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Back First Comes Love
Chapters (92)
  1. First
  2. Love Connection
  3. Zero
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. One Month Later
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Six Months Later
  21. Sixteen
  22. Seventeen
  23. Eighteen
  24. Nineteen
  25. Twenty
  26. Twenty-one
  27. Twenty-two
  28. Twenty-three
  29. Twenty-four
  30. Six Months Later
  31. Twenty-five
  32. Twenty-six
  33. Twenty-seven
  34. Twenty-eight
  35. Twenty-nine
  36. Thirty
  37. Thirty-one
  38. Thirty-two
  39. Thirty-three
  40. I Have Never
  41. One
  42. Two
  43. Three
  44. Four
  45. Five
  46. Six
  47. Seven
  48. Eight
  49. Nine
  50. Ten
  51. Eleven
  52. Twelve
  53. Thirteen
  54. Fourteen
  55. Fifteen
  56. Sixteen
  57. Seventeen
  58. Eighteen
  59. Nineteen
  60. Twenty
  61. Twenty-one
  62. Twenty-two
  63. A Christmas Date
  64. One
  65. Two
  66. Three
  67. Four
  68. Five
  69. Six
  70. Seven
  71. Eight
  72. Nine
  73. Ten
  74. Eleven
  75. Twelve
  76. Thirteen
  77. Fourteen
  78. Fifteen
  79. Sixteen
  80. Seventeen
  81. Eighteen
  82. Nineteen
  83. Twenty
  84. Twenty-one
  85. Twenty-two
  86. Note from the Author
  87. Sneak Peek – To the Stars and Back
  88. Two
  89. Three
  90. Four
  91. Also by Camilla Isley
  92. About the Author

“Hey, don’t get defensive, I was only saying you look better. Maybe it’s the hair. Anyway…” She taps the tickets now resting on my desk, taking the hint my happiness level isn’t a topic I care to discuss with her. “Both Part 1 and 2 start at 7:30 p.m. The ticket lady advised getting there a little early just to be on the safe side.”

“Thank you, Mel, that’ll be all,” I dismiss her.

I stash the tickets away in my wallet and take a moment to stare out the window.

I’m not happier.

Why would I be?

Ten

Bossy Much

The show is everything Diego promised. Definitely a much better experience than reading the script, and sharing it with him has made it even more special. The moment my fake boyfriend set foot on Broadway, his whole demeanor changed. The passion he has for the theater is contagious, and now I get why he can’t surrender his dream and give up on being an actor. Getting a regular nine-to-five job would kill Diego’s spirit. Pity it’s so difficult to have a breakthrough in his field. I wish I could do something more to help him than sneak him into a few castings.

A frantic work schedule and two nights in a row spent on Broadway make the weekend and the imminent departure advance in no time. On Saturday, I indulge in a late morning and a lush brunch while Diego takes his last shift at the restaurant. Before I know it, it’s time to get everything ready for the trip home. Come Saturday evening, I can’t help feeling as jittery as an actor before opening night. Tomorrow, the biggest performance of my life will kick off, and no matter that all the technical details have been set, I’m still tense.

I do a mental recap.

Rental car, check!

Luggage packed and ready to be loaded, check!

Fake boyfriend, check!

But what about my nerves? Will I really be able to pull off this farce in front of my family? Will they believe Diego and I are together? I should’ve picked someone less hot than Diego; a guy more in my league. They’re going to bust me the moment I step over the threshold. Why did I do this? This whole idea was crazy. I should call it all off.

No, no, Nikki, you just need to stop panicking and calm down.

Still, even with all the details of my fake relationship laid out, I can’t settle. One final review can’t hurt.

I sit on the coffee table in front of Diego, who’s sprawled on the couch. I can tell he’s tired after a day of waiting tables. But this won’t take long.

“We should go over each other’s backgrounds one last time,” I announce.

“Boss, relax. We have it covered, went over it a million times.”