A Not So Meet Cute

A young businessman named Huxley returns to his brothers, JP and Breaker, after a meeting with a property magnate. It didn’t go well, and his brothers mock him about this. They advised him not to go to the meeting due to the disparity between Huxley and the magnate, Dave Toney. Dave is down to earth, while Huxley is a playboy with a glamorous and privileged life. Huxley’s brothers tease him for struggling to be personable and warm with potential business partners, something that Huxley is scornful of and sees as having no place in business. Dave is a difficult client; he doesn’t work with anyone in the city despite owning a large amount of real estate. Huxley’s brothers say that he needs to get Dave to see him in a new light.

Huxley gets mad and leaves for lunch. He reflects on his business, stating that he doesn’t care whom he works with as long as it’s a good deal. He collects his own lunch because he feels bad when he sends his assistant to collect it for him. When he arrives, he notices a black SUV, which Dave steps out of. With him is Dave’s fiancée, who is pregnant. Huxley is surprised that he was not aware of this detail before their meeting.

Dave spots Huxley, and they begin to talk. Hoping to appear more personable, Huxley explains that he enjoys walking and picking up lunch for himself and his brothers. Dave introduces Ellie, and Huxley recognizes her Georgia accent. He explains that his grandmother is from Georgia and that he spent a lot of his summers with her. Impressed, Ellie explains that she grew up near where his grandmother lives. In reality, Huxley’s grandmother is from San Diego, and he recognizes Ellie’s accent because it reminds him of an ex-girlfriend from Georgia.

Huxley notices that Dave appears protective, possibly assuming that Huxley is flirting. To assuage Dave’s jealousy, Huxley lies about having a fiancée whose parents are from Fayetteville. Dave takes an interest in Huxley’s engagement, so Huxley doubles down, claiming that he and his fiancée are expecting and that they met in Georgia. This lie wins Dave over, kindling a new appreciation for Huxley. Pleased with himself, Huxley thinks that this lie could be what he needs to close the deal with Dave. Ellie and Dave then ask Huxley and his fiancée over for dinner on the following Saturday, which is in four days. Huxley feels pressure to agree to this plan since Dave mentions that he is willing to discuss their deal further, so he accepts.

Lottie is outside her house, which she shares with her mother, Maura. Her grandmother bought the house in the 1950s, and her mother raised Lottie and her sister, Kelsey, in it alone. The house is in a mild state of disrepair. Her mother’s boyfriend, Jeff, is in the front yard, gardening. Lottie gets out of her VW Bug and leaves her box of things from work in the car to avoid questions; her mother and Jeff were initially against her taking the job due to her bumpy relationship with Angela. Jeff greets her, and she compliments the state of the garden. He expresses hope that it will receive an award from the beautification committee. Lottie doubts this, as the committee also observes The Flats, a wealthy neighborhood nearby, and she believes the judges will be snobs. Jeff inquires about work and her contract, but Lottie lies to avoid explaining that she was fired. 

Her mother calls her in for dinner. Up in her room, she texts Kelsey. Kelsey is her “Irish Twin,” someone born a year after her on the same day. Kelsey is an up-and-coming organizer whose business involves going to people’s houses and showing them how to organize their pantries and closets. Her angle is using sustainable techniques and products. She lives in a small studio apartment in West Hollywood. Kelsey is enraged that Angela fired Lottie, particularly as Lottie was planning to move out the following week. Kelsey says she will come over with drinks and the “idea notebook.” 

When Lottie returns downstairs for dinner, she must lie to her mother and Jeff again about work. She recalls how she began working with Angela due to the pressure of her student loans. The salary she got from Angela was so low that Lottie had to move in with her mother, but she stayed at the job because she was promised that her salary would triple after a year. She performed well, growing Angela’s website, “Angeloop,” extremely quickly and earning Angela a spot on The Today Show. Unaware of what has happened, Lottie’s mother asks about her future apartment’s lease. Lottie hasn’t signed it yet, but her guilt about imposing on her mother and Jeff grows, making it harder for her to admit that Angela fired her.

The next morning, Lottie hides from Jeff and her mother until they leave for work. Kelsey arrives after texting to check if the coast is clear. Lottie laments at her bad decisions, and they check her finances to discover she is $30,000 in debt and has less than $3,000 in her bank account. She doesn’t have enough money to move out or keep up with her loan payments. After considering job options, they go for a walk through The Flats. Lottie wonders if landing a rich husband could be her way out of her crisis, but Kelsey points out that this is unlikely to happen within a week.

Lottie looks up what appeals to rich people. Kelsey suggests that she seek help from Ken, an ex-boyfriend who left Lottie for Angela, which Lottie protests. As they turn back home, Angela texts Lottie, asking her to help plan the reunion. Lottie says that she’s not going to the reunion, but Kelsey asserts that she should go with an attractive date. Lottie settles on her plan to land a rich partner.

JP and Breaker are reacting to Huxley’s plan to lie about having a pregnant fiancée. Huxley says that he can’t reveal the truth because it would tarnish their company’s reputation. His brothers ask if he has a female friend who can stand in as his partner, but he does not. Huxley goes for a walk and reflects upon his situation, his position in the family, and his history of being a troublemaker.

He runs into a brunette woman and nearly knocks her over, apologizing profusely. The woman is Lottie, who tries to lie about her circumstances before admitting she was walking around looking for a rich husband. However, she couldn’t find anyone, and now her phone is dead and she’s lost. They have a back-and-forth, and Huxley, despite his worries, recognizes that the situation can mutually benefit them. He sees it as a business deal. He asks her to grab food with him. She’s confused that he isn’t put off by her admission that she wants a rich partner, but he responds by sharing his own plan to find a fake fiancée. They agree to go on a date in an hour. 

Huxley returns to the office and informs his brothers of the situation. They think his plan is a bad idea, as they are concerned about her going to the media with the situation. Huxley informs them that he’s contacting his lawyers to draft a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that will prevent her from doing this.

Lottie briefly returns home to charge her phone and informs Kelsey over text that she found a rich man, but her sister expresses concern. Lottie recognizes that Huxley is as desperate as she is for his own plan to succeed. 

She arrives at the restaurant and spots Huxley. She finds him attractive, which works well for her plan to embarrass Angela at her reunion. Huxley buys them food, and she begins interrogating him about his various choices and attitudes. She eventually decides he’s preoccupied with power, but they find they both like the same show, The Challenge. They flirt. Huxley explains why he’s concocted his plan and asks Lottie if she’s open to his proposal, and she explains her circumstances and admits that she is. 

However, Lottie realizes that she is too proud to ask for anything, so she decides that she doesn’t want to go through with the plan. After leaving, she talks to her sister and informs her of the situation. She then lies to her mother about her job and moving out again. Jeff enters with a bouquet of red roses from Huxley, requesting that she consider the deal.

Dave calls Huxley, who sends his brothers out of the room so he can take the call. Dave asks if Huxley’s fiancée has any food allergies or aversions. Huxley is unable to answer this, which puts him under pressure. He says he’s not aware of any allergies and then steers Dave toward burrito bowls, saying that her pregnancy has her craving them. Following the call, JP pesters Huxley about offering Lottie’s name and food preferences before getting her to agree to be his “fiancée.” Huxley says that he knows Lottie’s weakness and can get her to agree to the deal. Huxley recognizes that the flowers didn’t win Lottie over, so he’s going to “play dirty.”

He turns up at her house with chocolates and flowers. Lottie demands to know how Huxley figured out her home address, which he says she put into his phone to find her way home when they first met. Lottie’s mother arrives, and Huxley introduces himself as Lottie’s boyfriend of three months. Surprised, Lottie’s mother introduces herself and invites Huxley in for dessert. Lottie watches in stunned silence as he pretends to be a loving boyfriend over ice cream sundaes. Huxley tells Lottie’s mother that they kept their relationship secret because of his reputation and reveals that he is Huxley Cane. This shocks Lottie’s mother, but Lottie is unperturbed. When Lottie’s mother asks if they will be moving in together, Huxley lies and says he asked and is waiting for an answer. Lottie’s mother seems hurt by the fact that she was unaware of this relationship, and Huxley intervenes to say that keeping it quiet was his idea. He also says they met some time ago when Lottie was lost, and he helped her.

In Lottie’s room, she confronts him, telling him she said she wasn’t interested in the deal. He uses the fact that her mother is unaware that Lottie has been fired as leverage against her and then explains why he’s trying to secure her as a fake fiancée. In exchange, he says he can get her anything she wants. She decides she wants to help her sister with her business; she wants to feel fulfilled in her career, and working with her sister would be her dream. In addition, Lottie says she wants to move out of her mother’s house, to get payback against Angela, to pay off her student loans, and to have a place to lie in the rain. Huxley says that all this can be done. They agree that Lottie will move in with Kelsey and work with her full-time; in return, he will help the two find business connections.

Huxley then adds that Lottie will need to pretend to be pregnant. Lottie expresses discomfort with this situation, saying that she feels like an escort. Huxley says that it is just a business transaction with no sexual or physical aspects and will include an NDA. Lottie is still hesitant, worrying about her pride, so he tells her not to look at it as a freebie but as a professional boost. She agrees but says that Huxley can never show up at her house unannounced again.