I waved my hand dismissively. I wouldn’t be able to plan the Thanksgiving meal for the soup kitchen. Who cares? “Don’t worry about it.”

It will probably be the best Thanksgiving I’ve ever had.

I seized the contract slid in front of my nose. A few months was the intended duration.

“I don’t know how long my dad has, but I’ll renew it if he hasn’t gone yet.”

The cold matter-of-fact way he spoke about his father’s impending death made me feel uncomfortable. Who am I to judge? I fantasized daily about slipping poison in my foster parents’ food. I signed the contract, and my jaw dropped as Luke handed me a check made out to five thousand dollars. I held it as if it was made of glass and slipped it into my purse. All in a day’s work.

“Thank you so much. You’ve no idea how much this will help me.”

“Likewise,” Luke said as he stood up. “Well, shall we?”

I took his offered arm, and he escorted me out of the winery. I felt a golden ball of warmth inside my chest at his closeness. I caught myself in the reflection of the elevator doors and couldn’t believe it. Damn, we look hot.

His arm was snaking around my waist and suddenly all the air left the room. Remembering that I was supposed to act like his girlfriend, I fell against his chest, and his lips pressed against my head.

I had no memory of being held as though I was cherished. I got lost in the moment for a while before Luke walked me all the way to the cars outside, where dozens of people were getting ready to leave the winery. He gave a small wave to some of them, who waved back and did a double take. I could almost hear their thoughts: Who’s that girl with Mr. Pardini?

“My co-workers are still here. Perfect.”

His hand slid from my shoulder to grasp my hand. The path of his touch blazed such a trail, my desire for him flared up like a torch. I squeezed his hand, stunned by the way my body responded to him.

My hand tensed inside his as Luke made a beeline straight for a couple of older men in suits standing near the curb. Oh, no.

“Mr. Blackwell, Mr. Brown. I hope you enjoyed today.”

The portly Mr. Blackwell smacked his purpled lips. “Oh, it was wonderful!”

“Yes, quite,” Brown agreed. “And who is the lovely young lady?”

Luke’s admiring grin flashed towards me. “This is Jessica, my girlfriend.”

My cheeks probably looked as though they were on fire.

This is Jessica, my girlfriend.

Hopefully, they would think I was cold. Their rosy, smiling faces nodded at me as I shook their hands.

“I’ssa pleasure.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Are you ready to return to London?

Mr. Blackwell’s face fell comically as he addressed me. “Am I ready to return to forecasts of endless, freezing rain? You Californians are spoiled rotten.”

“Jessica will accompany us to London. She’s never been outside the country.”

I never told him that, but he guessed right. He smiled at me and I hugged my “boyfriend’s” chest, beaming.

The two men were pleasantly shocked. “Is that so?”

“Yes, I’m very excited.” That wasn’t a lie; I couldn’t wait to go. It would be a blast, and looking up things to do on TripAdvisor was the first thing I would do when I got home.

Luke glanced at the town car pulling up. “Well, Jessica’s ride is here. I will see you both next week.”

Completely out of my element, I was eager to leave the company of the two men. They acted perfectly fine, but it was nerve wracking to be around them. What if I said something wrong? “It was nice meeting you both.”

Both men smiled courteously as we walked away from them. Luke ducked his head close to mine.

“They’re old friends of my father.”

Ah, so that’s why he dragged me over to them. Would they report my presence to Mr. Pardini?

We stopped in front of the town car and the driver got out to open the passenger door.

“I’ll see you next week.”

I felt a jolt of anxiety as I turned in his arm to tell him good-bye. If I’m really his girlfriend, I should probably kiss him. Blackwell and Brown peered at us. Luke’s gentle hands pulled me closer until I could see the golden flecks circling his pupils. My heart beat so furiously against my ribcage that I knew Luke could feel it pounding against his chest. Then his lips crashed against mine and I felt myself soaring. Holy shit. I had never felt anything like it. So much heat, everywhere. I kissed him back eagerly, completely lost in the feeling of his lips against mine and his hands wrapped around my waist. When he pulled away, I was surprised to see a smoldering look on his face.

Overwhelmed, I stepped back as he tried to give me that loving smile men always reserved for their girlfriends. The lack of warmth behind his effort punched my gut.

“Bye,” I croaked.

I ducked into the car and the driver closed the door. As the car rolled away, I saw his face drop into a look of bored indifference.

My heart wrenched.

He almost made me believe that it was real.

Chapter 5

“I still can’t believe you’re going to London before I am.”

Natalie watched me pack for my trip to Europe with a look of mingled jealousy and disbelief. I still couldn’t believe it myself.

“Me too.”

When I got home from the winery, I couldn’t take holding it all back, and wound up telling Natalie everything. I made her swear a hundred oaths not to divulge anything to anyone ever on pain of death. She would find out soon enough because Luke made it clear the tabloids would print pictures of us together. Sure enough, I found a blurry photo of us leaving Opus One hand in hand, with the caption underneath: Luke Pardini leaving Opus One with blonde bombshell. I laughed at that. Blonde bombshell? Me? Yeah, right.

“So long as you keep your feelings in check, you’ll be fine.” It was clear from Natalie’s tone that she didn’t expect me to. “I really wish you weren’t leaving before Thanksgiving. Won’t your friends miss you?”

My cheeks flushed at the mention of the lie I told Natalie about finding a group of people I celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with. I crammed a few socks into my suitcase and refused to look at her.

“I lied about the friends. I spend every year at the soup kitchen and then I go home alone. This will probably be the best Thanksgiving I’ve ever had. Don’t worry about me.”

A hollow silence followed my words. When I finally gathered enough courage to look at her, Natalie’s stricken face made me feel guilty.