Read Online His Hired Girlfriend by Alexia Praks - Free Book Online Page A

Yeah.” He comes closer to
her. He could smell a hint of that lovely floral scent of her hair,
and he wants to get closer. He also wants to keep her out of the
cold wind.
    “ Peter told me you said
yes. I thought we should meet tomorrow for lunch and arrange
everything. How long do you have for lunch?”
    “ An hour.”
    “ Only an hour, huh?” He
sounds disappointed. “That’s too short. How about we change to
dinner?”
    “ Okay ,” she says,
nodding her head, and rubbing her hands about her cold arms to get
some warmth. “Dinner it is, then. What time?”
    “ How about straight after
work? What time do you finish work?”
    “ I finish at five,” she
says, inserting the key to start the engine.
    “ How about six-thirty ?
Gives you time to go home and change.”
    “ Why can’t we just meet at
like a quarter past five or something? I don’t need to change.” She
looks up at him in the dimness of the night.
    Doesn’t she need to change? Now that’s new to Jay. He thought every woman wants to
shower and change into something nice before they go out for a
dinner date. Apparently not this one. Maybe she doesn’t think this
is supposed to be a date.
    “ That’s cool, it’s up to you. Five-fifteen it is,
then.”
    “ Can we go to SAN? I
missed my salmon. You’re paying, right?”
    “ Yeah, it’s on me. SAN it is . Good night.”
    “ Night, Mr. McCartney,”
she says and shuts the door.
    Jayden watches as she
drives away into the darkness. “Mr. McCartney, huh?” he mumbles as
he makes his way back into the house.
    He finds Peter by himself in the living room. He joins his
friend on the couch and watches the sports news Peter currently has
on TV. The Kiwis love their rugby, and he finds himself falling in
love with the sport too—what with the kicking, tackling, and
vigorous running. But he’s not a fan of that Dan Carter guy who
does ads for all kinds of things, especially for Jockey.
Apparently, all the girls adore him because of his good looks. He
wonders if Alex is one of them.
    A moment later when the
ads begin, Jayden says, “What’s wrong with Alex’s dad?”
    Peter glances sideways at
his friend. “Interested, are you?”
    Jay grins. “If she’s going
to be my girlfriend, I have to know what’s going on in her
life.”
    Peter chuckles. “You mean your fake girlfriend?”
    “ Nobody is supposed to know except for you, me, and Alex.
Got that?”
    “ Got it. And Alex’s dad
Jacob has heart problems. Long story short, if he gets any worse,
he needs a heart transplant. I personally think he needs it right
now, but Alex doesn’t have the money.”
    “ I see,” Jay says, nodding
his head.
    They both are silent as the ads end, and sports news
continues. Jayden sits there and watches, though his interest has
already waned. He is thinking about Alex and her dad. She needs
money for her dad’s heart transplant. Maybe that’s part of the
reason why she agreed to help him.
    He smiles at the
thought.
    * * *
    “Shit!” Jayden swears under his breath. He’s in a total panic,
wondering where he’s supposed to find a white singlet. He has been
searching in every damn shop that sells women’s clothing across
this small town and still can’t find a single white singlet. He
glances at his watch and notes that it’s nearly five o’clock. Alex
will be finishing work soon, and she’d be meeting him for dinner at
SAN.
    He is now in the Meridian, one of their malls, looking like
a lost little duckling. Not that he is little, for God’s sake. He’s
over six feet tall and every female he passes, young or old, is
gawking at him from head to toe. God, he hates shopping. How can
people say shopping is fun? Even worse, how can people get addicted
to shopping? Hold on, hot shot! You’re a guy, and guys never like
shopping. Period!
    He walks toward the exit,
shoulders slumped. The stupid weather doesn’t help with his mood
either. It’s raining again.
    Sorry, Alex, can’t replace your singlet