Pretend for Me Read Free Page B

was still fighting to make a career for herself.
In her heart she would never be out of the country. The city was proving far
harder than she ever imagined.
    All of her talk of making a name for herself had been
exactly that, talk. She was a pretty decent writer and made a very good living.
Unlike some people in the current economic climate she was making a living. She
didn’t need to get another job to subsidize her income. Her bills were paid
every month without fail, and she could afford to eat.
    Her wretched life was centered on a good looking man
with black hair and the deepest brown eyes she had ever seen. Andy Green was
the man she fantasized about when she went to bed every night. He had become
the man who most of the heroes in her books were based on. She watched him work
out after a long day at work on the few pieces of equipment he kept in his
spare room. The tightness of his muscles always drew her attention no matter
how many times she tried to fight it.
    She watched all of his dates come and go like a
conveyer belt of prizes on a game show. Andy was not the kind of man to settle
down, and she was not the kind of woman to invest in one night stands. To put
it mildly, she was doomed to constantly want him but to never have him. He was
too dangerous to her heart. Andy was the “love ‘ em and leave ‘ em ” sort of man.
    For the past few months her attraction towards him had
built. In the early days after she moved in their budding friendship had been a
welcoming relief from the daunting task of starting out without her parents’
backing. Her family was waiting for the day she slinked off back home with her
proverbial tail swinging between her legs.  
    They loved her, she had no doubt, but she hadn’t shown
any signs of wanting to live in the big bad city while growing up and they
didn’t like her being alone.
    “I’m doomed to spend eternity wanting a man I can’t
have.” She flung herself down on the small sofa she owned. Her mood dropped
further when she felt one of the metal springs inside snap. The hunt for
furniture would have to be brought forward on her calendar. She stared into the
office she had set up immediately when she moved in. Her office was the only
room in her apartment that was decorated and lived in.
    Her phone started to ring, which pulled her out of her
melancholy thoughts.
    “Hello,” she said, yawning down the line.
    “Sara, really is that the way you should talk to
people?”
    “Hi, Mom, what’s the matter?” Sara asked. Late night
calls from her mother, Harmony Carroll—and if anyone dared to comment on the
name they’d be shot on sight—were not a regular occurrence.
    “Well, if you dared to take an interest in your family
you’d have gotten the message.” Her mother’s criticism made her pull her cell
phone out of her pocket. She found ten texts had been sent to her in the past
couple of hours.
    “Crap, I had it on silent, and I completely forgot
about it.” Sara kept the phone to her ear as Harmony complained about her lack
of organization.
    “Danny’s getting
married?” Sara asked. Danny was her oldest brother and had
sworn off marriage for life.
    “Yes, he’s finally decided to settle down with his
childhood sweetheart, Bethany. They’re engaged, and it’s becoming a rushed
affair. I’m phoning you to let you know that they’re inviting Dylan Cross. Do
you remember him?”
    Her nerves took full control at the sound of his name.
Dylan Cross was the guy who had taken her to prom and gotten past her family’s
protective instincts. He was the guy she was supposed to marry and the guy who had
proposed to her before she moved to the city. The same guy who’d told her
parents he’d love and protect her, lying all the time he spoke.
    “Is he coming with someone?” she asked.
    “I don’t believe so. This is something you can’t get
out of, Sara. I expect you to be here, and I want to know if you’re bringing a
date or if you’ll forget all your