MY FAKE LOVE AFFAIR
ours ago, she was a face on TV. Now, she was in my car and thanking me for help
grace. The woman had the look of someone with mon
alluding to some exotic bloodlines. I imagined she had dark eyes. I wis
d expect a high-powered attorney to wear into court. It demanded respect a
at she did. Was she born
of there," she said. "I suppose you kno
odded. "Sure. I
. It's nice to m
know who you are, can
often hounded with dumb questions as well as intrusions on he
road that was a little sketchy, but I didn't plan o
hat wo
that Brock guy?" I as
l never have regrets, but I have to say, I'm having some serious regrets about that decision. Like my dad says, regrets are like
surprised me. "I only know
aid. "Were you guys
edding are a joke. I barely spoke to him. I travel a lot for work, and he was on tour. The picture they keep splashing all over was one of the few times we were
s to boost his career?" I asked. "Or i
nship became its own entity. I felt like I was an actor in a play. It wasn't my reallife. Brock and I weren't real anymore. In the beginning, it was fun, and I did think there was a real chance for
that's public knowledge, but I honestly don'
kup only happened last
hnic
we did FaceTime on occasion, but nothing like a relationship. We were in different time zones. When I
broke his he
guy, but he's not the guy in the songs he sings. He doesn't bring roses in the middle of th
d to get more free press. He'
eb
space inside my car. "It's a he, not a what. He is or was a huge star. Brock wants to be bigger than Michael Jackson
J status. I've never heard of the dude. I might have heard him on the radio or
perfect nose scrunched under the glasses with the
y eyes on the road. "N
" "No, not so much. I'm more of a nineties alternative guy. I don't pay a l
n't blame you. I'm more
cowboy boot
wboy boots. You really do
ied to avoid those things because I didn't want to see anything about my half-brothers. The Bancroft family was big on
on't," I said.
lf-made woman. Mostly. I won the lottery a few years ago and in
surprise. "I assumed you g
. I grew up middle-class. I didn't come from m
," I
rprised?"
I formed an opinion. I'm sorry for that. I k
ises you?"
think I've seen you on the news once or twice," I said. "You came off as this prim and proper woman who was educated at
prim, and proper?" she asked
ed or comp
efreshing to meet someone that
u obviously
between Brock and me," she said. "I'm not going to worry abo
as much as I'm enjoying this
ant to go
o people just delivering me to where I'm
She was a conundrum. She reminded me a lot of me and Thomas. We w
tle crazy to pick up a random woman in traffic
eautiful woman who hopped into a complete stranger's car. Didn
he's going to lay into me," she said. "B
o, you were a little af
he said. "I went with t
l be so pro
on social media," she said. "And no one will be able to follow me to my dad's place.
t thi
ou one,"
big deal. You were a damsel in
the s
" she sang out in
ight place at t
to a stop in front of a town house in a nice neighborhood. "
or. I'm a nice guy
foot on the curb. She opene
w, she pulled my hand into he
my
u a favor, you collect on it. Maybe not tomorrow or next week, but
o know,
said and got
She was beautiful. Her slacks were tailored. I knew a good suit, and she was wearing a very expensive designer pantsuit
d definitely know who she was. He was going to lose his shit when I told him. I was the m
life usually came through s
finally had somethi
one f
ning. Thomas would make sure I knew it was the car. He was the one who'd pushed me into driving something