Love For Hire: The Helena's Grove Series Book 2 (3 page)

Annie heard the words but hoped against hope that if she ignored them, they’d go away.

“Annie,” Aunt Gabby said tapping her shoulder.

Annie winced internally. “Yes?” she said, smiling as brightly as she could.

“I said, why don’t you bring Marcus with you during the Christmas break?”

Annie stared at her blankly and then she heard Jen. “That’s a great idea! My dad is coming out here to be with us for Christmas. It’ll be great to have everyone here.”

Annie couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe; her life was careening out of control and she had no idea how to stop it.

“It’s settled then,” Aunt Gabby said as she thumped the table with her palm. “Do you think Marcus will be able to come?”

Annie stumbled and squeaked a couple words before just nodding and smiling feebly.

While the rest of the people around her continued with the celebration of their Thanksgiving meal, Annie sat quietly, her mind reeling.
Did that really just happen?
How had she gotten herself into this mess? How in the world was she going to find a boyfriend in the next month and convince him to go home with her for the holidays? Suddenly, she couldn’t wait for this dinner to be over and couldn’t wait to be back at Penn State, but at the same time dreading the time going by any faster than it most certainly would.

“I hope your boyfriend is up for Aunt Gabby’s homemade eggnog,” Zack teased.

“Oh Zack, I made that one time.”

“No, it was more than once...”

Their voices faded as Annie sank deeper into her thoughts.
I am such a liar! Why would I do such a thing? Don’t panic, a month is plenty of time to find someone and bring him home with me… Don’t kid yourself Annie; you’ve never dated anyone that wasn’t from your home town; you don’t even know how to talk to men you haven’t seen for years and years!
As her thoughts continued to berate her, Annie suddenly realized there were two things that she absolutely had to do. One, she had to get back to school so she could think more clearly, and two, she had to find herself a boyfriend.

Annie lay staring at the ceiling in her dorm room. The Thanksgiving holiday had been great… except for the lead boulder that had settled itself in the pit of her stomach. Several times she had gone to tell Zack she’d lied about having a boyfriend, but she just couldn’t seem to get the words out. When Annie left Jen had hugged her and exclaimed how excited she was to meet ‘Marcus,’ and even then it took Annie as few seconds to remember who Marcus was.
Oh yeah, my imaginary boyfriend that I lied to everyone about? I think you’ll really like him.
Annie shook her head as if trying to rid herself of the entire ordeal.
Whatever happens, you deserve what you get. You’re the one that made up the whole thing so whatever happens, it’s your fault.
Annie sighed heavily, she was stuck.

“Okay, what the crap is your problem?”

Annie sat up; Roxy was looking at her, one eyebrow raised, her face bored and annoyed.

“I’m a horrible person,” she told her in a pathetically sad voice.

“Oh. Shut. Up.” Roxy rolled her eyes. “If I believed in heaven I would definitely say it was filled with people like you.”

“I lied to my family,” Annie said woefully as she played with the stitching on her comforter.

“So,” Roxy scoffed. “I lie to my family all the time.”

“I told them I have a boyfriend! They were all arguing about me and my love life, or lack of and…” She shrugged her shoulders helplessly. “Before I knew it I had created a fictional boyfriend named Marcus.”

Roxy stared at her with a blank look. “I don’t see the problem.”

“I told them I have a boyfriend and I don’t, Roxy. And I told them I would bring him to Christmas dinner. How can I bring a boyfriend that doesn’t exist?” she moaned.

“Holy shit woman,” Roxy said loudly. She slammed her laptop closed and walked over to Annie’s bed. “Listen to me.” She plopped down on the bed, the dark makeup around her eyes making them seem more intense. “This time, and this time only, I’m going to give you some advice. And just to be clear, this doesn’t mean we’re friends, and in the future you are not allowed to ask me personal questions or expect me to care about your problems. I’m only helping you now so you’ll shut the hell up about it.”

Annie nodded and sniffed, fighting back tears, but said nothing; Roxy was a very intimidating person.

“Ok, first off. Stop being so freaking whiny! You’re giving me a headache.”

“Sorry,” Annie apologized.

“And second, why is this bothering you so much. You are fake dating the guy so fake break up with him. You’re off the hook.”

“I told them I’d bring him for Christmas,” Annie told her quietly.

Roxy gave her a ‘you’re stupid’ look. “You lied to them about having a boyfriend, but you feel bad about lying to them that you broke up with the boyfriend that you lied about in the first place? Wow, your morals are all screwed up.”

Annie took a second to think about what she said. “That’s true I guess.”

“So then the question is why didn’t you tell them the truth? Why did you let the fake boyfriend thing go on?”

“I just…” A tear slid from Annie’s eye and she quickly wiped it away. Roxy rolled her eyes again, clearly disgusted with Annie’s lack of emotional control. “I’m the only one in my social circle that’s still single, and for just one night, I wanted to be on the same level with everyone else. I don’t like being the third, seventh or ninth wheel.”

“You gotta stop giving a crap what people think. Most of the human race is pathetic losers and it has nothing to do with whether or not they’re getting any.”

“I just got tired of everyone feeling sorry for me. You should have heard them, they were going on and on about all my so-called qualities, trying to prove to this Amelia chick that I wasn’t a total loser because I’m not dating anyone. I wanted them to stop trying to protect me and just let it be. So I made up this guy Marcus. And now I’m stuck in this mess.”

“So you want people to think you have a boyfriend so they’ll stop hounding you?” Roxy asked, an edge of annoyance still in her voice.

“Yeah, I guess I do. I just want them to know that I can go out and make relationships on my own.” Annie felt ridiculous saying all these things out loud, especially to Roxy, but at the same time, it felt good to let it out.

“So, it’s simple. You just gotta go get you one,” Roxy said evenly.

“One what?” Annie asked.

“A boyfriend stupid. I know where you can find a Marcus.”

“You do?” Annie asked, not sure what she meant.

“Yeah, I know a guy who knows a guy. I’ve even used them myself once or twice.”

“Them?” Annie wasn’t sure she wanted to get into whatever it was that Roxy was
using
.

“Yeah basically, you call them up when you need a date. If you have a description you give it to them. Then you meet them for coffee or lunch and discuss the details of your contract and, voila! For a small fee, you have a boyfriend who will be anything or anyone you want him to be.” Roxy smiled for the first time during their conversation.

“Soooo… you’re suggesting I
hire
a boyfriend to take back to my family for the holidays?” Annie wasn’t sure if the idea was brilliant or insane.

“Yeah.” Roxy got up and went back to her laptop. “That way, they still get to meet him, ya know, so they can see that you’re doing fine on your own, and when you get back the contract is up and you just tell your family that you broke up. No one has to know you lied and no one gets hurt. It’s really pretty freakin’ sweet when you’re in a pinch, and their prices are reasonable.”

Annie’s mind was whirling; she didn’t even know these kinds of things existed in the real world. Would it even work? Would the people back home buy it? A hired boyfriend? He would have to be pretty convincing to get past Aunt Gabby. But still, it could work, couldn’t it? Roxy was right, no one would get hurt. She could hire a guy, go home for the holiday, get back and go on living her life. Annie’s biggest issue with the entire thing was the fact that it was so very deceitful, and she generally wasn’t a deceitful person. Or at least… she hadn’t thought she was.

Roxy threw a crumpled piece of paper onto Annie’s bed. “That’s the number you need to call. The guy’s name is Todd Connors. If you tell him I referred you I’m sure he’ll give you a good deal. He’s a cool guy and easy to talk to so don’t be nervous.”

Annie looked at the number. “I don’t think I want to do this,” she said finally.

“Oh come on,” Roxy said in exasperation. “Look, you can do whatever you want, but this will fix your problem if you want it fixed. If you don’t want to, then call whoever you need to call and tell them the truth. Do whatever but make a damn decision and DO it instead of sitting in here huffing and puffing like your life is over. If you want things to change, take charge and change them!”

Annie opened her mouth to speak but Roxy cut her off.

“No more advice from me,” she said, pointing a finger at Annie. “I don’t want to hear another thing about it unless it’s to tell me that it’s all been worked out.”

“Okay,” Annie said quietly. “Thanks.” She stared at the number and could feel Roxy’s dark eyes on her. Annie glanced up and Roxy gave her a look, but then went on typing.

****

Annie picked up her cell phone for at least the fiftieth time and glanced down at the number written on the paper. By now she had it memorized. This time, she actually dialed it and put the phone to her ear, trying hard to concentrate on something other than her rapidly beating heart. It rang once, then twice. After the third ring Annie was just about to hang up and call the whole thing off, but the deep voice that suddenly came on the line stopped her.

“Hello,” the voice said.

Annie swallowed hard.
How do you begin a conversation like this?

“Hello?” the voice said again more gruffly.

“Uh, yes… hello,” Annie stammered. “I um, I got your number from Roxy.” She waited for the reply.

“Oh yeah?” The voice seemed to relax a little. “What can I do for you?”

“I um… my name is Annie LaFaye and I…” She took a deep breath. “I need to hire a boyfriend.”

Annie fiddled with her napkin to stop herself from looking toward the door again. She checked her watch. Five more minutes; she could wait five minutes. She knew getting to the coffee shop early would mean waiting but she didn’t think it would be so unnerving. She looked around self-consciously. For some odd reason it felt like everyone in the whole room knew why she was there. She could almost feel their eyes on her judging her for what she was doing. She shook her head and reminded herself to not be ridiculous. She couldn’t believe she was doing this. The entire thing was so far outside her comfort zone she couldn’t even see her comfort zone anymore. She looked again at the door and then at her watch, three minutes.
Man, when these people say two o’clock they mean two o’clock, s
he thought uncomfortably. The bell rang on the door, making her flinch. A young man walked in. He wore a plain jacket and looked to be about her age. Annie’s heart stopped as he started toward her, and then past her to greet a young lady sitting at another table. Annie blew out a breath and laughed quietly at herself.

“Annie LaFaye?” The voice came from behind her. Startled, she whirled around and quickly stood. The man wore a nice, black button up coat with matching gloves and a trendy scarf which looked good on his tall frame. His hair was sandy colored and curly, and it complimented his sky blue eyes. His clean shaven face was even and a couple shades darker than her own.

“You’re Annie LaFaye?” he asked, his voice smooth and professional.

“Uh, yes, I am,” Annie said quickly when she realized her jaw had dropped.

“Todd sent me,” he said holding out his hand. “He tells me you are in need of someone in our profession.”

Annie shook his hand, it was firm and strong.

“Shall we sit?” He gestured to the chairs.

Annie nodded and smiled at him. She wondered if he could tell how unbelievably flustered she was. She felt her cheeks, hoping against hope they weren’t red as a beet.

The man sat casually and crossed his leg. He smiled dazzlingly at her and Annie looked down at her coffee, silently cursing herself for acting so immature. There were a few seconds of silence, mostly because Annie couldn’t for the life of her think of something to say.

The man seemed to sense her discomfort. “You don’t need to be nervous,” he assured her.

“Oh, well… I’m not really nervous. I’ve just never done this before and I’m not sure how it’s supposed to…” She gestured between them, not sure of the words to use.

The man smiled, easy and confident. “Ms. LaFaye, I can assure you, I’m here for you so why don’t you start by telling me what it is you’re looking for.”

“Oh… okay, um.” Annie took a breath. “I need someone to pose as my boyfriend when I go back to my hometown for the Christmas holiday.”

He nodded. “Overnight then?”

“Yes, is that bad? I mean, do you do overnights or… I mean I would understand if that made you uncomfortable.”

“Oh no, I do overnighters, all nighters and even one nighters.” He laughed a little and Annie laughed too even though she wasn’t exactly sure what that meant.

“Well, do you charge by the hour or…”

“My rate is by the hour or by the day, which is a twenty-four hour period. That rate doesn’t include any travel expenses such as plain tickets or hotel rooms. You’ll be expected to pick up the bill on those.”

“Oh, yes, well that makes sense,” Annie agreed, feeling suddenly anxious about how much hiring a man like him would really end up costing her. She had saved a fair amount over the years and was fortunate enough to have Aunt Gabby as her unofficial guardian. She had graciously paid for both Annie’s and Zack’s schooling to keep them from having to pay interest on student loans. She hadn’t really thought about how much it would be to hire a boyfriend but judging from this man’s attire and attitude, he didn’t come cheap.

“How many days are you planning?” he asked casually.

“Three,” Annie said quickly.

“My normal rate is two hundred per day, or twenty-five an hour. My rate starts the minute we leave this city till the minute we get back. Where is your hometown?”

“Ohio.”

“Great! That’s not a long flight.” He grinned at her.

“Ok so, basically six hundred?”

“That should do it.”

Annie smiled feeling better about the whole situation. “Thank you very much…” She paused. “I’m sorry I never got your name.”

“Oh yeah,” he sat up. “What’s your boyfriend’s name?”

“I said his name was Marcus.”

He nodded slightly as if thinking it over. “Marcus, I like it. I’ve never been a Marcus before.”

“It was the first name that popped in my head,” Annie explained.

“Does Marcus have a last name?”

“Oh umm…” Annie thought for a moment. “I really don’t know. I didn’t say anything about a last name.”

“Hmmm, ok well, do you have any preferences?”

Annie laughed. “Not really.”

“We can go with something traditional or outside the box. Either way, we’ll have to decide now so we can both get used to it.”

Annie thought for a few seconds. “Something Italian would be fun.”

He smiled. “I’m not sure I could pull off Italian.”  He gestured to his light curly hair.

“Oh yeah, good point. Ok what about… Harrison?” Annie suggested.

“That could work. Marcus Harrison…” He let it hang in the air for a few seconds.

“I’m not sure I like it,” Annie admitted.

“Ok, what about something a little more common; something like, Summers?”

“Marcus Summers,” Annie said quietly, thinking it over. “That has a lot of S’s in it.”

“You pick one then,” he offered.

“I like Everett,” Annie told him after thinking a moment.

“Marcus Everett. I like it – very nice. Okay now tell me, what does Marcus Everett do for a living?”

“Mechanical engineer.”

“Whew.” He made a low whistle. “Mechanical engineer named Marcus Everett. No wonder your family wants to meet him, he sounds classy.”

His easy going nature both unnerved and excited Annie for reasons she couldn’t understand. “Stop it – you’re not being serious,” she said as she giggled at him.

“Well, the way I see it, this is a business partnership, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun. And we might as well get along since we are going to be working very closely with each other. Don’t you agree?”

“Well, yes but…” She paused and then shrugged. “I guess I hadn’t expected you to be so, agreeable.”

“Well I’m delighted that I’ve exceeded your expectations.”

“Me too,” Annie laughed. “So what exactly am I supposed to call you? I mean you can obviously call me Annie.”

“Marcus.” He beamed a great smile that made her feel warm inside. “You can call me Marcus.”

“Marcus,” she said quietly. “Alrighty then, well Marcus, is there anything else I should know or that you should know?”

“I’ll give you my number. I buy a temporary cell phone for every job so you’ll always have a way to get a hold of me.” He took Annie’s phone and put in his number. “Christmas is a month away so that will give me plenty of time to brush up on some things,” he continued. “Let me know about flight plans and where to meet you and I’ll be there.”

Annie nodded as he stood and shook her hand. “I look forward to working with you Annie.”

“You too,” she said smiling.

Marcus turned to leave and stopped. “One more thing,” he said, turning back to face her. “It would probably be a good thing in the next few weeks to take pictures together. So you have some to show to people.”

“Oh yeah, great idea, I didn’t even think of that. Should we take one now or…?”

“No, we’ll take some in the coming weeks. I’ll contact you.” He smiled and turned to walk away.

“Wait,” Annie called after him, “you don’t have my number.” She held up her phone.

“I do,” he said confidently.

“Oh, one more thing.” Annie got up and walked to him, looking around nervously. “I just um, I wanted us to be clear on one more thing.”

“I’m listening.”

“I don’t expect… that is, our arrangement is totally, um, professional. So, I’m not paying you for like…” Her hands moved around frantically as she tried to express herself clearly.

“Annie,” Marcus said, putting his hands on her shoulders, “our relationship is completely platonic, apart from the hugs, kisses and other basic signs of affection that a couple would show.”

“Oh good.” Annie breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad we cleared that up.”

“I know that what I do seems odd, but I’m not a hooker. I treat this as any other professional would treat their job. And please feel free to ask any questions. I’ve been doing this for a long time and I can tell you, I’ve heard just about everything there is to hear.”

“I can only imagine,” Annie remarked. “How long
have
you been doing this?”

“Let’s put it this way, I have one client whose parents still sends me a Christmas card every year, even though I’ve been technically ‘broken up’ with their daughter for three years.”

“Wow, they must have liked you.”

“It’s my job to make the family like me. So don’t worry, whatever crazy aunt or horrible cousin you can throw at me, I’ll win them over.”

“That’s good to know.” Annie couldn’t believe this guy. He was like a computer generated ‘create your perfect boyfriend’ – you just put in your favorite characteristics and specifications and POOF, he’s standing before you, real flesh and blood.

“Are there any other questions you have at this point?” he asked.

“No, I can’t think of anything but I’ll call if I do.”

“Sounds good Annie, I’ll see you soon.” He walked out into the cool autumn air just as casually as he had walked in.  Annie stood there, dumbfounded by him, by the situation, but most of all, by how easy it was to hire a boyfriend.