Fake Fiancé

The Proposition

Joe walked into work, thinking about the conversation he had with his father. He kept going over what he said, the lies he made up about this fake fiancé. He scoffed when he realized that throughout an entire lunch, his father had never asked his fiancé's name.

"Mr. Walker? Are you alright?"

He snapped out of the trance when Isabella gently touched his arm. "What?" He asked.

"You've been standing in front of your office, not moving, for almost two minutes. Is everything alright?"

"Everything is. . . Isabella."

"Yes, sir?"

"Marry me."

"Excuse me," she stuttered.

"I'm sorry," he panicked when he realized what he said. "I just. . . Let me explain. Well, actually, it's a little difficult to explain. Can we go in my office?"

"No," she said quickly. She cleared her throat before continuing, "I just mean. . . I'm sorry, sir. I'm not. . . I can't. . ."

"It's not what you think, Isabella," he said quickly. "It would all be fake. Please, let me explain."

Isabella hesitated before nodding. She took a shaky breath as he opened the door for her. She hesitated before walking into Joe's office. She nervously wiped her hands on her skirt, straightening it out as she sat down.

"At lunch with my father, he started to talk about my future," he struggled to explain. "That turned into him wanting me to get married. He believes that men like us in this situation should have a strong woman beside him, someone to come home to. Someone who can help him detox at the end of the day."

"Where are you going with this, sir?"

"While we were talking, I may have blurted out that I already had a woman like that in my life. And I also told him that I had recently proposed to her."

"Mr. Walker, I know you pretty well," Isabella awkwardly started. "I know that you haven't been seeing a woman. And you definitely aren't engaged."

"Exactly," Joe chuckled. "Which is why I blurted out that proposal. I didn't mean for it to be real. I just meant for us to be fake engaged."

"Fake engaged?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. Isabella couldn't wrap her head around how Joe was making this seem like it was obvious or normal. "It wouldn't be long. Just long enough to get my father off my back."

"Joe, stop," she said in a harsher tone than she has ever used with her boss. "Look, I mean no disrespect, sir, but you can't be serious. A fake engagement to get your father off your back is crazy. Have you ever thought about simply dating more seriously, instead of asking your assistant to be your fake fiancé?"

"You said so this morning that you know me better than you know yourself."

"That doesn't mean I should lie to your father, my boss, about marrying you."

"Isabella," Joe stuttered. "I know this is a lot but. . ."

"A lot?" She scoffed. "This is way past my job description."

She stood up and started to leave when he spoke up.

"I'll make it worth it."

As soon as those words left Joe's mouth, he knew he had probably gone too far.

"Excuse me?"

"Not like that," he said quickly. "I meant I can pay you."

"Mr. Walker," she stuttered.

"It would be through work," he clarified. "It'll look like I gave you a raise."

"Joe," she said slowly.

"I'll even pay you for anything that takes place over the weekend. It'll show up as overtime. Time and a half."

"Joe," she tried again. "This is crazy."

"I'm desperate."

Joe cleared his throat when he realized how pathetic that sounded. "I just mean, I dug myself into a hole too deep. I need help getting out of it."

"This is. . . insane."

"I know that," he chuckled. "I know this is crazy and I promise, nothing will happen to you. It's just a few dinners with my parents."

"Just dinners?" She asked after a few minutes of hesitating.

"Just dinners," he reassured.

She bit her lip, chewing on it as she thought about his offer. It was crazy. Absolutely crazy. But was it unreasonable? Probably.

"How long?" She finally asked.

"Not that long," he said as if he knew when in reality, he didn't have a clue. "A couple of months. That's it."

"And what happens when this is over?" She pushed. "How are we going to explain it?"

"All I need is for my dad to believe that I'm serious enough to start thinking about getting married."

"And a fake engagement is the way to do it?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "What I do know is that during lunch my father pushed me and I blurted out that I already have one. I know this puts you in an awkward position, Isabella, and I'm sorry. But I could really use your help."

Isabella has never seen her boss looking so. . . Normal. Ever since she started working here, she's never seen Joe looking like an insecure son, trying to make Daddy proud. He was always so confident and sure of himself.

"I'll do it," Isabella said.

"Wonderful," Joe said, not bothering to hide his relief. "First things first. . ."

"On one condition," Isabella cut him off.

"Of course," he said quickly. "Anything."

"If I am ever uncomfortable, I walk."

Joe opened his mouth to say something but she continued.

"I'm not going to get myself into a situation that I can't safely walk away from, Joe."

"I understand," he nodded. "I didn't mean to pressure you into this."

Isabella nodded as she crossed her arms over her chest. She looked around the office, her eyes landing on a picture of young Joe with his parents.

"So," he hesitated to say, "are you still in?"

Isabella took a deep breath before unfolding her arms and nodding.

"Yes."

"Perfect," Joe said, letting out a sigh of relief. "Now we just have to find you an appropriate dress."

"For what?" Isabella asked skeptically.

"For dinner," Joe said. He stopped before adding, "My parents are insisting I bring you to dinner tomorrow after work."

"Tomorrow?" She stuttered.

"It's just dinner," he tried to reassure.

"Just dinner," she repeated, trying and failing to calm her nerves. "With my boss. And his parents. As his fake fiancé. Yeah, just dinner."