Hired Love

Dinner started really well. Her mother sat at one end of the table and Olivia sat at the other. Her mother never allowed anyone to sit there since her husband died out of respect. But no one could say no to Olivia. Aunt Phoebe sat next to Mitch who was next to Mom. On Aunt Phoebe's right was Matt and on his was Claire. Benjamin was closer to his daughter at the last seat, feeding her chicken.

On the other side of the table closer to her mother were Aunt Emma and George. On George's left was Roman and then Stacy and the last seat was occupied by Benedict.

It felt good to be home again with the family. Stacy couldn't remember the last time they'd all been in the same room together. She glanced at her mother. The woman had announced months ago that she had liver cancer and it had been one of the worse days of Stacy's life. Regardless she looked as happy as one person could be, and Stacy wanted to do everything in her power to keep the smile on her face. Even if it meant hiring sexy men to act as her fiancé.

They'd gotten the message that dinner was ready, and it was time to come down. Their conversation had ended long before that. She'd never thought of them together in any way and she wouldn't deny that their conversation had put the ideal in her head. Dating Roman seemed like a recipe for disaster. Thinking about it alone was strenuous.

Stacy didn't know how they managed to go from talking to cumming. Even though a part of her wanted to find out again, she quelled that yearning within her. It was dangerous territory. The silence between them had been awkward, to say the least. She'd given him time to dress up, spending longer doing her makeup in the bathroom than was necessary. He didn't say a word to her either. They'd been the last to come down, giving the twins a reason to wiggle their brows at her shamelessly. It would've been funny if it hadn't been true. They had been engaged in nefarious activities.

Which was ridiculous because she was still in love with Matt. Stacy couldn't find it in her to feel bad. Claire had been sending her murderous looks since the second she sat down. It was all she could do to not laugh. She'd probably figured out her boyfriend had come to see her. Then her eyes snapped to Roman engaged in deep conversation with George and something switched.

"Roman?" Claire cooed. "Would you please pass the salad?"

No fucking way. Stacy was astounded. She didn't want to think Claire was serious. What was that look in her eyes and why the hell was she smiling like a cat who had just found a fishbone?

She might've made the mistake of being too dull with Matt, but that wasn't going to happen with her fiancé. Acting fiancé, you mean. Her mind echoed.

Stacy placed a hand on Roman's moving arm, stilling his movements. She leaned across the table to grab the bowl, then stretched ungracefully across the table and nearly smacked Claire in the face with it. She remembered her mother, however, and quickly added a smile to mask her anger.

"There you go."

Claire's face was unsmiling. Maintaining eye contact with her sister, she offered an obviously fake smile, taking the bowl. "Thank you."

Stacy adjusted her position, sitting down. Claire sure had nerves. She'd stolen Matt right from under her nose and now she was setting her eyes on Roman. It would be a cold day in hell before Stacy would let that happen.

After the tension cleared, her oblivious mother looked to Roman. "So Roman dear, what do you do? I find it weird that Stacy hasn't mentioned you until today."

Panic gripped Stacy. This was the part she'd been dreading ever since Grace brought up this ridiculous scheme. Without thinking, "Uh Mom-"

"Let the man speak, Stacy." Her mother scolded.

Roman grabbed her hand on her lap, squeezing. The action was encouraging and soon enough she felt her bones begin to relax. He could handle this. She hoped. "Actually, I'm an artist. I paint."

Stacy stared at him, speechless.

"What kind of painting do you do?" Aunt Phoebe asked, stuffing a piece of chicken in her mouth.

"Oil painting."

"What's your last name?"

He didn't hesitate. "Reynolds." He tore apart a chicken leg, dipping it in gravy and then into his mouth. He looked so calm, so relaxed like he wasn't just feeding them lies. No seriously, how many times had he done this?

"I know you." Aunt Phoebe smacked her fingers, then pointed at him. "At least I've heard of you."

"Aunt Phoebe," Benedict whined, shaking his head. "Don't ambush the poor man."

Benjamin laughed, turning to wipe sauce from the side of Olivia's lips. "Welcome to the family bro." He threw at Roman.

At Roman's blank expression, Stacy whispered in his ears. "Aunt Phoebe's a potter. She's into art a lot so she prides herself on knowing who is who. She's an eccentric so it works for her."

He turned back to her, smiling. "What did you hear of me?"

She wasted no time. "Celebrity painter, Roman Reynolds. I love your work. You're in the news a lot. You know you have a ridiculous fan base right? Me included. Oh my God, Roman Reynolds is in the same room with me. On my God." She

looked to Stacy. "Oh baby, I'm so jealous of you right now. Your fiancé has even been rumored to be categorized among famous painters like Michelangelo and Da Vinci." Beside her, Mitch rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore her. He was already used to his wife's craziness.

Roman's deep chuckle echoed throughout the dining room. "A bit of an exaggeration, if you ask me."

"It doesn't matter. I believe it. What I can't believe is that Stacy is dating freaking Picasso."