Chapter 5 5

I had just arrived two days ago, and now here I was, with my parents in my house, eating on my dining table like it was something that happened frequently.

Their purpose of arrival was very obvious.

I mean, I literally told them I had a girlfriend and not said a word about the so-called girlfriend afterwards.

Suddenly, Katie's idea to meet her best friend seemed to be the most perfect one, because what else could I do.

"It's so nice to be here with all my babies." Mom and her constant repetition of the same words.

Katie was polite enough to offer her the same smile every time mom said it.

"You know what'd make this even more perfect." She turned to me from where she sat on the first seat by the right of dad who was at the tail of the six seater table. "If I had grandchildren filling this table."

I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes, knowing she'd opened up a door for the next question that'd follow.

"When do you think we can meet your girlfriend?" She asked, smiling at me with nothing but hope.

"Soon," was all I could think about.

And just like them, I wasn't aware when that soon was.

Dad dropped his fork on the table, staring up at me, "I'll be handing out the company to whoever its successor is, next week."

With that, I jerked my head to his direction. "Really?"

"Yes, and you should know Justin's coming for Thanksgiving, just like the rest of our family."

I knew where this conversation was heading, and certainly wouldn't like it. "Okay?"

"I'm not sure if I believe that you have a girlfriend or not," he said plainly, voicing his thoughts, "nor do I believe you'll not leave my company to go for basketball after your six month break."

And he was right about the two.

But then what would I do? It meant he might want to offer it to Justin.

"Dad, I'm not going to let you down," that was one thing I was certain about.

"I know," he placed both hands on the table, "but that doesn't mean I'll just let the company I've been working for my entire life end in shackles because I made a mistake.

"So I'm going to give you the company in the next two weeks," he continued, "but you'd only be a temporary CEO."

"Temporary?" My forehead scrunched. Same with Katie's.

"Yes, if your relationship with this girlfriend of yours can last a year, then I'll be certain you're truly into something serious and I'll be sure you're not leaving my company for your game so I can let you become the permanent CEO."

"A year?"

"Why? Is it too long?" He looked as indifferent as he sounded. "You know, Justin won't mind that one bit."

It infuriated me to know he was using Justin as a weakness, knowing how much we both despised each other.

"No, I'll date her for more than a year, I can assure you that," I first needed to know who the 'her' was, "and I won't let my two careers affect each other."

"I won't appoint you as a CEO if I don't see who the girl really is, alright?" There was no denying the fact he thought she wasn't real.

And oh he couldn't be more right.

"I'm sure he'll introduce us soon." Mom, knowing what dad was thinking, defended me. "Am I right son?"

"Hmm," I turned to my food, annoyed at how everything was going.

Where on earth was I going to find a girl that'd willingly date me for a year without letting anyone know it isn't real and also doesn't expect anything further.

I was sure I could find a solution to the sports situation, but then where do I get a female.

This was going to be stressful. Especially since I needed to find her in two weeks.

Katie reached for my hand from where she sat by the chair on my left, squeezing my big hand with her small own.

Her smile obviously spoke of what she'd told me about considering her friend.

Did I want to do it? It wouldn't hurt to teach her a thing of two about a game I was a pro at.

I could do it, right?

Maybe what I should be worried about was if she was going to willingly date me for an entire year.

Katie did say she was a hard shell, but would she crack open because I was willing to offer her something she wanted.

An inaudible sigh left me.

"...and there could be a small dining table right here," mom continued whatever she'd been talking about that I totally wasn't listening to.

I took Katie's hand in mine, communicating with my eyes that I wanted to speak with her after the breakfast.

Her lips curled to a knowing smile, nodding once while mom continued her talk.

***

"So, have you put my suggestion into consideration?" Her tone was fill with excitement, contrary to how I felt at the moment.

I ignored that. "What did you say her name was again?"

"Kim Stans," she quickly replied, jumping to lay on her belly on my bed, "she's pretty. Loves animals. Is not a vegetarian. Doesn't have a clue on sports, but loves reading and writing."

"I don't need her biography,"

Her smile grew wider. "Alright, but are you going to give it a try?"

"Would she agree to date me just so I could help her with her story?" I wasn't sure if anyone would want that.

"Knowing Kim, she won't want to be single during the holiday, so she might actually agree."

"But I don't want her expecting anything afterwards."

She let out a chortle. "She wouldn't even think of attaching any strings."

"Are you sure?"

"A hundred percent," her eyes lit up, "are you going to do it?"

Well, if she was going to agree then I wasn't sure if there was any harm in it all.

All that needed to happen was for me to help her out during this holiday and she'd help me for a year

It was that simple.

"I think I am."