A/N: Thank you all for your love and support! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 5: Don't be suspicious

Kate couldn't help but feel momentarily shocked that Anthony had actually agreed to her proposition. She knew this whole situation was pretty odd: she was basically offering to pretend to be Anthony's girlfriend to fool people at his office in exchange for him helping her break up Edwina and Tom. It was a last-minute decision of hers to offer to be his fake girlfriend, and honestly, she wasn't quite sure why she suggested it. Would she have to come by his office more in the future? Perhaps play up the whole 'lovey-dovey' girlfriend act in front of that Cressida woman again? Whatever they did, she supposed it would all be worth it if Edwina and Tom broke up.

"Kate?" Anthony now asked, and Kate blinked before looking up at him. He was standing at his desk, opening up the paper bag and taking out some of the food items; he nodded toward a nearby chair. "Did you want to sit down? We can eat at my desk here."

"Oh. Are you sure you want me to stay?" Kate asked, walking over to him. "I can just slip out and let you enjoy your lunch in peace. It's not a big deal."

"Well, if you're going to be my girlfriend, why shouldn't we enjoy a nice workday lunch together?" Anthony smirked at her. "Come on, I don't mind sharing with you. Daphne packed more than enough."

At the smell of the sausage rolls, Kate's stomach made an involuntary grumble. "Well, I suppose I am hungry," she conceded. "Thank you. But I think we should keep your office door open while we eat. I don't want your coworkers getting the impression we're doing anything other than eating lunch while we're in here."

"Of course," Anthony chuckled as Kate hurried over to his office door and opened it a few inches. "Wouldn't want anyone to think we're sinning together in here."

"Well yeah," Kate insisted, eyes wide. "I don't know how you typically did these workday lunches with Sienna, but I don't want to garner a reputation amongst your coworkers as your booty call."

Anthony laughed, looking highly amused at her words. "It's alright, Kate, I don't think anyone here thinks that of you. And I never had Sienna come over for lunch, so my coworkers don't expect that kind of slutty behavior from me."

Kate felt a bit surprised at that information. Considering how long he and Sienna had apparently known each other and dated on and off, it was odd that the two of them never ate lunch together at his office. "Oh. Alright then," she said, moving over to the seat near Anthony's desk and accepting the sausage roll he handed her. "Thanks. So do you and Daphne do these types of lunches often?"

"Not really. We were supposed to meet up today to begin planning a family trip out to our summer home in Hampshire," Anthony explained, taking a bite out of his own sausage roll and chewing on it. "It's our old family estate called Aubrey Hall. We haven't been out there in a few years, so we thought it would be fun for the family to go for a long weekend or something."

"Wow, that does sound like fun," Kate's eyes lit up with interest. She had always loved the idea of having a summer home, but her father had died when she was young and her family had never been that affluent. "Who's all going?"

"Just us Bridgertons, and maybe some of our significant others," Anthony said. He hesitated a moment. "I would have considered bringing Sienna with me, but I doubt that's going to happen now."

Kate couldn't help but give him a teasing smile. "Well, who knows? Maybe the two of you will get back together again before your trip."

Anthony gave her a sarcastic grin back. "Very funny."

Kate laughed, and for the next few minutes the two of them made comfortable small talk as they ate their food; Anthony had a glass minifridge behind his desk and he grabbed two sparkling waters for him and Kate. The whole meal was very delicious – Daphne's cooking was almost always top tier, and Kate couldn't help but feel jealous. Perhaps she should take a few cooking classes in the future so her own cooking could try to compare.

"So what did you have in mind?" Anthony asked once they had finished their food. He wiped his mouth with a napkin before tossing it into a nearby wastepaper basket. "For how we're going to break up your sister and this Tom guy?"

"Oh. Well, I was thinking about that a bit," Kate said, eating one of the last chips. "Daphne and I were planning on going to the pub again on Thursday, and I was thinking of inviting Tom and Edwina to come out with us that day too."

"Okay," Anthony nodded, looking thoughtful as he seemed to consider his schedule for Thursday. "And what would I do?"

"Well… I thought that maybe you could swing by the pub and chat with Edwina for a bit," Kate suggested hesitantly. "In front of Tom, that is."

Anthony blinked before seeming to register what Kate was suggesting. He stared at her with wide eyes. "What? Are you mad? You seriously want me to flirt with your sister in front of her boyfriend?"

"You wouldn't have to be obvious about it," Kate amended quickly. "Not like asking her out on a date or anything. You could just be friendly to her in front of Tom: that will be more than enough to make him jealous. He and Edwina would then get into a fight and his true colors will finally come out. Easy as that."

Anthony still looked very skeptical at this idea. "That doesn't sound like the best idea, Kate. What if Tom doesn't care if Edwina gets hit on by another man? Or what if she isn't receptive to it?"

"Tom is definitely the jealous type," Kate said firmly. "And Edwina has always been a huge flirt with guys. Trust me, this tactic will work on them."

Anthony continued to look skeptical, and the gaze he was currently leveling at Kate made her think there was something else he wanted to say. "You know, Kate, if I didn't know any better, I would think that you wanted to break up your sister and Tom for other reasons that had nothing to do with just protecting her."

Kate felt taken aback by that remark. "What are you implying? Do you seriously think I still have feelings for Tom or something?"

Anthony had a rather ugly scowl on his face as he shrugged. "The way you've spoken about your sister just now makes me think that this is less about her and more about your own ego being hurt that he chose her over you."

Kate could only stare at Anthony, feeling hurt and offended by his comment. Did he seriously think that about her? The last thing she wanted to do was give that impression to anyone, considering the fact it was categorically untrue. "That couldn't be further from the truth, Anthony," she insisted stonily. "I love Edwina more than anything in the world, and I would do everything in my power to make sure she doesn't get hurt. Whatever feelings I had for Tom have long since gone at this point, and I would appreciate it if you could trust that I know my own feelings in regards to him."

Anthony stared back at her for a moment or two, his expression unreadable, before he let out a sigh. "I just feel that this has the potential of becoming incredibly messy. I don't like all these underhanded tactics you want us doing."

"I know," Kate said sincerely. "And believe me, this isn't the sort of thing I normally do. But if it'll save Edwina from heartbreak, I'm willing to do anything."

"You really do care for her," Anthony said, his question sounding more like a statement.

"I do. She's the only blood relation I have left," Kate confessed. "We're technically only half-sisters: both my parents died when I was young, and my stepmother pretty much raised the two of us by herself. We went through so much together growing up, and I love her as much as if she were my full sister."

Anthony looked at her, his expression softening into something Kate couldn't quite read. "I'm sorry to hear about your parents," he said quietly. "I lost my father when I was eighteen, so I know how difficult it can be to lose a parent."

Kate's heart lurched at him saying that. "I'm so sorry. Daphne had mentioned to me before that your father had passed away. That must have been very difficult for you and your family."

Anthony gave her a sad smile. "It was, yeah."

A short silence settled over the two of them as they remained lost in their own maudlin thoughts. A moment later, however, Anthony's computer dinged with a notification.

"Shit," Anthony looked at his computer screen. "I have a Zoom meeting in ten minutes. Sorry, I have to cut this lunch short."

"It's no problem," Kate said quickly, getting to her feet and starting to gather up their refuse, tossing it all into the empty paper bag. "I should be heading back too."

"I appreciate you coming by with lunch," Anthony said, getting to his feet as well. "I'll send a text to Daphne and thank her for making the food for us."

"That was very kind of her," Kate smiled, tossing the bag into the wastepaper basket. "I might even share the apple turnovers with you if you're nice to me."

"I'll hold you to that," Anthony teased, moving toward the door. "C'mon, I'll walk you out."

"Thanks."

They headed out of Anthony's office together and began walking toward the front desk; about a dozen of Anthony's colleagues were hanging around, either chatting with each other or texting on their phones. Several people glanced over at them as they passed, and Kate saw Cressida standing about fifty feet away, staring directly at Anthony and Kate as they walked.

Getting a sudden idea, Kate reached down and slipped her hand into Anthony's, threading their fingers together as if they did this everyday. Anthony raised his eyebrows at Kate, looking surprised but also rather pleased by her action.

"I had a wonderful time with you today, Kate," Anthony said, smiling affectionately at her as they approached the front doors. While Kate knew he was just playing it up for the sake of his coworkers around them, her heart couldn't help but pound a little harder at his words.

"Me too. We should do this again sometime," she said, feeling a bit surprised by her own words. She had no idea if they would continue doing these types of lunches in the future, but she supposed spending another hour in Anthony's company wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

"Definitely," Anthony said, and they stopped near the receptionist desk. Kate could feel several people's eyes on her and Anthony as they stood facing each other. She finally released his hand.

"So I'll see you Thursday?" she asked, feeling hopeful that he was receptive to her plan to break up Tom and Edwina at the pub. She knew he had been hesitant back when she brought it up in his office, but considering how she was helping him right now, perhaps he would consider it.

Anthony paused for only a moment before nodding, giving her a small smile. "Yeah. I'll be there."

Kate felt immediately relieved, and before she could talk herself out of it, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Anthony's cheek. His skin was warm and smelled like woodsy cologne, but she didn't let herself linger for too long as she pulled back.

"Great. I'll see you then," she said, smiling at the slightly stunned look on Anthony's face. Feeling inordinately pleased with herself, she finally turned and walked out of the office.

In the distance, she could hear a pencil cup clattering to the marble floor and heels clicking rapidly as Cressida stomped back over to her desk.

A/N: These two are too cute Let me know your thoughts about this chapter!

And for those of you upset Anthony didn't invite Kate out to the Aubrey Hall trip yet… stay tuned ;)

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