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. I see.And how long have you been pretending you ve had a boyfriend? And is this something youusually do? he teased.She actually laughed, and her eyes lit up her face. No, I don t usually make up phantom boyfriends.I was just taken off guard.And thanks to how quickly the rumor mill works at the firm, it didn t takelong for my boss to hear about it and make his own congratulations. Aw, the intrigue.And what were you planning on at this little firm retreat? Were you hoping no onewould notice your boyfriend was imaginary? To be honest, I hadn t thought about it at all until my boss made a point of telling me how my shotat partnership was tied into convincing the senior partners that wedded bliss was on the horizon. Shestudied her fingernails. The next board meeting is in early December, where they make the final vote.If I can keep up the charade through then, I ll be in.And then I can make up a sad breakup story andmove on.As to the retreat, I ll just say you  he noted the mischievous gleam in her eyes  couldn tget away.Some construction emergency, blah, blah, blah.I think now that there s been an actualboyfriend sighting, I ll be okay. I m glad I could be of service.But to tell you the truth, from the looks of this Michael guy, I don tsee why you felt the need to have to make up any boyfriend at all.He s kind of a douche.Her laugh was deep and full, her head falling back to reveal a smooth pale expanse of skin.Sheshould do that more. I think that s exactly what my friend Payton called him.She ll be glad to hear someone else is ofthe same opinion.His phone buzzed in his back pocket.He pulled it out and glanced down.His brother. I ve got to take this, he said with some reluctance before heading to the kitchen. Mom just called, Cruz said. Some guys just came and repossessed Daisy s car.She s a mess.When she got Leo on the phone, he admitted he stopped making the payments.Told her he wants adivorce.He s decided Daisy and the kids are no longer his responsibility.I m going to kill him.Dominic would join him.He d never trusted the guy, but Daisy could be damn headstrong when shewanted.Seeing only the good in people, what little there might be. What she needs is an attorney.Someone to go after the bastard. Yeah.But you know Daisy.Proud and stubborn, she s refusing my help.I told her it would only bea loan, until she got back on her feet.She won t hear it.She went down to Legal Aid, but according toMom, resources are pretty limited and it might be months before she hears back from them.If shedoes.And Daisy needed someone now.Someone smart and passionate.And he could think of one person right now who might fit that description. We can figure it out tomorrow at family dinner, Cruz said finally. I m thinking about bringingBecca.She s been hounding me for weeks to meet the family.You know, she has a roommate, a reallycute dental assistant that I can line you up with.Not a chance. Not necessary.But thanks. You ve got to move on sometime, Dom. I m doing just fine.But look, I ve got to get going.I m in the middle of something. Fine.But just be nice to Becca.And please don t regale her with any stories circa high school orearlier.Payback can be a bitch. Hey, I m always nice.Besides, women love to hear how the serious, always stoic Cruz oncewrote a love note to his sixth-grade teacher.They eat that stuff up. Ha-ha.Just remember.Payback, Cruz said. Yeah, I m worried.I ll talk to you later, he said and hung up before his brother could say anythingmore.Not just to avoid another lecture about not letting one woman scar him for life, but because anidea had struck him.Was it as ludicrous if he said it out loud as it was running through his head?Dominic returned to the other room, where Kate was sitting on the couch glancing through one ofthe home repair books they d picked up.He sat on the edge of the step stool. This retreat thing with your work, he started. It s going to bepretty tough keeping up the charade of being in a happy, dedicated relationship if your boyfriend can tbother to show for such a pivotal moment in your career, don t you think?Kate grimaced. I don t really have a lot of alternatives, do I? Maybe you do.She shook her head, her brows furrowed in confusion. I do? What would you say if I agreed to go with you? Continued the charade to your senior partners, aswell as your former boyfriend, that you were in a happy, committed relationship. Why would you want to do that for me? Wait.This isn t some proposition thing, right? You re nottrying to sleep with me or anything.Because I can tell you now, I m not willing to whore myself outfor  Easy there.I wasn t implying we were going to sleep together.Well, not in the biblical sense.Unless she wanted to. I d just be there to add credence to your lie.That s all.She narrowed her eyes in suspicion and bit her bottom lip. Uh-huh.What s the catch? What do youget in return? I need your help.Your legal help, he added.He briefly explained his sister s marital situationand the urgent need for reliable legal service right now, not in a few months. We ve offered to payfor an attorney, but she won t accept any financial assistance [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]