sat up quickly. "You need a fake date, just like in our romance books. It's a trope, and you might find love."

"And where would I find such a paragon of successful sexiness ready to drop everything to take the train to Connecticut tomorrow to suffer through a full day's worth of torture?"

"My older brother's best friend," Amelia said, beaming, as she started typing on her phone. "Him."

She turned the phone around and Paige blinked. Eli let out a low whistle and Leah cocked her head. "He looks familiar," Leah said as she kept looking at the picture.

"He's Patrick Bolten of the Bolten family. They're like, super rich," Amelia said as she sent a message to her brother.

"And this super rich, super sexy guy would go to a wedding with me as my fake date... why?" Paige asked. There wasn't a chance in hell this guy would say yes.

"Because he has an event tonight that he needs to take a date to since his parents are flinging socialites at him left and right. My brother just told me this as I walked over here tonight." Amelia looked down at her phone and pumped her fist in the air. "Yes! Patrick says he's in so long as you can be his date tonight at eight."

"Amelia," Paige said slowly. "That's in an hour. What do I wear? Where do I go? How do I get there?"

"I gave my brother your contact info and he's passing it along to Patrick," Amelia said, but before she could even finish Paige's phone was ringing.

"Answer it!" Eli practically screamed.

Paige pressed the answer button and held the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Paige Turner?" a deep, sexy voice asked.

"This is she."

"Patrick Bolten. Liam Brown gave me your number. His sister said you needed a fake date for tomorrow and in return that you'd be my date tonight."

"Um," Paige looked to her three friends who were all leaning forward with anticipation. Well, here went nothing. "Yes, I need a successful and good-looking fake date to rub in my family's face at a wedding tomorrow in Connecticut. I already have the train tickets. I'll happily be your date tonight. I heard something about fighting off socialites. I just worry I don't have the right clothes for a fancy society event."

"Just tell me your dress size and shoe size. Patrick sent a photo of you. I'll show the stylist. I'll bring the dress and meet you wherever you are right now in thirty minutes. Cancel the train tickets. We'll take my car tomorrow."

This was a dream come true. She had a hot, rich date for tomorrow and she couldn't wait to see her aunt and cousin turn green as they ate their words about dateless Paige.

"I'm a size ten in clothes and an eight in shoes. I'm at Café Felix," she said, rattling off the address.

"See you shortly, Paige."

Patrick hung up and Paige fell back in her chair. "He'll be here in thirty minutes with a dress," she said with disbelief.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Leah cried out, leaping up from the chair and dumping her bag on the table. "We need to do your hair and makeup."

Twenty-eight minutes later, her makeup was simple but flawless. Her hair was also in a simple, classic twist. The door to the coffee shop opened and half the women inside sighed when Patrick Bolten walked in wearing a made to measure tuxedo.

"His picture didn't do him justice," Eli whispered. "You can thank him for his fake date with your virginity."

Paige only nodded. He was sex in a tux. He oozed male pheromones that had women from eighteen to eighty sending him flirtatious smiles. His hair was blond. His eyes were bright blue. His shoulders were wide. His hips lean. And his jaw square. He was a walking work of art and his eyes stopped on her.

"Paige," he said with a smile that might have gotten someone at the next table pregnant. "Thanks for helping me out. You're even more beautiful than your picture."

"You too." Paige wanted to disappear. That was next-level smooth. Not.

He smiled again and held out a Bergdorf Goodman's garment bag and shopping bag. "Here's your dress and some things you'll need. You're going to look fantastic in it."

"I'll help her change," Leah said, grabbing the garment bag. "Felix, can we use your back room?" she called out.

"Sure thing," Felix answered, but he was looking at Amelia.

Leah reached for Paige with her other hand and tugged her from the chair. A minute later, they both stared at the gold sequined dress that would look fantastic with her hair color and bring out the gold in Paige's hazel eyes. "There's no way that's a size ten," Paige whispered. "It might fit on one leg."

"Let's see if there's anything else in the bag because your tits are going to be spilling out of that dress," Leah muttered as she opened the bag. "Oh hell, I'd go naked in just these."

Leah held up the shoe box and Paige had an orgasm. "I've always dreamed of wearing these shoes, but they're like, five thousand dollars."

They opened the box reverently and sighed with happy smiles on their faces as they stared at the shoes. "Are you all ready?" Eli called out, interrupting their shoegasm.

"Hold on!" Leah called out shoving the shoe box at Paige and reaching into the box pulling out something black and slinky. "Shapewear!"

Paige groaned. She loathed shapewear. It always felt as if her internal organs were crying out for help. And there was that whole peeing issue. It didn't matter if it had a slit or was crotchless. It was still a pain in the ass to pee.

Paige took the shapewear and after a five-minute struggle that left her sweaty and some of her makeup running, she finally got it on. "I look like a pin-up."

"You look hot," Leah said, reaching for the dress. "We don't have time. Put on the shoes while I get the dress ready."

Paige slid her feet into the shoes and a happy smile tugged at her lips. Total shoegasm.

"Step in," Leah instructed.

It took some tugging, some sucking in, and Eli's help to zip the dress. But when it was on, it was jaw dropping. "Is that me?" Paige asked when Eli snapped a picture and showed it to her. Even if she couldn't take a full breath, she looked fantastic and that made her feel much more confident than she expected to feel on a fake date to a society event.

The look Patrick gave her when she walked out that all but devoured her with his eyes helped too. "You're stunning. The best fake date I've ever had." He held out his arm for her and Paige slid her hand into his.

Paige mouthed, oh my god to her friend as they gave her a thumbs-up while Patrick escorted her from the café. He opened the door for her and there at the curb was a chauffeur beside a waiting limousine. "Ready for an adventure?" Patrick asked her as the chauffeur opened the door.

"More than you'll ever know."