Alfie makes several rather odd faces. “Rosie, I’m confused. You want this to be a secret?”

“Yes.”

“Yet right now, you have the ideal cover in place. With me. Providing ample evidence that you’re not dating Danni. And you want to … end that?”

I stare at him in surprise. “I assumed you would want to, once you found out.”

“That you’re a lesbian?” he asks. “You thought I would want to end our fake relationship when I found out it’s … extra fake?”

I try to hide my smile. “Well, I don’t know.”

“You did think I was doing this in the hopes we’d end up together!”

“I did not.”

“You so did. I told you I’m not! Why is it so hard for you to believe I’m not in love with you?”

I ignore that. “What do you get out of this, though?”

Alfie grows earnest. “I get to help you.”

Well, I’ll have to speak to Danni about it, of course. But I can’t deny it would be helpful for us to have Alfie’s involvement. Immeasurably so.

“Ooh,” he says suddenly. “We should do something for Valentine’s Day. Something really public. We can do that, right? We’ll have time to plan.”

I hesitate. “Oh, I … it’s a good idea, but I want to spend Valentine’s Day with Danni.”

“Bring her!” he says instantly, and I laugh. “I’d like to get to know her,” he presses. “If she’s going to be around now, we might as well try to find something we like about each other.”

“Watch out, that was almost amicable.”

Alfie lifts a shoulder and smiles into it. “I don’t know what you mean, Rosie, I’m the most welcoming person you can think of.”

“Maybe if I only had one brain cell left,” I say, and he feigns insult. “Besides, I’m sure that’s exactly what I shouldn’t be doing. A staged press event with Danni and me on Valentine’s Day.”

“I’d be there.”

“Yes, but still.”

He thinks for a few moments. I can tell Alfie is set on this idea, which means it will be hard to tear him away from it. And the problem with Alfie getting set on an idea is that, more often than not, he finds a way to get me to agree to it, sooner or later.

“We’ll bring along a friend of mine,” he says. “Fake dating for everyone.”

I laugh and roll my eyes.

“Come on,” he says. “It’s a good idea.”

“Hmm. Maybe.”

“Rosie.”

“Maybe.”

Alfie wins.