Fake It Till You Bake It(59)
Her brow furrowed. “Um, yeah. Sure.”
“We’ll be back in a few minutes,” he called out to the room at large. He placed a hand at the small of Jada’s back and reluctantly dropped it when they reached his office door. Which was ridiculous. They were friends. Nothing more. They’d agreed less than two hours ago.
He opened the door and followed her inside.
“What’s up?” she asked, taking a seat.
He sat in the other chair next to her. “You looked worried out there, so I’m thinking we should check social media. Or at least text messages to see how our appearance was received.”
Jada rubbed her forehead. “I guess I need to work on my acting skills.”
“Not with me you don’t.”
Her lips stretched into a brief smile. “Thanks. You’re right. Social media and I don’t have the best relationship right now, so I’ve been keeping my distance.”
Anger welled up inside him. He wished he could obliterate the hurt she’d endured from people hiding behind their keyboard through the sheer force of his will alone. “I’m sorry.”
Jada blew out a breath. “It’s not your fault. Social media giveth and taketh away. If I’m looking on the bright side, all that hate led me straight to you. I wouldn’t have panicked and kissed you and introduced you as my boyfriend.”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “And in the process, discovering what an excellent kisser I am.”
She rolled her eyes, the dark light in them now replaced by humor. “Oh, my God. You are so ridiculous. I am not going to inflate your ego by agreeing. Check social media, please. I’ve got texts galore that will tell the tale.” Her phone vibrated, underscoring her point. “First one is from Olivia.” She laughed. “She said that I looked like a supermodel, my shoes were fab, and we gave the best #JaDon energy. That’s why she’s my bestie.”
Donovan glanced up from his phone. “What else you got?”
“Let me see. Carrie, she works at the boutique up the street. Kendra and the rest of the members of book club.” Jada laughed. “They all said we did great. Oh, wait. Here’s one from Lila, the producer from My One and Only. Not reading that one. She’s been bugging me to do interviews, and I know she’s going to be pissed I did one on my own.” She sighed, her shoulders slumping.
“You okay?” Donovan asked, laying a hand on her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
She lifted her head. Disappointment swam in her gorgeous eyes. “I guess I was expecting a message from my parents or sister.” She let out a little chuckle. “I don’t know why. Good Day, San Diego isn’t their usual TV fare.”
But she was hurt all the same. It was written all over her face.
Jada lifted her chin. “It doesn’t matter. All the texts I read were positive. I’m relieved.”
He didn’t believe her, but the look on her face warned him not to press, so he simply nodded instead. “As far as I can tell, social media is going well. The only negative stuff I can find is some people telling us not to flaunt our relationship all over the place. It’s unseemly or something.”
Jada laughed. “Didn’t I say something about being unable to win? What else did they say?”
He lifted his phone to eye level. “Jada and Donovan’s chemistry is off the chain. No wonder she left Dr. John in the dust. Where can I find my own Donovan, a man who’s not afraid to show his softer side and let us know how much he appreciates his woman?”
Jada snorted. “Of course, you’d read a tweet praising you.”
“Kinda hard not to. There are so many of them.”
She picked up a pad of sticky notes off his desk and threw it at his head. He easily dodged the hot-pink missile, and it harmlessly bounced off the white wall and slid to the floor.
He shrugged when she growled at him. “You gotta try harder than that if you’re going to beat the king.”
* * *
Donovan picked up a napkin that had fallen on the ground, then used a towel to wipe away crumbs some recently departed customers had left behind. His phone buzzed in his back pocket. Another congratulatory call? Or something else? His shoulders stiffened as he dug the phone out and sighed when he saw the name on the screen. Adam, his agent. He moved to the farthest table in the shop. “Hey, man, what’s up? Got some news on the contract extension?”
Adam’s Brooklyn accent drifted through the speaker. “That’s actually why I’m calling. I saw a clip of you on Good Morning, San Diego this morning.”
Donovan leaned against the wall. “Okay. What about it?”
“Are you sure it’s a good idea to be dating your boss’s granddaughter?”
Donovan looked around to make sure no one could hear him. Luckily, no one was paying him any attention. “How is that any of your concern?”
“I’m your agent, and anything that affects your contract is my concern. The court of public opinion matters. If people think you’re dating her to get more money, it doesn’t look good. We want the public on our side when we’re asking for millions of dollars. Maybe you should end this relationship or whatever it is.”
He’d rather chew off his arm. Wait. No. He’d promised Jada. That’s why the thought of ending their “relationship” made him nauseous. “That’s not going to happen.”