Chapter Fifteen

Amber

I couldn’t seem to get Harry off my mind. The man was persistent. I had been pleased to get through work yesterday without him popping by. I had been on guard all day, waiting to see if his head would appear over my cubicle wall. Part of me was disappointed I didn’t see him, but I was happy as well.

“Hello?” Courtney said, waving her hand in front of my face.

“What?”

“You’re spacing out again. What has you so stressed you can’t even listen to your best friend tell you about her shoe dilemma? This is important business. I need your full attention,” she teased.

I laughed. “Sorry. You have my full attention.”

“Eh, I was only teasing. I’m keeping both pairs anyway.”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course you are.”

“So, tell me, what’s the latest with Harry Hotpants?” she said, waggling her brows.

I rolled my eyes. “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”

“Tell me and let me be the judge of that.”

“He wants us to get fake engaged. Apparently, his family is tired of his womanizing ways and has ordered him to settle down or he gets cut off. He wants me to pretend to be his fiancée for a few months to make them happy.”

Courtney raised an eyebrow. “That’s actually kind of genius.”

“No, it isn’t! He wants to lie to his family, and he wants me to help him do it. I think it would be considered fraud.”

She shrugged. “Not really. He is only telling them what they want to hear. Fraud would be him lying to a judge or something to inherit the estate. I think you should do it.”

I shook my head. “No way. William would never forgive me.”

“So? Who cares what William thinks?”

“I do!”

“You shouldn’t. He certainly doesn’t care what you think or feel.”

“Now you sound like Harry,” I said. “He suggested this would be a good way to get revenge on William.”

Courtney smiled. “I like the way he thinks.”

“If William finds out I hooked up with Harry, or if he believes I am engaged to Harry, he will never talk to me again.”

Courtney slapped a hand to her forehead. “Oh, my God. I thought you had gotten it through your thick head that William is never going to happen. He isn’t for you. He is a scoundrel. Let Tiffany have him and count your blessings you dodged the bullet.”

“It isn’t that easy. I mean, I see now William didn’t truly love me, but what if there is a chance for us? I don’t want to completely ruin my chances of being happy with him by hooking up with his brother.”

“You’re batshit crazy. Like, you are cooking bunnies in stewpots crazy. You’re obsessed with this guy. Let it go!”

My mouth dropped open. “I’m not obsessed.”

“Yes, you are. He’s the forbidden fruit. Except, in his case, he’s rotten fruit. You want him because he is so far out of your reach, it would be a challenge. You’re not proving anything to anybody. Leave him alone, Amber, please,” she begged.

“Every time I think I have put him out of my head, I find myself wondering about the what ifs. I mean, if there is even a slight chance, I don’t want to ruin it.”

Courtney was smiling.

“What?” I asked, trying to think of what I had said that would have her smiling like a complete fool.

I didn’t have to wonder long.

“Can we talk for a minute?”

I looked up to see Harry standing next to our table.

“What the hell?” I asked, dumbfounded. “How did you find me? How did you know where my parents’ diner is?”

He smiled. “I have my ways.”

“Are you stalking me?”

“Not yet, but I can if that’s what turns you on.”

Courtney burst into laughter. “I’m going to go see if your mom needs any help. You can have my seat,” she said, sliding out of the booth.

I glared at her, but she only smiled and waved before making an obscene gesture with her mouth in reference to Harry’s good looks.

“Harry, I don’t know what you’re doing here, but if it’s about the engagement, I’ve already told you no.”

“Did you at least think about it?” he asked, looking into my eyes. I hated when he did that. He was too good looking for my own good.

I didn’t get a chance to answer. My mother was making a beeline for us.

“Hi,” she said, greeting Harry with a warm smile.

“Hi,” he replied, smiling back at her.

“I’m Teresa, Amber’s mom,” she said, introducing herself.

Harry extended his hand. “I’m Harry Martin.”

“Good to meet you, Harry. Can I get you something today?”

He looked at me and then turned back to my mom. “How about a burger and fries?”

My mom nodded her head. “I can do that.”

“Do you have mushrooms?” he asked.

She grinned. “Of course.”

“Great! Make it nice and messy,” he said, looking at me and grinning.

“Messy is our specialty!”

“Sounds good. Thank you, Mrs. Bradley.”

She laughed. “Please, call me Teresa.”

I stared at Harry sitting in my parents’ diner, looking as if it was something he did all the time. I tried to picture William sitting in the booth, his arms stretched across the back, looking as comfortable as his brother. I knew that would never happen. Harry was also genuinely nice, something William wasn’t. He tried, but his niceness was always fake. It sometimes came off as aloof, which was something my mother would have been instantly irritated by. I could already tell she liked Harry. This could be very dangerous.

“So, why did you hunt me down?” I asked. “I know it wasn’t because you wanted a messy burger and fries. This place isn’t exactly in your neighborhood.”

“I wanted to see you.”

I fought against the response his simple declaration made me feel. “Why?”

“You know why. I’m really hoping I can convince you to take me up on my offer. I’m desperate.”

I almost felt bad for the guy. “Harry, it would be wrong. I would hate myself for lying to your family.”

“You don’t have to worry about my family. Once the engagement is over, how often do you think you’ll see them?”

I took a sip of my drink. “I don’t know. I do work for them, and they do tend to throw a lot of parties for the company. I want to move up, which means I need to stay in their good graces.”

“Perfect. Being my fiancée will put you on their radar. They’ll notice you and be more interested in the work you do. Trust me, my parents don’t know much about the inner workings of the company. They put on a good show and pretend to care about their employees, but it is all about the mighty dollar,” he insisted.

“William knows,” I pointed out.

“William knows and yet look how he treated you. If my dad knew what he had done, that little crown William sports would be tarnished. It has always been a rule in the family that we are not to fool around with the employees. My parents are frugal, and they understand the risks. I’m not saying you are a risk, but there have been plenty of women in the past who’ve tried to sleep their way to the top. My dad wasn’t always so discriminate and nearly cost the family a small fortune with one of his indiscretions.”

“What!” I gasped. “Your mom and dad seem so happily married!”

He chuckled. “I’ve told you; it’s all about the image. Wealthy people have their own rules about what’s acceptable and what isn’t.”

I shook my head. “That’s why William thinks it’s okay to proposition me.”

“He did what?” Harry asked, his charming tone gone and replaced by a low growl.

I waved a hand. “It’s no big deal. I shot him down.”

“Now I understand. He wants to keep you as his side chick, and you think that means he cares about you. Amber, you’re better than that.”

“I know, and I told him I wouldn’t do that. I have to admit, it is very offensive. Of course, being asked to be a fake fiancée isn’t exactly an ego booster either.”

“I’m sorry. You’re right, but I do truly like you. I like hanging out with you. I’m not trying to insult you,” he said, looking at me with those blue eyes that could melt the panties right off a woman’s body.

“I know you’re not. It’s just, I don’t like the idea of fooling your parents. I don’t want them to think I’m taking advantage of the situation or trying to get their money,” I explained.

“You’re not. I don’t care what they think. When it’s time to end things, I’ll be the asshole. I’ll have cheated on you, and you broke it off with me. That will say a lot about your character. They’ll realize you weren’t in it for the money. Your reputation will be just fine. Everyone will still respect you.”

My mom appeared with Harry’s meal and set it in front of him.

“Wow, this looks amazing,” he said with a smile.

“Thank you. Can I get you anything else?”

“No, thank you,” he told her, smiling warmly.

“Alright, well, I’ll leave you two to talk. Amber, remember your manners,” my mom said before spinning around and leaving.

“Yeah, Amber, remember your manners,” Harry teased. “Don’t reject a man who is begging you to consider his offer.”

“No way.”

“You know you want to.”

“I can’t.”

“You can. You know you can. Will you please think about it? No one is going to get hurt. It only has to last a few months. You are going to be helping out a friend in need,” he said, looking at me once again.

“A friend in need?”

“Well, I will be in serious need if I can’t find a woman who meets their standards in a hurry. I don’t want to rush out and pick up one of their approved society starlets. Things would only get messy. I can’t stand most of the women they try to set me up with. I’d be miserable. I wouldn’t be able to pull off the charade, and then I would end up poverty-stricken.”

I laughed. “You could get a job, you know.”

He looked at me with horror. “I can’t do that. I’m a terrible employee. I don’t follow direction and I’m always late. I’d be fired my first day.”

I shook my head. “You’re ridiculous.”

I sat with him while he ate his burger. He continued his campaign to convince me to be engaged. I hated that I was even considering it. He made a lot of excellent points. It wasn’t like anyone was going to get hurt, and I knew it would help him out. I didn’t hate the guy. I would hate to see him suffer when I could easily end that suffering by playing along for a little while. It wasn’t like my pretend engagement was going to interfere with other men asking me out. There wasn’t a long line of suitors waiting to ask me out.

I sighed, mulling it all over and running through the various consequences. I wasn’t going to tell him I was thinking about it. Not yet. Let him squirm a while longer. I walked him to his car once he was finished eating. He promised to be in touch. I promised nothing.