Dear Mister Summers

fifteen

Andin used the bathroom, then set her purse on the counter next to the sink while she washed her hands. Of all the men on the planet, why did her body have to respond to him? She didn't fool herself that what she felt was love. She didn't love him any more than he loved her. What they had between them was nothing more than lust. The intense kind that burned hot and furious but ultimately would burn out quickly.

She dried her hands and stared at her own reflection in the mirror. She didn't need that kind of complication in her life. She knew what she wanted. She had a plan, and he was the one person who could ruin it all. Best to avoid him until the two and a half months were completed and she was finally free from him. It. was proven to be harder than she had initially thought. Especially when he stood in the hall across from the bathroom, leaning his back against the wall. The door to the bathroom swung shut behind her, and his intense gaze reached across the distance and pinned her feet to the floor.

"Are you looking for the men's restroom?" she asked, a little confused to find him there.

Sebastian shook his head. "I'm looking for you."

"Oh." Andin was stunned for a moment. She'd been formally talking to him for five years. This would be a new experience to talk casually with him. "Do you need something?"

His gaze lowered to her throat. "Yes."

A tight little ball of nerves tickled her stomach, and she forced herself to walk toward him. "What?" Andin asked suspiciously, her sharp eyes picking out his sudden change in mood.

"I finally find a way for you to pay me in return for helping you shoo that unwanted suitor away. Your ex-boyfriend, that is," he said slowly. "But... you don't have to agree, okay?"

"Okay," drawled Andin, her forehead scrunched. "I'm listening."

"There will be a party to celebrate my little sister's birthday and my mother will come to this party. As a matter of fact, she is on the plane boarding from London right now." He put his hand inside his pocket, his intense blue eyes still pinning on her. "She has been on my back about settling down for quite some time, and knowing my mother, she will no doubt have a list of eligible young women for me. I'm pretty positive she has invited them to Clara's party. So would you be willing to pretend to be my fiancé at the party?"

When she seemed unsure, he added, "If I were to present a fiancé, they'd have to back off. You know how I'm already married to my business. With the expansion and everything, I really do not have time for marriage and kids. My mother would not understand that but I know you would. So what do you think, Andin?"

"That's a big thing to ask," Andin finally replied, frowning.

"I know," he said with a nod. "It's not just with one ex. It would be my entire family. I do understand if you don't want to."

"I don't." Andin took a deep breath and then continued, "But I do owe you one. You've helped me with Leroy and then today with my mother. So, I guess I can put up with being your date for one night."

"So you'll do it?" he asked again. His eyes widened as he was waiting for her answer.

"Against my better judgment, yes," she replied.

"Thank you!" he exclaimed, nearly startling her.

"When is this birthday party?"

"On Saturday," he informed her. "I will pick you up at six. It will be at my house. Clara's birthday so she gets to pick where she wants the party to be held."

"You do not have to pick me up." Andin took in a deep, fortifying breath. "I can drive myself there."

"No, Andin, I insist."