Nouveau Riche by B. E. Baker

Author:B. E. Baker [Baker, B. E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Purple Puppy Publishing

13

Elizabeth

I’ve spent every day digging through the enormous pile of paperwork that Ace had been neglecting. I’ve dealt with all sorts of things, from parking tickets to business license paperwork. But no one mentioned that the reason Rebekah’s been so slammed was that they have a launch party Thursday evening.

As if I don’t have enough other things going on.

“Can you make it?” Ace asks. “I know I said you’d only have to work twenty hours a week, but Rebekah has been loving having you around. She said finding someone competent is hard enough, but finding someone brilliant who understands people like me and works hard is like the holy grail.”

“I’m glad she’s been happy with my work.” Actually, that’s an understatement. I’m delighted. It turns out I need this job more than I realized. “But the thing is—”

“You can’t come?”

I open my mouth to explain, but he cuts me off again.

“You’re mad at me for springing it on you? Or do you hate it here?” He swallows. “Elizabeth. . .are you quitting?” His eyes widen. “I didn’t have you send flowers to anyone, and I haven’t even—”

“Ace!” I chuckle. “Calm down.”

“I’m sorry.” He drops his hands to his sides and backs up, giving me space again. “I’m really stressed out. We’ve product tested, and we’ve spent a ridiculous amount on marketing, but this is only our second new series—our first since the company’s launch, and I’m worried it’s going to flop.”

“What do you need me to do?”

He sighs. “Mostly, be a friendly face?”

“Surely Easton—”

“He isn’t sure whether he’ll be back in time,” he says. “And Rebekah’s going to be coordinating everything, so I’m probably going to be wandering around alone if you can’t make it. Like a loser.”

“Wait, are you saying you want me there, or you want me there as your date?” Because I cannot handle fake dating two guys at once.

“Tomato, tomahto?”

That makes me laugh for real. “Well, you may think it’s not a big deal, but it’s probably going to feel different to my boyfriend.” I hate how good it feels to say that.

“Wait, you have a boyfriend?” Ace doesn’t look upset, but he does look shocked. “Who?”

“Did it occur to you that you may not know him?”

He frowns.

“It’s my mechanic.”

Now he’s the one dying laughing. “Yeah, right.”

“Hey, it could be my mechanic.”

He’s laughing so hard that tears are pooling at the corners of his eyes. He slaps his thighs. “Elizabeth Moorland, dating a mechanic?” He descends into peals of laughter again.

My scowling doesn’t help, so I try another angle. “You actually have met him.”

He’s still laughing, but not as hard.

“It’s Emerson Richmond.”

The laughing dies. “Wait, the guy who just got into town?”

I shrug.

“You’re kidding, right? You must be. It seemed like you barely knew him at that party.”

“You know how complicated dating is for people like us. We just haven’t told my parents yet, so we’re keeping things low key. We’d definitely met long before that.”

“I guess.” He looks up at my face. “So you can

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