Chapter Eleven—Lidia

Laughter spilled out of my apartment door when I opened the heavy wood and walked inside. The girl on our couch looked familiar, Daisy from a few months before, but the guy sitting beside her, I'd never seen.

I dropped my bag and kicked off my shoes, drawing their attention to me. Daisy's demeanor changed, and I realized quickly after Scott's confession on why they broke up, that she wasn't happy to see me.

She was stereotypical pretty. Like the popular cheerleader with a skinny waist and pretty blue eyes. Not to mention her mother was a hair stylist and kept her hair done free of charge.

The blonde fit her though, and she was pretty. I always thought Scott would keep her around. "Howdy," I said.

Daisy smiled at me quickly but turned her attention back to the TV. Rude. She was in my house … Scotty pulled my elbow, surprising me and I yelped. "What the heck?" I asked as he walked me toward the kitchen counter and pointed a finger at me.

"Lidia Lambert," he said, hazel eyes wild with frustration. "Engaged? Are you kidding me? How far are you going to let this go before he pulls you into a marriage. I know how important it is for you."

I sighed and leaned back against the counter. "Scotty, I've got it under control, don't chastise me. I'm an adult, two months older than you might I add, and I don't need another Daddy."

Scotty crossed his arms. "Maybe I should call your Dad. What do you think he'd say about all of this?"

I hadn't really thought about it. Mom and Dad weren't in the same scene as Jace, and probably wouldn't read an art magazine if their life depended on it. They would find out, I wasn't naïve enough to think they wouldn't, but not at this moment.

I shrugged. "I don’t know. Maybe be happy for me?"

He scoffed. "Sure, they would, Lid. They'd freak out as I am right now. He's using you—"

"So what?" I shouted. "I'm using him to pay off my student loans. We're not having sex, or even physical outside of the media or in front of his family. You're acting like I'm a prostitute."

Scotty huffed and ran his fingers through his unruly hair. "This is stupid."

"Yeah," I said, moving around him to grab a piece of pizza from the box on the table. "Sure is, so knock it off."

"I meant you—"

"Scotty," Daisy said.

She stood in the doorway to the kitchen, an aggravated look on her tiny fairy like face. "What are you doing? You promised we would watch the movie?" Her blue eyes moved over to my slowly.

I held in my laugh. "I'm just getting pizza, and I'll be in my room."

"You don't want to watch the movie with us?" he asked, ignoring the look from Daisy. "I want you to meet my friend, Liam."

Since when did he want me to meet his guy friends? Sure, I met them when we went out occasionally, but he never brought them over. I gave him a not really look but let him lead me into the living room where he sat comfortable on our couch.

He glanced up at me and grinned. He reminded me a little of Kyle which made me wonder why he was truly here. I narrowed my eyes and weighed my options. I could call Scotty out for bringing him home or look like a jackass if that wasn't the reason.

"This is my roommate Lidia," Scott said, sitting down and patting his knee for Daisy.

Liam stood up and offered me a handshake. I watched the way he eyed my outfit and smiled a little too hard. "Nice to meet you, Scott told me a lot about you."

I sat down on our recliner and took a bite of pizza. "Oh yeah?" I asked over my food. "And what did he say?"

Liam opened his mouth to answer but I could tell he hadn't listened to a thing Scott told him. I smiled at Scotty when he gave the side eye. "Well, this has been so fun, but I have some emails to look over—"

"You just got off work—"

"—and I have more work to do," I spat. "Plus, I know what you're doing, and it isn't going to work." I looked directly at Liam who looked uncomfortable, and I almost felt bad for him and said, "I'm engaged."

Daisy laughed. I eyed her while she bent over her knee and wiped the corner of her eye. I didn't laugh and she looked at me crazy. "You're serious? Who are you engaged to?"

I knew using Jace to get back at Scotty's girlfriend for her weirdness was wrong. We weren't really engaged but Jace used me for his family's sake, and I was gonna use him for mine.

"Jace Archer."

Daisy gaped at me. "From that art gallery downtown? You're lying."

Lying? For some reason the fact that it seemed so farfetched to her pissed me off. Unable to help my shaking hands, I got up, went to my purse to retrieve the magazine from its depths, and shoved it into her face.

I watched in amusement as she stared at us together and she gawked at Scotty. "Oh, well … hmmm."

She handed me the paper, and I marched to my room unbothered. When the door closed, I laughed and did a little dance that was totally something a sixteen-year-old would do, but I didn't care.

***

Friday rolled around, and I noticed that Jace paced a lot when stressed. The perfect way he normally wore his hair was long gone, and he I liked it better naturally. It had a wave to it that made him look less fierce.

"I've confirmed the caters will be here with the finger food thirty minutes early, and I added Oreo balls to the list of deserts."

Jace stopped pacing and glance over at me. "Oreo balls? Do I even have to ask what the hell those are?"

I pressed my palm to my chest while I closed my eyes. "You disgrace me sometimes, Sir. You haven't lived until you've had one."

"Doubt it," he whispered and checked his phone, still pacing. Rebecca walked in a few moments later, still snotty—what else was new—and dropped off the paper for Jace. "Thanks," he said, not looking up.

Rebecca looked at me quickly before turning her full attention to Jace. She wore her dress like it was the runway, and I could tell she'd doused herself in perfume that morning. "I need a few extra minutes at lunch today, if that's okay," she said.

"Sure," he said.

She turned and walked back down the stairs, staring at me through the glass window until she turned down the curve of the stairs. She'd get over it.

Lunchtime rolled around and I offered to grab us salads since Jace hadn't looked up from his laptop the entire day, and his phone had been ringing off the hook from Darby's agent and investors.

I made my way down the stairs and noticed Rebecca talking to a man who looked shady in the far corner. You ever walked up on someone and realize they are talking about you? I have.

Rebecca gave me a tightlipped look over her shoulder, while I glanced at the man with an unattractive comb over and wiry glasses perched on his nose. I could guarantee he wasn't there for a date, but Rebecca gave me no indication who he was as I left, and he was long gone once I came back.

We finished work thirty minutes early when Gemma walked in with two boxes and dropped them off without another word. Jace eyed me and gestured for me to grab the one on top.

I squealed and raced over, pulling out a floor-length dress, lace long-sleeves in a beautiful mermaid teal color. I gasped at the design and felt myself floating on air. "Grab my foot," I said. "I'm going to float away."

Jace ignored me.

I looked over at him. "What's the matter?"

He shoved his phone into his pocket and really looked at me for the first time that day. "I always get nervous before an exhibit. You're sure you have everything ready?"

I saluted him. "I'm positive. I checked my list twice and I have everything under control. All you have to do this show up and be charming." I grinned. "Want to practice before we go?"

Jace's eyes narrowed a bit, but the corner of his lip lifted. "I'll pick you up at seven, and we'll arrive together. A few photographers will be there, so we'll take pictures," he looked up at me. "Um, I need another favor from you."

I pulled my pure onto my shoulder and grabbed my clothes. "Oh yeah?" I asked. "What's next? My firstborn son?"

Jace chuckled. "No. My parents …. they'll expect us to get engagement pictures."

I lifted a brow, thinking about what Scotty asked the night before. How long would this go on? Would this even fool his grandpa? I wondered how heartbroken his grandfather would be if we pretended all this time and we broke up, or worse, if his family found out.

"Engagement pictures, Jace?" I asked. "I mean … my parents are going to find out and freak."

Jace nodded slowly. "I can meet them if you like."

I eyed Jace, in his expensive suite, and laughed—hard. I couldn’t imagine this guy meeting my parents, or even the thought of bringing a man his age home, and one that had a serious career. I'd never been attracted to a businessman, I liked the artsy guys, or the nerdy computer geek with a cute smile and shy eyes.

Jace tilted his head to the side. "Why is that so funny?"

"My mother is going to see right through this. You're not my usual type."

Jace's jaw twitched briefly, and he swallowed hard. I couldn’t read his face—per usual—but this looked like anger. "Not your type?" he asked after several minutes of silence. "I'm not some bum that would upset your parent's, Lidia. I am a man with a career," he said, stepping closer to me, "A man that most women would be proud of."

He stooped maybe a foot away, and I felt my heart race. Why was that so hard to believe? "I didn't say I wouldn't be proud of you," I said. "I said you aren't my usual type. My mother knows I don't date guys that are serious, you're serious—"

His laugh interrupted me. Those hard eyes were back, but something lingered in the depths of them. The tip of his tongue danced along his full bottom lip and his eyes briefly lowered to my own mouth.

Butterflies floated inside of me, playing bumper cars against the salad in my stomach. "You don't think we could fool her? You don't think that you could pretend to have chemistry with me?"

"I … I don't know—"

"Answer me this Lidia, you don't think I'm attractive?" he almost purred. This man was different from the one I'd pretended with the last two weeks. He seemed … irritated and not the usual work-related irritation, but mad at me.

Jace took another step, trapping me against my desk, his eyes seriously intense. "When I kissed you yesterday … you didn't like it?"

I'd loved it. Even though I brushed it off as something we had to do to trick his parents, I'd thought about it once I made it home and locked myself into my room. I desperately wanted him to deepen the kiss and feel the taste of his tongue, but I didn't think he cared about it.

A kiss was just a kiss to him. Nothing more. That's what I pretended it was for me…until now. My heart was racing at his closeness, and no one was around. Was he pretending with me? Was he trying to get a rise out of me?

I didn't know, but I secretly loved it.

"What kind of question is that?" I asked. "I thought it was just a kiss. You said it yourself, it was just a—"

"That wasn't what I asked," he said, bracing both palms on either side of my hips. "Did you like it?" he whispered.

I jumbled over what to say in my mind. It felt like a roller coaster ride in my head, and him being so close—and smelling so good—made it hard to focus. Wait a freaking second … I can't let him do this to me.

I straightened my shoulders. "It was…okay," I said. "For an old guy."

Jace swallowed hard, his gaze lingered on my mouth, and I felt my purse down south, warming me. " Liar."

"It's pretending, right? Of course it looked like I liked it, isn't that what you asked me to do?"

"Indeed, I did. But that doesn't mean you aren't enjoying it."

I shrugged. "I could say the same for you. Maybe you enjoyed it," I countered.

Jace chuckled and leaned close to my ear, so close I could feel his breath against my neck. "Who says I didn't?"

The little reserve I had left vanished, and I felt my entire body go cold when he pulled back to stare at me. "You're not a good liar about your feelings, Lidia. Good thing they aren't all fake for our sake. I'll pick you up at seven. Be prepared to … act."

He watched me carefully walk out of the office, my legs felt like rubber bands, and I suddenly realized that maybe Jace Archer wasn't that old.

Maybe Jace Archer would be good for me. Maybe he'd cure an ache I'd had over the last year of being alone.

Or maybe he was acting. Maybe he wanted me to feel alive so it'd look real. Either way—he was right. I'd loved that kiss.