10. More Than We Bargained For

10

More Than We Bargained For

Auston

Closing my eyes, I lean my head back against the couch. She actually said yes. Emma is going to fake date me. Yesterday, I was dying to spend more time with her, and now it’s served to me on a silver platter. By Madison, of all people.

A surge of hate fills my chest as I think about Madison. She used to be a decent person, but fame turned her into this power-hungry, manipulative cele brity. Well, this time she got played at her own game.

Standing up from the couch, I walk out of the trailer and go knock on her door.

Madison is in her bathrobe, all smiles. “Hey! What—”

“You’re the source close to the couple, right?” I say, walking inside. “It’s your signature move, after all.”

The look of mischief on her face confirms my suspicions.

“You’re unbelievable,” I grumble, raking my hands through my hair and pretending to be frustrated. “When will you stop interfering with my life? Huh? Leave Emma and me alone.”

She gives me a pointed look. “The pics were already out, Auston. I merely confirmed a rumor. It is the truth, right?” Her gray eyes narrow into slits. I knew this was her angle. Well, joke’s on her.

“Of course it is.”

She looks taken aback for a second, then swallows hard. “Fine. Then, there you have it. I didn’t lie.”

“No, but I specifically said she didn’t want to be in the public eye.”

“And yet, after months of successfully keeping your little secret, Eva’s picture is now all over the Internet.”

“Emma,” I correct, then shake my head. “Of course it is. She’s consulting for the movie. We didn’t think people would go digging up our old yearbook pictures.”

She studies her nails like she doesn’t have a care in the world. “Well, if she really didn’t want to be thrust into the public eye, maybe she shouldn’t be dating a public face . So, is she mad, or . . .?”

“Of course she’s mad!”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she says with that fake-concerned voice of hers. She might be a good actress, but feigning empathy was never her forté. Hard to pull off when you don’t have an ounce of it in your body. “Are you two going to be all right?”

I relax my shoulders and smile. “Yeah, we are. Emma and I are solid.”

“Great. Then I guess she’s coming to the Lucacci launch tonight. Or do you need me to walk the red carpet with you?”

My ears are now burning. “She’s coming.”

Her eyes widen slightly. “Oh, okay. Well, that’s fantastic. I hope she has something nice to wear. You know, since it’s her first public appearance and all.”

“See you on set, Madison,” I say, spinning on my heel and marching out of her trailer.

Okay, she got me with that one. I know I’m pushing my luck with Emma here, since I’m pretty sure fancy launch parties and red-carpet events aren’t exactly her scene. When we were in high school, she called prom “an overrated nightmare of shallow competition and mindless conformity.” On the other hand, if she does say yes, she will need a red-carpet dress, which I’m guessing she doesn’t have hanging in her closet.

This fake dating thing is going to be harder than I thought. With Madison scrutinizing our every move, Emma might be in for more than she bargained for.

Emma

My stress level triples the moment I knock on Auston’s door. Now, all our cards are on the table. We’re both aware of our past. And to complicate things further, we’ve thrown fake dating into the mix. My friends claim that I’m the Queen of Drama, and for once, I have to agree.

“Come in,” Auston calls from inside.

I adjust my sweatshirt, push open the door, and walk into the now-familiar space. Auston’s musky cologne mingles with the scent of pine laundry soap and . . . coffee . My eyes zoom in on the two steamin g cups from Rise & Grind resting on the coffee table.

“You got me coffee?” I ask, my eyebrows furrowed.

“Oh, yeah.” He scratches the back of his head. “I know you don’t like mine, so . . .”

“Thanks.” I grab a cup, take a seat on the couch, and lose myself for a second in the heavenly taste of freshly brewed coffee. “Are you ready to start? I made some final notes on today’s scenes, but with what we worked on yesterday, it should be easy.”

He nods. “Great. There’s just one thing I wanted to say before we start, now that the cat’s out of the bag.”

“Sure,” I say, pretending to be casual, but my heart just started running a marathon.

His eyes glisten. “I never apologized for the way I left. I feel horrible, Emma. I’m so—”

I raise a hand to stop him. “No need. It’s fine. That was a long time ago.”

“But—”

“I promise,” I say a lot louder than intended. “You don’t have to apologize. We were kids, and you landed your first big role. It’s all cool.” My chest is heaving up and down. I need to relax if I want him to believe a word I just said. It’s partly true, though. I don’t need him to apologize, and I really don’t want to relive that day again. The only way this fake dating thing is going to w ork is if I pretend we never knew each other.

He swallows hard, gazing at me as if he’s trying to decipher a puzzle.

I give him a tight nod. “Let’s just get to work, okay?”

“Fine,” he relents, standing up to grab the script from the table. Then, he jolts a little. “Oh, no. I had something to ask you.”

“Shoot,” I say, taking a sip of my coffee in the desperate hope that it’ll ease my nerves.

He clears his throat. “Well, Lucacci is launching a new perfume tonight. As the face of their Uomo cologne, I was invited. And since you’re my ‘girlfriend,’ I was hoping you’d be my plus one.”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Here we go. This fake dating thing is officially in motion. I can tell he’s nervous, but I don’t know why. I said I’d be his fake girlfriend, and I don’t go back on my word. “Sure. No problem.”

He blinks back in surprise. “Really? It’s a fancy red carpet kind of thing.”

I arch an eyebrow. “And you think I won’t fit in?”

“Of course you will. I just don’t want you to go somewhere you might be uncomfortable.”

My chest warms at his words. Auston has always been thoughtful. A real gentleman, always holding doors for girls, being polite, helping teacher s with their books. Which is why it hit me so hard when he left, just like that. Even if I struggled back then, I understand it was for his career. But it was so out of character for him to leave out of the blue. And then, to top it off, he never called. One could argue that I didn’t either, but I was a wreck, and he was starting a new life. I couldn’t bring myself to hear about his fantastic adventures in Hollywood.

“Are you okay?” he asks, snapping me back to reality. “Like I said, you don’t have to—”

“I’ll come. I agreed to be your fake girlfriend, and we have to make it seem believable, right?”

He nods, looking relieved. “Yes, okay. But you’ll need a dress. I would take you shopping, but you know my schedule,” he says with a lopsided smile. “I was thinking Robyn could go with you. Or you could just take my credit card.”

“I can pay for it myself. Don’t worry about it.”

He grimaces. “Emma, those dresses cost thousands of dollars. Let me cover it.”

I gulp. Thousands? Permission granted. “Fine. I can go with Robyn.” If I went alone, I wouldn’t even know where to start. The stores I shop at barely go into the hundreds.

“Great. I’ll text her now, and you can go together this afternoon if that works for you.”

I finish my last sip of coffee. “Sure. Now, let’s get to work.”

He shakes his head, but I can tell he’s repressing a smile. “Always so bossy. I guess we know who’s wearing the pants in this fake relationship.”

“Absolutely.” I nod. But the truth is, in just two short days, Auston Buckley has coerced me into not one but two things I would have never agreed to if he were anyone else.

And all he had to do was ask.