Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Juniper Theres no other earthly reason why he would possibly want us to be pretend engaged .
Its beyond illogical .
Rory also stands , shoving his chair back so fast it almost falls and holding up his hands .
Look , I know what it sounds like .
Batshit crazy , but hear me out- Hear you out ? My voice is high pitched and grating .
Why the crap should I ? Im not qualified for this and you need help , sir .
Miss Winkley , it was an accident .
A catastrophic slip of the tongue .
A fucking brain fart , if you will .
The exasperated way he says it makes me laugh .
Then he sighs again .
Frankly , my business prospect loved your desserts more than my ideas .
He practically made it a condition of moving forward with a very large real estate deal .
I told him I could make it happen , I had connections , one thing led to another and and then I blurted out a white lie like a complete jackass .
White lie ? Thats an understatement .
You told him were engaged ? Yes .
He swipes a hand over his face .
Holy hell .
And what ? You think I should just play along ? Would it kill you ? his face says , but he holds his tongue .
What else do you want me to say ? he growls , the softness gone .
I told you , it was a massive slip .
A runaway fuckup in a high pressure meeting .
We need this deal , Miss Winkley .
Oh , okay .
That totally sounds like something that really happened and not a cheesy rom com plot bunny from the nineties .
As excuses go , its pretty terrible .
Surely he doesnt expect me to believe him .
Except hes looking at me with desperation in those dusky blue eyes , and that tells me one of two things .
Either hes going to stuff me in the trunk of his -car or he really did do something this unbelievably stupid .
Oh my God .
Youre serious , I huff , fanning myself in the summer heat .
Okay .
Okay , I think we just need to calm down for a minute .
Lets think this through … I run my hand through my hair , twisting it into a makeshift bun at the back .
So , youre ready to sign on to a boatload of stuff you hate if I pretend to be your fiancée ? Fake fiancée .
He nods gruffly .
Youll think about it , then ? I grit my teeth .
Absolutely not .
Except I cant tell him that .
Not when hes clearly unhinged and even if he is… I do need the money .
Im well aware of the fact that we dont even know each other .
Even if this was real , its not something a mentally sound person would do .
And even if we did , theres no way I could agree and let it go public .
Nanas been on a mission trying to marry me off , and one almost- engagement breakup was bad enough .
Shed never get over another one , no matter how fake or flimsy it might be .
Mr.
Rory , this is weird , but Im flattered .
I guess , I lie , trying to let him down easy .
Honestly , I am .
And Im willing to try out this pilot delivery if youd still like to move forward .
But I just I cant be your fiancée .
My family , they … they wouldnt be comfortable with it at all .
Although , if she ever found out , Nana would be at the head of the marriage train , blasting the horn to all my nosy cousins .
I wince at the thought .
Pure torture .
Nope .
Not a chance .
Last I checked , its ninety degrees and muggy , which means hell is far from frozen over .
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This is a nightmare reped up in a dark joke .
A perle deal and some serious money gone poot 1 st back dows , yrking, at my tattered cake and trying to muter up the energy to finish cleaning up before I head home to my cal ykly longines bills the oh oh the est ever Even the thought of dating this pray makes my skin crawl , never mind acting like Im planning on marrying him .
But his hands felt electric on my back Ä 17.6 % Chapter 16 Theyd never let me live it down , and the fact that hes got a cologne models dark hair and piercing , blue eyes and charms that took maaring pat makes this whole thing worse .
Im sorry , I say more firmly .
My apron feels too tight and the knot at the back seems stock when i tug at it .
Being trapped in an apron white werk , down a fake engagement really sucks , God , why cant I get it off ? I dont want to be the reason that your deal falls through , but this is too weud for me , Never mind unprofessional .
I half expect him to argue , to throw a tantrum , to hurl his coffee across the room .
Honestly , it wouldnt be the worst thing when Im used to dealing with angry , explosive asstudes all the time , He looked desperate enough to unleash some fury a minute ago , but now hes eerily calm again , and he watches my sad attempts to undo the knew th deflated curiosity .
A pity , he says roughly , Im afraid the engagement is part of the deal Oh , sure .
Part of his deal in wacko world where people do crazy things for big money , maybe , but not mine .
Im just scraping by , but I still have a shred of pride , Sighing .
I give up on the apron and let my hands drop Im sorry , I tell him again .
Really .
Im glad you like our pastries , though .
If you ever need another order like , a normal one yourre welcome to I stop mid sentence .
He pulls out another business card from his wallet how many of those things does he carry around ? -and a pen .
A fancy one , chronsky , became he wouldnt just walk around with a basic clicky ballpoint pen from a value pack like the rest of us .
Thats my personal number , he tells me , scrawling something quickly across the back .
Just think about it , Miss Winkley .
Then call me the instant youve made up your mind .
… but it already is , I tell him .
The man is either selectively deaf or brutally stubborn .
He just gives me a look of pure soul drilling intensity and walks off , but not before stopping behind me , reaching down , and- Holy shit , no , He cant be , But he is .
I barely feel his fingers working , his hard knuckles scraping my back , before the knot comes loose .
I stare up at him in shock .
Youre free .

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I hope you realize that wont change when you reconsider .
Im like a fish out of water , straining for words that wont come and staring at his back as he disappears out the door .
God .
After sucking down the rest of my coffee , I set my cup on the table and pinch my arm until it hurts .
Yep , still here , unfortunately .
Im not dreaming .
This is a real life nightmare wrapped up in a dark joke .
A perfect deal and some serious money gone poof ! And all because one big rich idiot couldnt keep his mouth shut .
I sit back down , picking at my tattered cupcake and trying to muster up the energy to finish cleaning up before I head home to my cat .
Engaged ? My lonely laughter spills through the store .
That would be the craziest shit ever … No fooling .
Even the thought of dating this guy makes my skin crawl , never mind acting like Im planning on marrying him .
But his hands felt electric on my back .
16.42 Love Betrayed .
A tourney of Sena 17.6 % Chapter 16 Ugh Why are the men with slag for souls the best fallen angels ? Its not fair .
But Dexter Rory could be an actual heaven sent angel in disguise and I still wouldnt change my mind .
Im not pretending to marry him and thats that .
Hell just have to find another sucker to play the part, a sweet girl willing to bat her eyes and fawn all over him like he has a better personality than a hungover grizzly bear , and Ill just have to find a saner way to keep scaring up money .