best,” Robert nodded. “You can trust him with your life.”
“So, we’re all good!” I said happily. “I have to get to work before your other brother kills me.”
“Wait, you’re not working on this?” Rebecca asked.
“Well, he does all the work. I’m just…here.”
“No, I want you here in the city.”
“But I don’t live in the city. I can’t keep going back and forth. The drive alone is ridiculous, not to mention how much gas money that would be.”
“I could offer you a job as my personal assistant. You would easily make three times what you’re making now.”
My eyes widened in shock. “Um, that’s really…impressive, but I like my job.”
“I’ll give you your own car and driver.”
“I don’t-“
“I don’t get it,” Rebecca said. “You’re engaged to be married, but you don’t live in the same city?”
“We’re still working out the details,” Robert jumped in. “There’s a lot to consider.”
“But you’re still getting married, right?”
“Of course,” Robert said, slipping his arm around my waist, pulling me in closer.
“When’s the wedding?”
“Christmas,” I piped up before I could think better of it. Robert squeezed my side, but it was the first thing I could think of. His brother was getting married and that was still on my mind. Hell, I was helping with the planning. It just popped out.
She glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed. “I have to get going, but I want to hear more about this Christmas wedding. We’ll do lunch.”
“Me?” I asked in shock.
She was putting on her gloves, but stopped and looked at me. “No, Robert. I was hoping he could tell me about the flower arrangements and we would discuss this fabulous dress you’re going to wear.”
“Right,” I chuckled, glancing nervously at Robert. I couldn’t do small talk, and I especially couldn’t do lunch with her and talk about my fake wedding with her. That was insane.
“I’ll call you later this week to set up a time.”
She turned and walked out of the conference room and I sank down into the chair, shaking my head. “No, no, no,” I groaned. “This is so bad. I’ll have to make up some excuse. I can’t meet her for lunch.”
“Just make some stuff up.”
“I’ll just tell her that we postponed the wedding or something.”
“Anna, she’s going through with this because she trusts us as a couple.”
“And you don’t think that’s a little deceptive?” I shouted. “We’re bad people, Robert. This is bad, so very bad. We’re manipulating her into thinking we’re in love.”
“But, Anna, I am in love with you.”
“No,” I shook my head. “You want to think that you’re in love with me because of the guilt you feel over what happened between us. But what happened doesn’t matter now. Thinking you’re in love with me is not the same as actually being in love, and when you have the chance to really think about it, you’ll realize that everything you think you thought was true was all just…bad thinking.”
“Bad thinking.”
“Yes,” I shoved up out of my chair. “None of this is real. This ring is fake. It’s not even a real diamond,” I almost shouted. Robert grabbed me by the elbow and dragged me out of the conference room where people could see us and into his office, shutting the door behind him. “All of that stuff at the restaurant was a scam. Nothing was real!”
“Nothing?” he asked, pressing me up against the door. “So, when you told her how I was the love of your life and your best friend, that was a lie?”
“No, not that, but-“
“Anna, maybe that ring is a lie, but I never got over you. Hell, I’ll never get over you even if you refuse to see me ever again. I tried for the last thirteen years and it didn’t work.”
“You were such an ass when you saw me again. How can you say that you love me?”
“You were a bitch to me. You acted like I was nothing to you. Of course, I protected myself.”
“Robert, I don’t get it. What are you saying?”
He backed up, running his hand through his hair. “I don’t know. Look-“
But he didn’t get a chance to say anything else because the door opened, almost slamming into me if I hadn’t quickly moved. Mr. Mosley walked in with an evil look on his face.
“Is it handled?”
“Yes,” Robert answered. “Everything will be taken care of. In fact, Anna was just heading out for the day. The crisis has been averted.”