The Spanish Love Deception Elena Armas (free ebook reader for ipad .TXT) đ
- Author: Elena Armas
Book online «The Spanish Love Deception Elena Armas (free ebook reader for ipad .TXT) đ». Author Elena Armas
âNothing to think about.â I cut my hand through the air between us. Then, I smiled my version of Rosieâs fake, toothy grin. âIâd take a chimpanzee dressed in a tuxedo before taking you.â
His eyebrows rose, amusement barely entering his eyes. âNow, come on; we both know you wouldnât. While there are chimpanzees that would rise up to the occasion, it will be your ex standing there. Your family. You said you need to make an impression, and I will accomplish exactly that.â He tilted his head. âIâm your best option.â
I snorted, clapping my hands once. Smug blue-eyed pain in my ass. âYou are my best nothing, Blackford. And I have plenty of other options,â I countered, shrugging a shoulder. âIâll find someone on Tinder. Maybe put out an ad in the New York Times. I can find someone.â
âIn only a few weeks? Highly unlikely.â
âRosie has friends. Iâll take one of them.â
That had been my plan all along. It was the reason why I had grabbed Rosie so early in the day. Rookie mistake on my part, I realized. I should have waited to get off work and gotten Rosie to a safe, Aaron-free place to talk. But after yesterdayâs call with MamĂĄ ⊠yeah. Things had changed. My situation had definitely changed. I needed someone, and I couldnât stress enough that anyone would do. Anyone who wasnât Aaron, of course. Rosie had been born and raised in the city. There had to be someone she knew.
âRight, Rosie? One of your friends must be available.â
My friendâs head popped in again. âMaybe Marty? He loves weddings.â
I shot a quick glance at her. âWasnât Marty the one who got drunk at your cousinâs wedding, stole the mic from the band, and sang âMy Heart Will Go Onâ until your brother had to drag him off the stage?â
âThat would be him.â She winced.
âYeah, no.â I couldnât have that at my sisterâs wedding. Sheâd rip his heart out of his chest and serve it as dessert. âWhat about Ryan?â
âHappily engaged.â
A sigh left my lips. âNot surprised. Ryan is a total catch.â
âI know. Thatâs why I tried so many times to get you two together, but youââ
I cleared my throat loudly, interrupting her. âWe arenât discussing why I am single.â I quickly glanced back at Aaron. His eyes were on me, narrowed. âHow about ⊠Terry?â
âMoved to Chicago.â
âDammit.â I shook my head, closing my eyes for an instant. This was useless. âThen, Iâll hire an actor. Pay him to act as my date.â
âThatâs probably expensive,â Aaron said flatly. âAnd actors arenât exactly lying around, waiting for single people to hire and parade them as their plus-ones.â
I pinned him with an exasperated look. âIâll get a professional escort.â
His lips pressed in that tight, almost-hermetic way they did when he was extremely irritated. âYouâd take a male prostitute to your sisterâs wedding before taking me?â
âI said, an escort, Blackford. Por Dios,â I muttered, watching his eyebrows bunch and turn into the scowl. âIâm not looking for that kind of service. I just need a companion. Thatâs all they do. They escort you to events.â
âThatâs not what they do, Catalina.â His voice was deep and icy. Covering me in his frosty judgment.
âHavenât you watched any romantic comedies ever?â I watched the scowl deepen. âNot even The Wedding Date?â
No answer, just more of that arctic staring.
âDo you even watch movies? Or do you just ⊠work?â
There was a possibility that he didnât even own a television. His expression didnât change.
God, I donât have time for this. For him.
âYou know what? Not important. I donât care.â I threw my hands up and then clasped them together. âThank you for ⊠this. Whatever it was. Great input. But I donât need you.â
âI think you do.â
I blinked at him. âI think you are annoying.â
âCatalina,â he started, making my irritation grow with the way he uttered my name. âYou are delusional if you think you can find someone in such a short amount of time.â
Once more, Aaron Blackford wasnât wrong.
I probably was a little delusional. And he didnât even know about the lie. My lie. Not that heâd ever do. But that didnât change the facts. I needed someone, anyone, but not him, not Aaron, to fly to Spain with me for Isabelâs wedding. Because (A) I was the brideâs sister and maid of honor. (B) My ex, Daniel, was the groomâs brother and best man. And as of yesterday, I had learned that he was happily engaged. Something that my family had been hiding from me. (C) If you didnât count the few and pretty unsuccessful dates I had gone on, I had been technically single for roughly six years. Ever since I had left Spain and moved to the States, which had happened shortly after my one and only relationship exploded in my face. Something that every single attendeeâbecause there were no secrets in families like mine and much less in small towns like the one I had come fromâknew about and pitied me for. And (D) there was my lie.
The lie.
The one I had sort of fed my mother and consequently the whole MartĂn clan because privacy and boundaries did not exist when it came to us. Hell, by now, my lie was probably on the Announcements page of the local newspaper.
Catalina MartĂn, finally, not single. Her family is happy to announce that she will bring her American boyfriend to the wedding. Everyone is invited to come and witness the most magical event of the decade.
Because that was what I had done. Right after the news of Danielâs engagement had slipped past my motherâs lips and reached my ears through the speaker of my phone, I had said that Iâd be bringing someone too. No, not just someone. Iâd saidâlied, deceived, falsely announcedâthat Iâd be bringing my boyfriend.
Who technically did not exist.
Yet.
Okay, fine, or ever. Because Aaron was right. Finding a date in such a short amount of time was perhaps a little optimistic. Believing Iâd find someone to pretend
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