Either way, I felt defeated.
“Has pretending to be Queen Bee gotten you this down in only two weeks? How in the world are you going to keep this up for two more months?” Dave paused the game he was in the middle of playing when I plopped down on the couch like a sack of potatoes.
“I don’t think I’ll have too much of an issue being Tiff toward people I don’t know, or those who are just like her. But having to be cold and rude to someone I actually like is torture.”
“Hold the phone…are you saying you like this guy? Like, like like?”
I rolled my eyes and then stared at the ceiling for a very long moment, trying to figure out how to explain this to Dave without making the situation worse—which was his forte. “I think he’s a nice person who doesn’t deserve this attitude, fake or not.”
“That might be all well and true, Tosh, but what are your options? It’s not like you can tell him the truth—you’re legally gagged. And if you’re nice to him now, what’s going to happen when the real Tiffany Lewis comes back? I can assure you that things will be even worse for him if that happens.”
“I know, I know.” I buried my head in a pillow and let out a frustrated scream. When I was done, I was saddened to realize that it didn’t make me feel any better. “You didn’t see his face, Dave. You didn’t see how bothered he was by being treated like crap all day. I hate that.”
“You like him, don’t you?” He held up one finger—rather close to my face—to keep me from speaking so he could add, “And don’t even think about lying to me. I can read you like a book.”
“No, I don’t.” If that was a lie, then I was also lying to myself. “I’ve only hung out with the guy a couple of times. Do I think he’s the sexiest man I’ve ever seen? Absolutely. Do I think he’s nice and easy to be around? Of course. But that’s about all I know of him. I feel like I know more about his sister.”
“This is why I told you to just sleep with him.”
“I can’t do that. I may not know much about him, but we’re definitely beyond the level of strangers, so that won’t work.”
He dropped his head forward and slowly shook it back and forth while tsking. “Girl, you’re in so much trouble.”
“What? Why?” That at least got me to sit up straighter, rather than look like I was trying to get the couch to swallow me whole. “What did I do?”
“Okay, so maybe you don’t like him…yet. But it is coming. And I don’t see how this could possibly end well for either of you. I love you, so if I thought there was a chance in hell, I’d be all for it. I honestly don’t see anything good coming from it. Not only will you get your heart broken, but you’ll basically be feeding him to the wolves.”
“What if he signs an NDA?”
“Yeah, that could work. Let’s call Ty and see what he thinks about that.” Each word was dipped in total sarcasm since we both knew Ty would never go for it. The fewer people, the better and all that jazz.
I’d known from the very beginning that I was setting Jacoby up for failure as far as Tiffany was concerned. As soon as I’d invited him to stay and hang out while I iced my ankle, I came to the conclusion that I was playing with fire. But what did I do? I cooked those Pizza Rolls and then took them over to his place. Not just that, but then I hung out and watched a movie with him. If I’d been fully submerged into the role I was being paid to play, that would have never happened.
Except it did.
And now I don’t know how to finagle my way out of it.
Dave sighed, which immediately caught my attention. He knew me better than anyone, and as he moved to sit in front of me on the ottoman, he was about to give me a well-deserved reality check.
“I’ve never known you to have a mean bone in your body. So the fact that you more or less befriended him—even though you weren’t supposed to—doesn’t surprise me. I’ve also never known you to be genuinely interested in many people. So the fact that you’re this twisted up about his feelings isn’t lost on me. I can only assume you’re interested in him as more than an acquaintance.”
“Like I said before, Dave…I barely know him.”
“But you want to know more.”
I hadn’t really thought too much about that, but once I let his question sink in, I realized that, yes, I was interested in finding out more about him. Especially after today, when I learned about his sister and how much she did for the community.
“Okay, so how about this?” He clapped and rubbed his palms together, excited about whatever idea he was about to unfold. “He’s under the assumption that you have a fiancé. You can’t really get out of that one, so use that as the buffer to get to know him on a friendly level. Then, right before the jig is up, explain to him the situation and hope like hell he isn’t pissed off at you for lying to him. Although, I’m sure that once he realizes you’re only saving him from the real Tiffany, he’ll forgive you. And then you might be able to explore something beyond a friendship if it’s what you both want.”
“That’s actually a really good idea.”
“What can I say…I’m an ideas man.” And then, as if we hadn’t just had a serious conversation, he went back to his video game. “You want a beer?”
“Sure, I
