That mollifies me a little… Did he really call me beautiful? I stop myself from asking for confirmation and answer his question instead. “The problem isn’t that I can’t find a boyfriend ever. It’s that I’m single right now while my baby sister just got engaged, and that’s going to point an even bigger bullseye on the lack of that diamond ring on my finger. And this year, I can’t bear it.” I leave out the why. “Also, I don’t want to be in a relationship for the sake of dating, and my job makes it hard to put in the time to find that special person.”

And being in love with my sister’s fiancé doesn’t help, I add in my head.

“So you prefer to hire your dates off a catalog.” Diego tries to keep a straight face, but the corners of his mouth twitch.

“Now you’re just making fun of me.”

He finally lets the smile take over his mouth, and gosh if he isn’t a sight to behold when he smiles like that. “Sorry. I thought my mom was scary with her constant nagging about me needing to settle down, but you make your family sound so much worse…”

“They are, believe me, and that’s why we need to be prepared if we want to fool them.”

“Okay, so what’s the story?”

“Let’s start easy. Our first date, how did it happen?”

“We met in a bar?”

“Nah, too prosaic. We should stick to reality as much as we can, like they teach in spy movies.”

“What’s your angle here? We can’t say you picked me off a catalog.”

My time to smirk. “Actually, we sort of can…”

“How?”

“You came to the agency for a casting, and that’s where we met.”

“And how did we move from the casting to the dating?”

“Ah, and the plot thickens… Any ideas?”

He frowns, concentrating. “You called me to say I had the job, and I told you I’d rather have a date.”

“That sounds farfetched.”

“Why?”

“Would you really have asked someone like me on a date?”

“And by ‘someone like you,’ you mean?”

“Someone who wouldn’t look at home in a bikini catalog,” I reply honestly.

He grimaces. “Ah, yes. Because we models can only date other models…”

“No, but…”

“But?”

“You’re good looking, you know?”

Diego nods, serious, not one bit mollified.

“Above-average good looking…” I insist.

He nods again.

“So, it’d make sense you’d want to date someone as gorgeous as you.”

“Why?”

“Because you can. Because why not?”

“Maybe because before I jump into bed with someone, I need a bit more of a connection. I’m not a horny teenager,” he says harshly.

“Sorry, did I offend you?”