3 Hire

...

"So, when was it that you got a girlfriend again?," Miguel was more than curious at this point and oblivious to the whitening of Shawn's knuckles on the steering wheel.

"..."

"I'll rephrase then," Miguel rolled his eyes on seeing how stingy he was being with his words. "Do you really have a girlfriend, Shawn?"

"..." Shawn shot him a look. As expected, this was one person he couldn't really hide the truth from. "I don't."

"You told mother that—," Miguel began innocently.

"I know what I said, dammit!," Shawn was already more than royally pissed at this point. Though the reason for it lay more with himself. "Can't you read between the lines?"

"So, uh, you lied," Miguel shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "What are you going to do about it? You told Mom you'd bring her over."

Shawn cut him a quick glare before focusing on the road. Why was this idiot reiterating everything he'd told his mother? He remembered well enough, thank you very much.

"I don't know," He finally said, hoping he could rope in someone to help him brainstorm. "Maybe I'll get someone to pretend for me or something. I don't know." Or perhaps he could actually find someone to love.

...Not a chance in hell.

"What if you get someone to pretend and she ends up falling in love with you?," Miguel didn't want to think of the kind of rejection such a girl would face if she came to fall in love with his brother.

Shawn scoffed, as though he just thought of the possibility. "Then I'll just get someone who can't," He finalized dismissively.

"I know a lady," Miguel whipped out his phone to confirm as he wasn't too clear on the details. "Well, I don't really know her per se. It's just—"

"Out with it already," Shawn didn't have an extra minute to spend with this bumbling fool.

"She owns this popular establishment and helps guys to act as their pretend spouses," Miguel explained and saw Shawn's lip curl in a faint expression of disgust. "It's really not as bad as you think. Everyone's got to make money somehow."

Shawn didn't think that was an excuse to get involved in something so... lowly.

"I have a picture," Shawn had already alighted from the car as they were now at the company and was already heading into the building with long strides, causing Miguel to have to jog to keep up with him.

Miguel was at least positive that a woman as exotic as her could turn the head of a man like his brother, if not any other woman.

Shawn accepted the outstretched phone and surveyed the woman without a shift in his expression.

She had rather long, wavy and glossy chocolate brown hair that tumbled down to her waist. Her eyes were a vibrant dark brown and despite it being just a photo, he could tell this woman held all in a positive light and was very optimistic.

No way.

If anything, this person would only pose more room for suspicion. The first thing Phee would ask was how she could fall for someone as stony as him. And she'd be right. No woman in their right mind would fall in love with him as he was. They only came to him with their ulterior motives in mind anyway.

"No," Shawn continued on to his office and heard Miguel close the door behind him.

"But she is rather beautiful, though," The look in Miguel's eyes blatantly said he thought this woman was some kind of goddess. "Why don't you want to do it?"

"She's not my type," Shawn deadpanned.

Miguel wanted to cry. "Are you still looking for a type?!," He scowled. "You barely have that much of a choice as it is. You should just go ahead with it."

Shawn knew his brother was right. There was no way he could find a better deal in such a short span of time. Plus, it wasn't like the woman was too bad looking. And if he backed out now by telling his mother he'd just been lying, then the poor woman would just get even more depressed. "Fine then," He finally acquiesced. "Sign me up for an appointment."

"Miss Olivia Hart. Twenty six years of age. Likes—," Shawn zoned out Miguel's voice chattering out her bio as he pulled open his laptop.

He was just beginning to wonder if Mig's mouth ever stopped running, when the latter started gushing on about her looks like there was nothing better to do, when his cell phone started ringing.

After taking a glance at the caller ID, he ignored it and focused on his work.

Going through that painstakingly boring tune one was already more than enough for Miguel who hopped over when Shawn's phone began ringing a second time, his spiel about how Olivia was the one for Shawn already forgotten.

"Why aren't you picking up Phee's call?," Miguel asked even though he was sure he already knew. Phoenix and her inexhaustible amount of energy always seemed to tire out Shawn.

"You pick it up," Shawn scowled without tearing his gaze away from the screen.

Miguel began shifting awkwardly from one foot to another. "And tell her what?," He mused.

"That I'm busy or something," Shawn retorted dismissively.

"Are you?," Miguel pressed.

"..."

"Right," He picked the call but immediately had to hold it away from his ears at Phee's deadly screech.

"Why aren't you picking up your phone, Shawn?!," She scowled.

"It's Mig, Phee," He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Shawn's been stuck in a—"

"Give my brother the damn phone!," She was not having it apparently. "I demand to speak with my brother. I have rights, you know."

Miguel was sure there wasn't that particular right in their constitution. He had just begun perspiring when Shawn gestured for him to hand the phone over. Gladly.

"What do you want, Phee?"

"Could you do me a transfer?," Shawn didn't know how he could tell that she was batting her lashes sweetly from the other end of the line. "Pretty pretty please, best brother that ever walked the Earth?"

"No."

"...Ouch, Shawn," Phoenix snorted. "You wound me."

"Too bad."

"Just please?," She pressed. "You see—"

"I'll help," Shawn cut her off before she could itemize the numerous spas and clothing stores she needed to make aware of her existence.

"Thank you sooo—"

Shawn cut the call before she could burst his eardrums with her screeches. Then he turned a hard gaze on Miguel who was scrolling through his socials. "Don't you think it's a rather busy Monday, Mig?," He frowned.

Miguel pulled on a sulky look. "Don't you think you could give me a little leeway?," He hoped. "Work's rather hectic."

"You can go collect your paycheck from the accounts department then," Shawn didn't even spare him a glance as he continued typing away on his laptop.

Miguel's lips puckered in a sad pout before he slipped away.

Once he was gone, he turned to the number and details Miguel had scribbled into his schedule.

Never in his life had he thought he'd once need to get himself a girlfriend for hire.

...