Playing Pretend

My stomach did a somersault. I glanced around the room, trying to guess what Brennan could possibly want.

He stared at his desk, a half-smile dancing on his lips. He chuckled, then his eyes met mine. I drew in a sharp breath, feeling my skin flush.

Maybe he wanted to sleep with me. Like he had with, apparently, every other woman who’d drifted in and out of his life. I swallowed hard, pushing the thought away.

Brennan wasn’t interested in me. He never had been.

There might have been a moment, right when I’d first started working here, when I felt something more than friendship. But I quickly learned that I wasn’t the type of girl Brennan noticed.

He was also a consummate professional. The idea of him ending my contract over something so scandalous was beyond anything he’d ever suggest.

“My sister’s getting married this weekend,” he said, his voice laced with an unusual nervous energy. “I want you to come with me and stay the weekend. After we get back, you’re free.”

My head spun. He didn’t just want to spend the night with me, he wanted to spend the entire weekend with me...and attend his sister’s wedding with him. I frowned and shook my head.

“Brennan, I don’t get it,” I murmured. “Why would you want that? We’re friends, sure, but we never hang out outside of work...ever.”

Brennan nodded and looked away. He took a deep breath and then met my gaze again.

“I’m my parents’ biggest disappointment. I didn’t take over the family business, I didn’t settle down and get married, and I don’t have a bunch of grandkids.”

I shook my head. “You’re on the Forbes list of top 100 companies. You’re incredibly successful... Your parents have to see that, right, Brennan?”

He chuckled and ran his left hand over his face while he picked up his coffee with the other.

“I can tell you for sure they don’t. I’m the oldest by five years. My 26-year-old brother has been married for three years and I’m sure he’ll be starting a family any day now, and my baby sister is your age and she’s getting married.

“My brother has been helping my dad run the vineyard for as long as I can remember, and my soon-to-be brother-in-law has been there since he and my sister got serious.

“My parents, especially my dad, value loyalty, and they see me leaving for college and doing my own thing as a slap in the face.”

Brennan took a long sip of his coffee. He drank it like it was his lifeline. I tilted my head and leaned back, taking in everything Brennan had just shared.

He wasn’t one to show even a hint of vulnerability, but he’d just laid it all out for me. He’d stripped himself bare, emotionally.

I set my cup down on the desk and licked my lips. “Brennan, you don’t care what people think.”

“There are a few exceptions to that, G. My parents included,” he replied.

“So if I could just show up at the wedding with a fiancée of my own, maybe for one weekend I wouldn’t be such a disappointment to them.”

My stomach plummeted and my heart started to race. Fiancée? I leaned forward and raised my hands in confusion. I’d thought he’d wanted me to go as a friend, someone to have his back. This was something else.

“Brennan? I really, really don’t understand.” I was starting to sound like a broken record.

Brennan was suggesting something that was so far beyond the professional friendship line we’d drawn between us that I physically couldn’t wrap my head around it.

“I want you to pretend to be my fiancée,” he said. His tone was almost pleading, and it made me sad that he felt he had to put on a show to impress his parents.

But that didn’t change the fact that it was a recipe for disaster.

“I can’t,” I whispered. “Aside from the fact that it’s a terribly cliché plot that I’m sure I’ve read in some trashy romance novel...I need to start packing up my house.

“I’m moving to be closer to my dad, and it’s just me, Brennan. I need to start now.”

“This isn’t a romance novel,” Brennan shot back. “This is real life. I know where I stand, and you know where you stand.

“I’ll make sure you’re well compensated, Grace. I’ll hire a moving company, and I’ll find you an apartment and pay for it.”

His voice trembled as he spoke. I was torn between my thoughts and the nagging urge to say yes. Not because of the money, but because I hated to see Brennan so upset.

“I don’t need an answer right now, G. Just let me know by the end of the day. We’d need to leave tomorrow after work.”

I picked up my cup as I stood up. I nodded at Brennan and left the room. I was still in a daze as I sat back down at my desk and stared at my blank computer screen.

Brennan Wolf, eternal bachelor, wanted me to be his pretend fiancée.

I wasn’t joking when I said it was a cliché plot straight out of cheesy romance novels and TV shows. I devoured that stuff like it was Halloween candy.

Though I’d made it seem like I was vaguely aware of such a cliché, that was an understatement.

I was undeniably a hopeless romantic.

Agreeing to this charade was almost certainly a terrible idea for every reason I could think of, and yet I was more than tempted to say yes.

When lunchtime came, I quickly left the office before Brennan could walk in and start a conversation.

I needed to avoid him if I was going to make a decision. I couldn’t look into his uncharacteristically vulnerable brown eyes and trust myself to make the right choice for me.

I went down to the courtyard outside the building and called my dad. It barely rang once before he picked up.

“Gracie!” Dad exclaimed. “Aren’t you at work?”

“I’m on lunch,” I told him. “I’ve got some news. I quit my job and I’m moving back to Arcane Falls.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, then I heard my dad take a deep breath.

“Sweetheart, I know you’re worried about me. But I’m okay—really. The neighbors are keeping an eye on me. You’ve got a career in New York, sweetheart. Don’t give that up because you think I’m lonely.”

I smiled and bit my lip. “That’s not the only reason, Dad. It’s time for me to leave Wolf Technologies.”

“Well, you know I’ll be thrilled to have you back. I love you to the moon and back. I just don’t want you to rush into anything.”

I frowned. I looked up at the towering buildings around me and the clear blue sky above them. The sun peeked between the tops of two buildings, warming my face. It was too late to avoid rushing.

“Okay, Dad,” I replied.

Dad always had my best interests at heart. I knew he’d be over the moon to have me home, but only if it was what I truly wanted.

Growing up, my parents knew I longed for city life. I’d dreamed about working in these towering buildings; the constant hustle and bustle was somehow calming.

Arcane Falls was, and always would be, the epitome of a small town, possibly even more cliché in every way than the fake-fiancée trope.

I walked back into the building, no more certain of my decision than when I left. I pressed the elevator button and waited for it to descend to the ground floor.

I heard Brennan before I saw him. He was talking to someone, but I couldn’t hear the other voice. The elevator doors pinged open, and I stepped inside.

I turned and watched as Brennan, and only Brennan, walked in before the doors closed.

“Mom, I will be there, okay?”

The elevator started to move.

“No, Mom, please don’t ask your friend’s daughter to be my date.” He paused for a second before scoffing. “Why?! Because I don’t need your help to find a girlfriend.”

Brennan shifted uncomfortably. He chewed on his lip. “Mom, I need to go. I’ll be there tomorrow night.”

I sucked in a breath and made a snap decision I was sure to regret. I held out my hand for Brennan’s phone. He looked at me, his eyes wide. I watched as he swallowed hard and handed me the phone.

I lifted the phone to my ear just in time to hear his mom talking about how she just wanted him to be happy like they all were.

“Mrs. Wolf?” I purred into the phone, using my best phone voice. I looked at Brennan, who was trying not to smile.

“I’m Grace Reynolds. I’m Brennan’s, uh, fiancée. I’ll be attending the wedding with him this weekend.”

“Grace? His PA? Fiancée?”

“One and the same. We’ve been working closely for three years. Our love snuck up on us. Our engagement is recent. We wanted to tell you in person, but I couldn’t help myself.”

I hated how easily the lie slipped from my lips, and how good it felt to say. I kept looking at Brennan, who mouthed ‘thank you’ as the elevator doors opened again.

We stepped out into the hallway as Brennan’s mom spoke. “Dear, you can call me Jaq,” she said, barely hiding her excitement. “I can’t wait to meet you. Please put my son back on the phone.”

“Of course, Jaq. The feeling is mutual.”

I handed Brennan back his phone and made my way back to my desk. When Brennan walked in a few minutes later, he looked over at me and stopped.

“Come with me,” he said, before walking into his office.

I breathed through the pit of fear in my stomach. Lying over a phone call was one thing, I wasn’t sure I had the strength to lie through a weekend. But I’d committed to it, and I had to follow through.

I sighed and pushed myself to my feet, walking back into Brennan’s office.

“I’ll do it, obviously. I mean, I just told your mother I would be there and that we’re engaged. I just... I’ll do it, but I don’t need you to pay for my moving or anything.”

I realized I was rambling and stopped before sitting down.

“Are you sure?” Brennan asked.

“It’s a bit late for that.” I laughed, looking up at Brennan. He was smiling, but I could see a hint of nervousness in his eyes. “I’ll do it, Brennan.”

“Well, in that case, I’ll pick you up in the morning before work. We’ll leave for the airport after work. I’ll book our seats now.”

“Okay.” I paused and chewed on the corner of my lip. “Should we discuss a story?”

“A story?” Brennan questioned. “My parents won’t ask questions. They’ll just be excited that I'm serious about someone.”

I felt a smile spread across my face and I shook my head. “I think you underestimate how nosy parents can be when they believe their children are falling in love.”

Brennan’s jaw clenched and his eyes darkened.

“I suppose. Sounds like you have experience in that field, G. You tell me what our story is and I’ll go along with it.”

I frowned. Experience with love? I had experience with countless rom-coms and many more romance books. Actual love was another matter.

The last relationship I’d had was in college, and it had been more like a high school relationship.

We’d date all week and then at the weekend he’d insist we take a break. I’m embarrassed to admit it took me almost a year to realize what was happening.

I’d focused on my schoolwork until I graduated...and I’d been on exactly one date since.

“I guess we could say…” I took a deep breath, “that we fell in love gradually, over time. Until it became impossible to imagine life without each other. Something like that.”

Brennan cleared his throat, “Something like that.”

I got up from my chair. “Well, I’ve got work to catch up on. I’ll leave you to it.”

Back at my desk, the reality of what I’d just committed to hit me. I’d been back at work for less than forty-eight hours, and I’d already pledged my weekend to Brennan.

I’d wanted to leave because his personal life was starting to bleed into my professional life. And now, I’d just flung the door wide open.

I shut my eyes, visualizing myself meeting his parents, my hand entwined with his. Pretending like he was my entire universe.

There was a time when I’d harbored a crush on him. When we first met, Brennan had left me breathless. He was the embodiment of all the heroes I’d fantasized about in my books.

But I’d quickly snapped back to reality and never looked back. Until now.

I sneaked a glance into Brennan’s office, not expecting him to be looking back at me. But he was. His gaze was locked on me, until our eyes met and he quickly looked away, back to his computer screen.

I blinked hard, trying to refocus on my work. But it was nearly impossible. So, I sent an email to my landlord, asking if I could break my lease early.

She responded almost immediately, agreeing on the condition that I could move out by the following Wednesday since she had a family who needed the apartment.

I arranged for a moving company to pack up my place over the weekend and then leaned back in my chair.

Everything was happening so quickly, it felt like I was suffering from emotional whiplash. And the worst part was, I was doing this to myself.