* * *
Josie pulled through Reese’s gate and wondered how she’d let him talk her into this. Granted, she hadn’t put up much of a fight. She’d been tired, worried about her roof, and she really didn’t want to be present when workers started banging around and making more of a mess.
Still. Was he going to parade around in those little black boxer briefs again? True, she’d seen him in swim trunks, but that was before something had shifted in her mind with the words my fiancé.
That was before he’d pulled her into his side and caressed her hip like only a lover would do. There was something so possessive, so damn sexy about the way he’d taken charge. Her entire life she’d prided herself on being independent. Yet the way Reese had claimed her had done something to that friend switch and she wasn’t sure she could flip it back to the way it used to be...the way it was supposed to be.
Ugh. This entire situation had gotten out of control so fast, she was both confused and frustrated. For someone who always had every damn thing in order and under control, her mental state was a complete mess.
Josie pulled around the circular drive and stopped right in front of the steps leading up to Reese’s insanely large beach house. The man never did anything in small proportions. His house was easily four times the size of hers and he lived alone. His chef and maid came and went—they were hardly ever seen, yet the house remained immaculate and there were always fresh dishes in the refrigerator.
Reese treated his employees like family and they remained so loyal and went above and beyond to please him. He might be a billionaire mogul, but he was literally the only person she knew with a selfless heart of gold.
Josie’s cell chimed just as she put her car into Park. If this was another text from Chris...
She’d totally downplayed how much he’d texted and called because she didn’t want Reese to go complete Neanderthal on her...though proclaiming upcoming nuptials had been pretty caveman of him.
She opened the text, relieved to see it was from her editor, Melissa, but that relief quickly turned to dread.
Congrats on the big engagement! We just posted a blog teaser, but I want a Q&A with you and Reese ASAP! This is so exciting!
With her breath caught in her throat, Josie reread Melissa’s text. Josie had confided in her assistant, Carrie, earlier that morning, more joking than anything, that Reese had claimed they were engaged and her world had been flipped upside down, but she was still getting that column in on time.
Josie had thought they were just having random chatter and now this? A teaser blog post had already gone up on the site...the site that had hundreds of thousands of hits per day. There was no pulling back from such a dramatic announcement without tarnishing the stellar reputation of not only Cocktails & Classy, but of her own image as well.
Josie stared at the message, unsure how to respond. She did, however, know who was responsible for this leak. As if following up with her somewhat new assistant constantly to make sure things were done properly wasn’t annoying enough, now she couldn’t trust her.
And here they’d thought getting rid of Chris would be the biggest issue.
Obviously, Josie’s assistant would have to be dealt with first thing in the morning. Right now, though, she had one other matter to handle.
She had to actually fake an engagement to her best friend. This had gone beyond just lying to her ex. Now the public was aware of her personal life, too.
Josie hit Reply and chose her words carefully. Thankfully, she wasn’t responding in person and dealing with Melissa seeing her shocked face.
Thanks. I had no idea you would find out this way. We’re still processing the news, so the Q&A might have to wait.
Josie knew her fans would want the scoop, especially since she was coming off a divorce only six months ago. The outpouring of love and kindness had overwhelmed her and left her feeling a little guilty, considering she hadn’t loved Chris. He’d been a nice guy who’d come along at the wrong time. Why wouldn’t he just let her set him free?
She prided herself on being available to her readers and really interacting with them, so it was quite understandable that Melissa would want to share the happy news with the world. Unfortunately, the last thing Josie wanted was another public relationship...another failed public relationship. Because this fake engagement certainly wasn’t going to last.
Josie didn’t wait for a reply. She grabbed her purse and suitcase and headed up the steps to the front door. She was going to have to tell Reese about all of this and then she’d have to see how he felt about a real, fake engagement.
Good heavens, he’d probably do something stupid like really go buy her a ring. And knowing Reese, the thing wouldn’t be subtle or cheap.
If only she’d kept her mouth shut earlier on the phone. But in her defense, Josie hadn’t had any reason not to trust her assistant. And maybe Carrie was just chattering and not thinking when she told Melissa. Still, the lie was out there and Josie was going to have to deal with the consequences.
The front door flew open and Reese reached for her suitcase. Josie jumped back at his abrupt greeting.
“Why didn’t you use the elevator?” he scolded. “I would’ve gotten this for you so you didn’t have to lug it up the stairs.”
“It wasn’t a big deal,” she replied as she stepped into the open foyer. “I’m quite capable of carrying my own luggage.”
He muttered something about her being stubborn, but she let that roll off. She was well aware of her stubborn side and she wasn’t apologetic for it.
“You ready for that movie?” he asked. “We can set up in the theater room or we can go out onto the patio.”
The outdoor patio with a viewing screen was quite impressive, but she couldn’t focus on the niceties of his house right now. All she could think about was how fast this fire was spreading and who else knew she and Reese were engaged.