Page 22 of Billionaire Engagement
“You know, her and Trevor and Adam against me and Dad. If you’re there, it will be fair, we won’t be outnumbered.”
“You make it sound like a war!”
“It will be!” she swung to face me. “But not with bullets and guns, rather pina coladas and platters.”
I frowned. “That doesn’t sound too bad.”
Summer smiled. “Then say you’ll come with us.”
Her sad little face and those big eyes looking at me, how could I say no?
“Okay,” I said, rolling my eyes, and she threw her arms around me, giving me a big hug.
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” she said, squeezing me tightly.
“It’s just two days, right?” I laughed, wondering what I’d gotten myself into.
“Exactly! And you might enjoy it!”
“I’ve never been to LA,” I said and I felt a spark of excitement then.
“Maybe you’ll love it,” Summer said.
“But you hate it?” I said.
She shrugged, “Not all of it, some parts are nice.”
“Oh yeah, like which parts?”
I wanted to hear her say something nice about the city in which her mother lived. I wanted her to cheer up and think of positive things. And… I wanted to know if there was anything I could look forward to.
Summer thought for a bit.
“Venice beach is okay, I mean, I’ve gone roller skating there. And it’s nice for ice cream.”
“Oh, ice cream! You know I love ice cream!”
“I know!” Summer laughed. “And I like Malibu, it’s okay, I guess.”
I was beginning to look forward to this weekend.
Even though in the back of my mind, there was a little voice telling me not to be fooled by Summer’s little face. This is a bad idea, the voice said. You’re doing something you shouldn’t be doing.
It wasn’t just the lying. It was the pretending to be Tate’s fiancée.
We would be close, spending a lot of time together, having to play the part of a romantic couple. It was dangerous, considering what had already happened between us and what I was trying very hard, not to have happen again.
So far, it was working. We were very professional and cordial to one another. Sometimes there would be a bit of a vibe and then we’d talk of something else, move away. He had not so much as accidentally touched me in weeks.
“Why me anyway?” I asked Summer. “Isn’t your dad seeing Jacqueline? Why don’t you guys take her along?”
Summer pulled a face. “I don’t like her. She’s stuck-up.”
“Is she?” I pretended to be surprised but I was secretly pleased. Summer preferred me to the gorgeous Jacqueline.
“When she talks to me it’s always in this weird voice, like she’s talking to a four-year-old.”
Summer put on a funny voice to imitate Jacqueline “Oh, look at the pretty drawing you made!”