Sutton cleared her throat and quickly glanced at me before focusing on my mother. “I think so. If today was any indication, I have a pretty good idea.”

My mother grinned, but it wasn’t necessarily pleasant. “Today was nothing compared to what will happen if you continue being seen together. Especially after Social Month. The press will hound you at every step. They’ll camp outside your apartment door. They will talk to your coworkers at the hospital. They’ll dig up your past, your present, your parents in Boston. They will want to know everything about the woman who has captured Not-So Prince Charming’s heart.”

“Mom,” I chastised, not wanting her to scare Sutton half to death.

“No,” Sutton said, stopping me. “She’s right. It won’t be easy. But I’m sure Joseph will do everything he can to keep me safe, and hopefully, they’ll like me, so they won’t be too mean.”

Sutton was attempting to be lighthearted, but damn, she really had no idea how vicious the press and gossip columnists could be. Over the years, I’d learned, but I also didn’t give a fuck. Sutton would care. She’d be hurt by the things they printed and wrote about her. Especially if she started reading the comments. Those were not for the faint of heart.

“It doesn’t matter if they like you, dear. Being nice doesn’t sell. It’s not good for their business,” my mother warned before covering a yawn. “I think I need to turn in for the night. I have some things I need to think over.”

The three of us stood at the same time, and Sutton immediately reached for my hand and held it in a vise grip. My mother walked us to the elevator, and Sutton and I stepped inside. Right as the doors were about to close, my mother reached her arm out to stop them.

“It was really nice meeting you tonight, Sutton. This charade you two are trying to pull is cute, but you need to think long and hard about what you’re getting yourself into. And you, my son, should know better than to throw someone into the spotlight without warning. Especially when it’s all for show.”

“What are you talking about?” I questioned, pretending to play dumb but I knew we were caught.

“You can’t fool me, Joseph. I’m offended that you’d even try.”

And just like that, she pulled her hand away, and the elevator doors slammed shut.

CRAP WITH A CAPITAL C

SUTTON

“Shit,” Joseph said as the elevator started going down.

“How did she know? I thought we did a good job,” I asked, my hand still holding his for dear life.

His blue eyes were wild, roving all over the walls and my body. I could tell that his mind was spinning. “Probably the fact that neither one of us knew about the other’s parents. That was the first dead giveaway that we hadn’t talked about things that actually mattered.”