That was about the only positive thing to come from this entire ordeal.
“Who’s Tosh?” he asked when he returned to the room with a box in his hands.
My mouth opened and closed as I frantically tried to come up with something intelligent to say. “Me. I’m Tosh. It’s short for Tosh…iffany. Yeah. People can’t really say it right, so everyone just calls me Tosh. It’s easier.”
Apparently, coming up with an intelligent response wasn’t a quality I possessed when faced with an unexpected question.
“Oh, I thought everyone called you Tiffany. I can’t say I’ve ever seen anyone refer to you as Tosh in the media or online.”
“Yeah, that’s right.” I’d somehow forgotten that I was supposed to be famous-ish. That was up for debate. If you asked my sister—or my mother—they’d say she was more popular than Jesus. In my opinion, no one would’ve even known her name if it hadn’t been for her engagement to Adam King. “My professional name is Tiffany, but all my friends call me Tosh. Behind the scenes, of course. I certainly wouldn’t want to confuse my brand.”
Now would’ve been a fantastic time to shut up. Except, I didn’t seem to possess that quality, either. Maybe being Tiff hadn’t given me confidence. If anything, I just proved to myself how dangerous it was to be around others—it was too soon to convince anyone that I was my sister.
“It helps to keep me grounded—having both of my friends call me Tosh.” Too bad Dave wasn’t here to enjoy the dig I’d made at Tiffany’s expense. “Both friends. That’s laughable. I only have one, and really, the only time I see her is when I look in the mirror.”
My joke about Tiff’s only friend being her reflection was lost on this audience.
I really missed Dave.
At least it made Jacoby laugh. “Then I guess I’ll continue to call you Tiffany,” he said as he handed me the box.
Slightly offended by that comment, I patted the cushion to my left and smiled. “How about you stay and keep me company until these pills kick in. We can use the time to get to know one another…as long as you don’t have anywhere else to be.”
Yup, I’d definitely hit my head. It was the only reason I would’ve invited him to stay.
“You want me to keep you company?”
“Sure. I mean, why not? We’re neighbors, aren’t we?”
“Uh…yeah.” He conceded and came to take a seat on the couch, though he acted a little unsure of the situation. “I guess I can hang out for a few minutes.”
It wasn’t lost on me that I was treading in shark-infested waters. In two or three months, I’d be gone, and he’d be left with the real Tiffany Lewis. Befriending him was basically setting him up for failure. Although, I was lonely, and it was nice to have someone to talk to. Dave had promised to come and stay with me when he could, but that would only be for a few days at a time—a week at the most. I’d spent my entire life living with someone else, so being here all alone was a little unnerving. Truthfully, there was no way I’d survive without company of some kind.
“If you are your only friend”—maybe my joke hadn’t been lost on him—“does that mean you sent yourself a package?” He raised his brows and pointed to the box in my lap.
I checked the name of the sender and smiled. “No, it’s from my best friend, Dave.”
“Oh, thank God.” When he observed what I could only assume was a perplexed expression on my face, he shook his head and sniggered. “Earlier, you said Dave would be here soon, so I was concerned that you were cheating on your boyfriend. Unless, of course, his name is Davadam, and his close friends call him Dave while the public calls him Adam—to not confuse his fans. Either way, the last thing I need is to be in the headlines for some drama I’m not even involved in.”
I really needed to remember that I was supposed to be engaged.
“Nope, nothing like that at all. Dave has been my best friend since high school. Nothing to get mixed up in.” Needing to take my mind off the drama that I now called my life, I attempted to open the box, but unfortunately, I couldn’t cut through the tape without something sharp.
“Let me do that.” Jacoby took the package from me and pulled out a