My Fake Fiancé (6 page)

Sam met me in the bar outside the ballroom.
Guests were finishing up from dinner and hitting the dance floor. I
had a drink waiting for her as she walked up to me. I hadn’t
realized it, but I’d fallen for her. She was funny and kind,
beautiful and passionate, and she believed in my business plan. She
was everything I wanted. But I knew I wasn’t the dream guy she had
in mind.

“I’ve been thinking more about the name for
your business,” she said. “How about Justin Time Catering?”

I grinned, despite the bad feeling in my
stomach. “That might work.” I took a deep breath, ready to give her
the bad news about my mother, when a guest from the ballroom walked
up. She looked familiar.

“Can I help you?” I asked

“Excuse me, this is going to sound silly, but
are you dating Samantha Cooper?”

That’s when it clicked. It was Carrie, from
the wedding. Sam’s face went white when she heard her voice.

I swallowed, uncertain what to say.

Carrie spotted Sam, even with her back to
her. “Samantha, what’s going on?”

Sam turned to face her, saying nothing.

Carrie’s eyes flicked between the two of us.
“I thought you were a big shot Australian CEO. Suddenly, you’re
just a waiter—with an American accent?” She stifled a laugh and my
stomach dropped. I was a joke; it was true.

Sam pursed her lips and jumped off the stool.
She planted one hand on her hip and pointed at Carrie with the
other. “You know what? Justin is better than that fake bio we
created. He’s smart, he’s creative, and he cares about people.
Yeah, I asked him to pretend to be someone he wasn’t to impress
you. But you know what? I don’t care what you think. What a waste
of energy. I was never good enough for you and I never will be. So
what? But at least coming to your wedding and asking Justin to pose
as my fiancé proved to me that there are good people like him in
the world, and that if I’m lucky enough, one day I’ll have someone
like him.”

Carrie covered her mouth, not hiding her
laughter very well.

I stood up and took Sam’s hand in mine. I
looked at her and felt the tightness in my chest morph into a
smile. “Sam, you do have me. I’m crazy about you. Honestly.” I
shrugged. “But I know I’m nothing like the dream guy you want.”

Her eyes widened, and glistened with tears.
“Justin, that’s not the person I want.” She jabbed her thumb at
Carrie. “I only thought that’s what would make her jealous. I
thought we’ve just been pretending.”

I slid my hand around the back of her head
and pulled her to me, kissing her hard. I stepped back and looked
at her. “Did that feel like I was faking it?”

“No,” she whispered. She blinked a few times,
then looked at Carrie. “And I’m not an artist. I’m a receptionist,
but Justin and I are opening a new company together.” She wiggled
her fingers and looked at the engagement ring. “We’re not engaged,
but if we ever do get married, I’ll be sure to invite you.”

Carrie rolled her eyes. “I won’t hold my
breath. You two enjoy your sad little charade.” She looked Sam up
and down. “And your tits are still small.” She walked away and I
shouted after her, “They’re not small, they’re perfect! And hers
are real.” Then I pulled Sam back toward me.

Sam blew out a breath and rested her head
against me. “I’m not even upset. I don’t even care what she thinks.
I only care what you think.” She laughed. “How incredible. Thank
you.”

“I need to tell you something.” I knew my
voice sounded serious.

Her smile fell and she pulled back. “Oh, no.
What now?”

“My mom’s cancer came back and she’s
desperate to get this wedding underway.”

Her face paled and she nodded. “I should give
this back. So you can tell her the truth.” She twisted the ring on
her finger, but didn’t take it off.

I felt that same punch to the gut Rob had
delivered. But this time, as resignation slid through me like I
deserved what was coming, something inside me shouted, no. I wasn’t
going to let that feeling rule me this again. I was done feeling
like I didn’t deserve anything good in my life. I looked at her and
held out my hand. “I do need it back.”

Her eyes flicked away from mine, and she took
off the ring with a shaky hand.

I looked at the ring and remembered what it
had meant for my mom; what it had meant for me and Sam, if only for
a very short time. Why did life have to be about suffering and
hurting and constant disappointment? If Sam had taught me anything,
it was about taking risks, and chasing dreams. Sucking in a deep
breath, I dropped down to one knee. “This might sound crazy, Sam,
but I don’t want to give you up. I love you. Will you marry me? For
real?”

Her jaw dropped and tears fell and I hoped
that was a good sign. Then she nodded yes. I jumped up and slid the
ring on her finger and hugged her. After several minutes of kissing
and crying, I said, “It’s just too bad we used all your wedding
money on the catering company. Maybe we can save up enough in a
year or so.”

She kissed me, salty tears tickling our lips.
“No way. I’m not waiting that long. And neither is your mother. I’d
give anything for my mom to see me married. Your mother deserves
that gift.”

I hugged her tighter, wondering what I’d done
to deserve the kind of luck that had brought her to me.

***

I wasn’t sure if Micki was going to kill me
or not, but I passed her the wedding invitation as we were sorting
through the mail. “Hope one more’s not going to kill you,” I
said.

She sighed. “I hope this isn’t from another
blog reader. Strangers keep inviting me.” She ripped open the
invitation, scanned the information, and it slipped from her
fingers. “Is this for real?”

I nodded. “Do you think you could fit in
bridesmaid duty one more time this summer? You could even wear one
of the dresses you already have. Except Carrie’s, of course.”

She wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “Not
only will I be your bridesmaid, I will be your wedding planner and
show the world what we can do in three weeks. That’ll get your
catering business up and running. What’s the name of it,
anyway?”

I grinned when I thought about the argument
Justin and I had about the name the night before. I wanted Happy
Endings Catering. But after an entirely unfair tickle fight, I gave
in to his choice. “Great Beginnings Catering,” I told her.

“Excellent,” Micki said. “Because it will be.
For all of us.”

***

You’ve just read one of the stories from the
collection
Wedding Flirts! 5 Romantic Short Stories
. Buy the
whole collection today and discover the loose thread that ties the
stories together, with a fab happy ending. Also, check out other
Flirts! collections—
Flirts! 5 Romantic Short Stories
,
Beach Flirts
!,
Holiday Flirts
! and
Fairy Tale
Flirts
! You might also enjoy Lisa’s romantic novella,
Spouse
Hunting
. Try the first short story in her Willowdale Romance
series, “A Fine How-De-Do.”

I hope you enjoyed reading this story. I’m a
former TV news anchor who now enjoys making up stories instead of
sticking to the facts. I’ve dreamed of writing professionally ever
since penning my first creative writing assignment in second grade.
I know—that dream sure took a while to sprout.

When not begging my husband and two kids for
a few minutes of peace to write my stories, I work as a voice actor
and putter around in my koi pond and garden in upstate NY.

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