Chapter One
“I’m not going to lie to America, Hailey!” Sabrina Clarke exclaimed.
Hailey, leader of the Happy Endings Book Club and a die-hard romantic, leaned forward. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a fake engagement!”
Sabrina threw her hands up. “In a book, yes. In reality, no.” That was the makings of a romance novel—perfect for their romance book club, crazy in real life. And it certainly wouldn’t solve her problem.
Sabrina’s article, “Goodbye Commitment-Phobe, Hello Happiness!” had published last week on the popular Sugar Buzz blog. Alarming things had been happening ever since. First, the post had gone viral. She’d nearly had a heart attack when the editor emailed to tell her it had a million views and was still going strong. And then today Sabrina got a call inviting her for an interview on Sunshine America, a national morning talk show dedicated to good news. She’d hyperventilated and told them she’d have to check her schedule and get back to them. She was a relationship counselor with a thriving practice, and it was everything to her.
She’d been fretting over her decision ever since, which was why she’d told her friends of her dilemma the moment they sat down at book club. She wanted to help a broader audience, but she feared public scrutiny would reveal the truth—she was a complete fraud. Here she was, a relationship counselor, and she didn’t have a committed relationship of her own. That was when the fake fiancé came up, a fanciful notion born of their love of romance novels.
Her friends—every last one of the eight women seated in a circle at Something’s Brewing Café—erupted in support of the fake fiancé. Not happening. She prided herself on being honest.
Sabrina pushed her long dirty-blond hair behind her ears, caught herself mid-eyeroll, and quickly looked to the ceiling. The golden light of the hanging sconces set a pretty glow up there, the shadows peculiarly phallic. She looked away, focusing on the baked-goods counter and telling herself that just because it had been a while didn’t mean she was desperate. Her eye caught on the phallic éclairs. The symbolism was not lost on her. It was getting worse by the week and really starting to get to her. Hormones? Her friends all finding their forever loves? Her secret lust for her one and only guy friend? Probably all of the above. Well, a fake fiancé wouldn’t fix that either.
Lexi’s voice cut through the chatter. She was a close friend, a brunette with almond-shaped brown eyes and a practical, no-nonsense manner. “Let’s look at the facts. Number one, Sabrina is no longer just a relationship healer for Clover Park, now she’s a relationship healer for all of America.”
“Not true,” Sabrina protested. She’d had a feature article in The Clover Park Record that called her a relationship healer, but that was it. No one had said she was a healer beyond that.
Lexi went on as if Sabrina hadn’t spoken. “Fact number two! The entire country is buzzing about your article! By the way, that title was genius click bait. Are you sure you don’t have PR experience?”
Shudder. The last thing Sabrina would do was purposely put herself in the spotlight. That was her family’s thing. Her mom was a famous erotic painter, her vagabond dad was a photographer who sold celebrity pictures to the highest bidder, and her half brother was a nude street performer wearing body paint to resemble popular science fiction characters. She’d felt like an outsider in her own family. Her childhood had been a circus of brilliance and showmanship and drama, and she’d gotten out as soon as she could. Was it any wonder she hated being the center of attention? Her friends had no clue about that, and she wasn’t about to share.
Cherry on top? Her family didn’t believe in committed relationships. Her parents had never married. Her entire family going back generations had relationships all over the place, rarely married, or if they did, separated or divorced quickly. There were kids everywhere with all different parents, everyone walking to the beat of a different drummer. She was sure media attention on her would bring her family out of the woodwork. They lived for this stuff. Meanwhile, she’d be losing clients left and right as they lost faith in her supposed expertise. No relationship and a lifetime of bad examples did not inspire confidence. Add in the fact that her one and only committed relationship had left her at the altar and it was strike three. Fraud, fraud, fraud.
Heat crept up her neck as her friends stared at her expectantly. “I’m definitely not a PR person. I really don’t like the spotlight.”
“Fact number three,” Lexi declared, raising three fingers in the air, “if you go on this talk show, you’ll be able to help so many people. They need to hear from you.”
Sabrina swallowed hard. That was the heart of it. Could she get past her own misgivings for the greater good? She had helped a lot of couples in her private practice.
Mad, a tough no-filter woman, leaned forward, elbows on her knees. Her dyed fire-engine red hair fell into her eyes, and she shoved it away. “If you didn’t want the spotlight, why’d you write the article in the first place?”
Sabrina squirmed. The real reason was so humiliating. “I don’t know.”
Mad jabbed a finger at Sabrina. “You’ve got the worst lying face I’ve ever seen. You’re blushing like crazy.”
Hailey piped up. “Sabrina’s always been a blusher.” She leaned down to her giant pink doggie purse, her long strawberry blond hair obscuring the view. A moment later, she tossed her hair back and her little dog Rose appeared, drawing a collective “awww” from the women. Rose’s wiry white fur was made up in a tiny ponytail on top of her head with a red bow that matched her red doggie sweater. Since getting Rose two days ago, Hailey had bought a wardrobe of coordinating doggie sweaters and bows. Rose quickly settled into Hailey’s lap.
“What’s the real reason, huh?” Mad pressed, giving Sabrina a knowing look. “That article ripped commitment-phobes to shreds. Who pissed you off?”
Everyone looked at Sabrina curiously. Mad smirked.
“Okay! I admit it!” Sabrina exclaimed. “It was a revenge piece. I got a wedding invitation from the jerk who left me at the altar.” What a slap in the face! As if living through his betrayal wasn’t enough. As if her lack of committed relationships ever since wasn’t enough. As if she wanted to watch the bastard have the kind of happiness that rightfully should’ve been hers.
Everyone stared at her in shock. She was normally not prone to outbursts.
She clenched her teeth, irritated that she’d lost her cool. “I know it was unprofessional.”
She’d chosen her career out of her own morbid need to know what made relationships work after her so-certain relationship fell apart. For a long time she hadn’t known why Kevin had left her at the altar. There was no other woman. He came from a stable, loving family. In retrospect, his family was a major part of his appeal. His parents and sister were so normal, and she’d longed to be part of that family. Two years later, his sister had gotten in touch and shared that Kevin had been adrift since their almost wedding, single and job-hopping. Obviously Sabrina had chosen wrong, but Kevin’s impulsive risk-taking streak hadn’t been clear as a college student. Watching him flee the church had been a devastating shock. And now he was getting married. Probably an impulse decision with someone completely unsuitable, she thought uncharitably.
Mad shook her head, smiling. “Girl! I didn’t think you had it in you. That’s fucking awesome!” She walked over and fist-bumped Sabrina.
“Thank you,” Sabrina said, not entirely sure Mad’s approval was warranted. As a relationship counselor, she should be above pettiness. It was something she always emphasized to her clients: rise above, think of the big picture. Despite Sabrina’s momentary lapse—big-picture view—she had the quiet life she’d always dreamed of as a kid. Until now. See what happens when you lose your cool?
Hailey stroked Rose behind the ear, and the dog closed her eyes, letting out a contented sigh. “Sabrina, your ex was a complete screwup and totally missed out on you.”
The women murmured agreement, making Sabrina feel a little better.
Hailey went on. “But now that the article’s out there, your popularity is growing by the hour. Definitely take advantage of that. Your career could explode!”
The hair on the back of Sabrina’s neck stood up at the thought of that kind of exposure and the potential damage to her professional reputation. Her practice that she’d built from nothing over the last three years would tank if her clients lost faith in her.
Lexi, sitting by her side, grabbed her hand and spoke earnestly. “If you don’t do this talk-show interview, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. You’ll always wonder, how many people could I have reached that needed to hear from me at that exact moment? There’s a lot of lonely people in the world.”
Sabrina studied Lexi for a moment. Was Lexi the lonely one?
“It’s okay to be nervous,” Lexi said. “Just don’t let it hold you back.”
Sabrina nodded once. The advice was sound, even if it was easier said than done. Not to mention she was several degrees past nervous into serious fear territory.
Hailey spoke in a soothing tone. She’d mellowed considerably since getting her doggie companion. “Sweetie, if all you need is a little confidence boost so you don’t feel like a fraud, why not bring a backup guy to the interview? All he has to do is stand in the background. When they ask about your personal relationship, and they will, you can say you’re engaged. If they ask anything further, just say your relationship is private. They’d expect a counselor to say something like that. Then when all the buzz dies down, just pretend you broke up, and go back to your life.”
“I’m a terrible liar,” Sabrina said.
“Didn’t I say that?” Mad barked.
Hailey shot Mad a quelling look before turning back to Sabrina. “It’s a romantic white lie for the greater good. Go into that interview confident in your relationship-expert status.”
Sabrina blushed furiously, muttering, “Not an expert.”
Everyone encouraged Sabrina to go for it.
“Once in a lifetime!”
“Grab this opportunity!”
“Don’t be a wuss!” That last one was Mad.
Sabrina held up a palm. “Even if I had a committed relationship, this talk-show gig is just not me. I feel like I’d be faking it, like an actress. I’m not flashy. I prefer helping people one-on-one.”
“Ooh!” Hailey said, her pale blue eyes bright. “Call Claire for some tips. She can coach you through it.” Claire Jordan was their movie-star friend, well used to the spotlight.
“I’m not a show pony,” Sabrina said stubbornly. “I just want to help people.”
Lexi lifted a lock of Sabrina’s hair. “With this mane of luxurious hair? Definite show-pony material.”
Everyone laughed. Sabrina gave Lexi a small smile. “Ha-ha.”
Haley went on enthusiastically. “You’ll be faking your way through anyway, pretending not to be nervous. Add in the fake relationship, no big thing.”
“Fake it ’til you make it,” Lexi put in. “Make that your mantra.”
Sabrina let out a breath of exasperation. “Who in the world would I even ask to be my fake fiancé?”
Lexi grinned evilly. “How about your friend Logan?”
Sabrina felt herself flush, her stomach dipping just hearing his name. Her secret lust for Logan Campbell was so embarrassing because it was completely one-sided. He was her breathtaking, spine-tingling, panty-melting sexy friend, ever since he’d rented the office upstairs from hers six months ago. He joked around with her all the time but never, ever flirted. She knew all the classic male flirtation signals—a deepening of voice, direct sustained eye contact, throwing his shoulders back to appear bigger—and he did exactly zero. His voice was always deep and never changed. She wasn’t sure how long he’d hold her eye contact because she looked away the moment she felt her cheeks heat, but when she looked back, he was always looking somewhere just past her ear. His shoulders were always the same, wide and muscularly athletic like all of the Campbell men, but never thrown back, always just relaxed.
Even if Logan did think of her in that way, which he didn’t, he was still not for her. If there was one thing she’d learned as a relationship counselor, it was spotting the men who were not good for her relationship-wise. Logan was a classic commitment-phobe.
She smoothed her hair. “I told you we’re just friends.”
Mad cocked her head. “Yeah, ask Logan. It’ll be nothing for him.” Logan was her older brother. “He’s been hung up on his college girlfriend for years.”
Sabrina stared at Mad in shock. Logan had never once mentioned this college girlfriend, and they had lunch on a weekly basis, when neither of them was too busy. Dedicated to the same woman for years? Had she misjudged him? Maybe she should’ve given him a lusty signal. Not that it mattered. He wasn’t into her, and now that she knew he had ex-girlfriend baggage, forget it.
Hailey offered an alternative with Mad’s other single brother. “Josh’ll do it if you pay him.” She scowled. “Just expect to pay big.” Hailey knew this from personal experience. She was a wedding planner and, in desperate need of a dependable wedding date, had paid Josh to escort her to weddings so she wouldn’t always be alone in front of clients. Unfortunately, their deal had quickly soured, and they’d been fighting ever since.
Sabrina huffed. She wasn’t a charity case, for crying out loud! She didn’t need to beg her friend to be her fake fiancé or, God forbid, pay someone. She was a professional. “I’ll do the interview on my own,” she declared and immediately felt light-headed. Fraud, fraud, fraud echoed in her head, gradually fading to a loud ringing in her ears.
Next thing she knew, someone pushed her head down between her knees.
“Breathe,” Lexi ordered.
“I’m texting Logan,” Mad said.
“No,” Sabrina croaked.
“Maybe I’ll go as your fiancée,” Lexi said, making Sabrina laugh a little. Lexi might be terribly jaded about men, but she had a real appreciation for their form, the bigger and more muscled, the better.
Sabrina straightened. “I’m okay. Let’s go get a drink.” They always went to Garner’s Sports Bar & Grill after book club for drinks.
The women all gave her sympathetic looks.
“What?” she asked.
“We haven’t even started our meeting, silly,” Hailey said, pulling her e-reader from her white leather purse. “And I know just what we should read.” She bit back a smile, her pale blue eyes lit with amusement. “Married to my Fake Fiancé.”
Everyone laughed. Sabrina groaned.