CHAPTER NINE

 

 

I twirl in a circle in my huge walk-in closet, inspecting every inch of my carefully chosen outfit in the huge full-length mirror on one wall. I pretty much spent all day contemplating everything from my simple diamond stud earrings to my turquoise socks.

“What do you think, Kali?” I ask, glancing over my shoulder at my beautiful blond friend seated on the carpeted floor beside my shoes. Liv was currently down in the living room putting finishing touches on some fashion designs, otherwise she’d be up here, too.

Kali tilts her head one way and then the other before winking and giving me a brilliant smile.

“That cozy hoodie is definitely a cute look for an impromptu live—and gurl, you are rocking those braided pigtails—but if you’d just let me give you a bit more lipstick it’d really seal the deal!” she gushes, leaning forward while dragging a bright red lippie from her pocket.

I laugh and playfully bat her hand away.

“Nope!” I say. “I'm going for the totally unfiltered look today, babe. I want the viewers to feel like my relationship is genuine, so I have to come off that way, too.”

Kali’s brows furrow slightly. “You want our fans to feel like your relationship is genuine? That’s kind of a weird thing to say.”

Choking in surprise, I clear my throat hard and pretend to fuss with the end of one of my pigtails. “You know what I mean!” I stammer hastily. “I don’t want the Glammers to think I’m being secretive with them. I’ve always been an open book.”

She appraises me, watching as I tug the hem of my oversized hoodie and adjust the waistband of my black leggings. I’d tried on like eight different outfits before settling on this one.

“If you say so...” she says slowly. “Listen, I know our fans are special and we’re definitely kind of a family, but this relationship is just between you and Boone at the end of the day. You don’t have to feel pressured to share every single thing. You know that, right?”

I shrug in answer, keen to change the subject. It’s a whole lot more complicated than what Kali thinks. “I better text Boone and see where he is. I posted like an hour ago that I was going to go live with him to clear up the rumors.”

Kali clears her throat and squirms slightly. “Um…actually, Boone is already here.”

“He’s here?” I shriek, my eyes going wide. “What? When?”

She glances at the clock on her phone and then shrugs. “Like fifteen minutes ago? I came up to tell you about it and then you asked me to help you with your outfit and it just…slipped my mind, I guess? Grayson wanted a chance to get to know Boone a little bit anyway.”

I let out an aggravated squeal and dart out of the walk-in closet before she can finish what she was saying, making a beeline for the stairs. From down in the living room, I can hear two male voices drifting my way. At least he had Grayson to keep him company. Hopefully, Boone hadn’t let anything slip.

When I burst into the living room, the two men are chuckling.

“Hey, boys,” I say uneasily. “How’s it going?”

On one end of the sectional, Boone climbs to his feet and grins at Grayson. The dark-haired lawyer seated on the other end of the couch is grinning, too.

“Hey, darlin’,” Boone says warmly. “We were just chatting.”

“I was giving Boone some pointers about what it means to be an honorary G&G member,” Grayson explains. “I had to go through this whole thing with Kali, so I know the deal.”

“You make it sound like a chore,” I tease.

The mood between the two handsome men is light and airy. Neither one seems tense or annoyed, so the conversation must have been pleasant. I sag with relief.

Grayson shrugs. “If it’s a chore, it’s the best one in the whole world because it brought Kali into my life.”

“You’re such a sap!” Kali gushes as she follows me into the living room.

Liv lets out a dreamy-sounding sigh from the kitchen. Her fashion designs are spread out in front of her, covering the whole kitchen counter, and Chanel is nestled under the crook of one of her arms. She doesn’t say anything, but instead, simply gazes at us wistfully. Our sweet little starry-eyed romantic thinks she’s the only one without a man, but Liv has no idea that I’m only going to be taken for a few months at best. Boone and I put a nine-month cap on our fake relationship. A year was too long to carry on the lie and six months felt too short for it to feel genuine. Nine months, we’d decided together, would be perfect.

Shaking off the gloomy thought of our looming deadline, I sidle closer to Boone. He slips an arm around my waist like it’s the most natural thing in the world and pulls me close. I take a deep breath and get a whiff of his familiar, delectable cologne. It never fails to make me giddy and today is no different.

“Are we ready to do this?” he asks, gazing down at me.

I nod and hold up my phone. “Insta is waiting. The live won’t be too long or too complicated. The Glammers mostly just want to see your face and hear your voice.”

“Sounds good,” he says with a nod.

I know he’s a little uneasy about chatting face to face with the G&G fans, but this isn’t my first rodeo. I know exactly what kinds of questions they’ll ask, and I’ve already prepped his answers. To keep things simple, we’re keeping stuff as close to the truth as possible. The only lie is that we’re not actually dating at all.

Giving my besties and Grayson a smile and a wave, I take Boone’s hand and lead him upstairs to my bedroom. Sunlight spills into the space from the big window, a puffy floral comforter covers my queen-size bed, and dozens of tiny fairy lights placed all around the room bath it in a soft purple glow.

“We’re going to shoot the video here,” I announce, gesturing to my perfectly fluffed pillows and the comforter that I’d folded neatly back.

His gaze skims the room before settling warily on the bed. “In your bed…?”

“Yep!” I say. “It’s the perfect intimate spot to make the viewers feel like they’re part of the conversation. Believe me, it works like a charm.”

He slowly nods, still looking thoughtful. “You really know how to put on a show, don’t you?” he chuckles, but there’s a wariness in his expression. It must be his nerves.

“I absolutely do,” I insist.

Before he can say anything else, I gently nudge him toward my bed, and he eases down against my pillows. The minute he does, Coco hops up and curiously approaches him. Mouth curving and gaze softening, he holds out a big hand to her. She gives him one deliberating sniff before stepping gracefully into his lap, then she spins in an elegant circle before laying down.

I gasp in shock, staring at him with wide eyes. My heart just about melts at the sight of the two of them. Could this guy get any better?

“Just so you know, you aren’t allowed to move until she gets up,” I tease. “She doesn’t normally take to people like this.”

Coco purrs happily, a content kitty smile on her furry face.

Boone chuckles and takes my hand, tugging me down next to him on the bed. “Let’s do this,” he murmurs.

I lift up my phone, nestling into his side and giving Coco one little pat before counting down from three and starting the live feed.

The viewers instantly start rolling in, excited to meet this mystery man that I was spotted with the other day on the beach. The comments and questions are flying faster than we can even keep up, but I know we can handle this. In fact, I’m starting to think that as long as Boone and I are together, we can do anything.

Including fooling the entire population of LA into thinking we’re head over heels for each other.