by Eva Luxe
The fantasy of being a billionaire had been great while it lasted, but it would never be more than just a dream.
Chapter 6
Harper
Caden had come back a lot earlier than anyone had expected, but I was glad. He was the life of the restaurant and having him around again had lifted everyone’s spirits.
I thought about what he had told me about the reading of the will. Caden had lied to the lawyer about having a fiancée in the hopes that he could get the money. Of course, the legality behind it was a lot more intense than he had expected, and he was sure he would have to give the money to his cousin, anyway. I wanted to change that. Caden deserved that money—not only because it was an inheritance but because he worked really hard and I knew he would want to put the money into the business. Caden was selfish in a lot of ways, but money wasn’t one of them.
On Thursday afternoon when there was a lull in customers between the lunch and dinner rush, I found Caden outside. He stood with his hands in his pockets, his mind far away.
“Penny for your thoughts?” I asked.
Caden looked at me. “I was just thinking about this whole business with the inheritance money. It’s a lot of cash and I’m just trying to make peace with having to let it go.”
“I wanted to talk to you about that,” I said.
Caden frowned at me.
“If you have a fiancée, you can stop Camden from suing for the money right away, right?”
“Right,” Caden said. “Unfortunately, fiancée’s don’t grow on trees.”
“No, but they do tend to grow behind hostess stations.”
“What?” Caden asked, looking confused.
I took a deep breath. “Why don’t I be your fake fiancée next week? Take me to California and I’ll sign whatever needs to be signed.”
Caden still looked confused and shook his head. “I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s ridiculous.”
I laughed. “What, am I not good enough? Is the girlfriend you have now better?”
“You know that’s not what I mean,” Caden said. “But you’re offering to be a part of the lie.”
I pulled up my shoulders. “It’s no big deal, really. I’m offering. If you don’t want to take it, that’s your business.”
Caden shook his head, but I could see he was thinking about it. The idea had already taken root in his mind. That was all I needed.
“Think about it,” I said and turned around, heading back inside. I had given the idea a lot of thought. Technically what we were going to do, if Caden agreed, wasn’t exactly legal, but neither was suing for an inheritance that didn’t belong to you. I was irritated with Caden’s cousin, even though I had never met the man. I wasn’t sure if Caden would take me up on my offer, but I had a feeling he would come around. Caden wasn’t the type of person to back down, and now that he had a way to make it happen, maybe he would come to me and decide to let me help him, after all. Either way, it wouldn’t change anything for me.
The dinner rush was busy enough to keep us both occupied, so Caden and I didn’t have a chance to speak again. Once the diners were gone, we went through our normal routine of cleaning and tidying up the restaurant, preparing it for the next day. Caden was quiet while we worked, and I was starting to think maybe he would reject my offer, after all.
Greyson said goodbye to us and headed out after everything was taken care of. When we were alone, Caden came to me and cleared his throat.
“Were you serious about offering to be my fake fiancée?” He asked.
I nodded.
“What’s the catch?”
“No catch. I want to help you to get the money that you are owed. I’m not going to make it more than what it is, and let’s be honest, the money could really help the business, and you.”
Caden frowned at me and he seemed suspicious. “Why are you doing this?”
I shrugged and leaned back against the counter, arms back and my hands on the edge. “I’ve got nothing else going on. So why not? Where are you going to find a woman who is single, available, willing, and doesn’t want any of the money?”
“I don’t understand why you don’t want any of the money,” Caden said. “Especially with you knowing how much it is.”
I pulled up my shoulders. I had considered asking Caden for money, but realized I didn’t want it. I didn’t want for more than I already had.
“I’m happy with my life just how it is. I get a good salary working here, I can afford everything going on in my life and I’m not aiming much higher right now than employee of the month.” I chuckled at my joke.
Caden shook his head. “I still don’t know if this is a good idea. I don’t know why you’re doing this.”
“Is my reason not good enough? I’m offering to help out.”
Caden was still shaking his head and I had a feeling he would end up rejecting me, anyway. Some people just didn’t understand what it meant when someone wanted to help without expecting anything in return. But Caden had been a good boss to me, he had given me opportunities when I hadn’t deserved them and I wanted to repay him somehow. Not only that, posing as his fake fiancée sounded like fun. Even though I worked hard at the restaurant, my life was quite dull. I was stuck in the same routine week in week out, stuck with the same people and the same friends and nothing to excite me anymore. I wanted to do this, not only for Caden but because I was bored out of my brackets and I wanted to change it up and do something daring, something different.
“I’ll think about it,” Caden said, but I didn’t get the feeling he was going to go for it. I didn’t understand why—it was a lot of money, like he’d said, and this could work if we did it together. But it was his call.
“I’m off, then,” I said, and walked toward the back door where our coats hung on hooks.
“Wait,” Caden said. I stopped and turned around to face him.
“Why are you doing this?” he asked.
I shook my head. “I already told you. It can help you. So why not?”
“I can think of a lot of reasons why not.”
With a shrug, I replied, “Look, I offered and it still stands. I think your lie about having a fiancée was a risky one, but with a little push it could work. I think it’s worth a shot, especially if your cousin is as difficult as he sounds. Wouldn’t it be nice to get what’s yours?”
“We’d be breaking all the rules.”
“Would giving your cousin all the money make you feel better, somehow?” I asked.
Caden thought about it. “You’re making this very hard to turn down,” he said.
“You don’t have to turn it down.”
Caden looked at me for a long time.
“And you don’t want anything in return? Anything at all?” He seemed not to believe me. What had other women done to him to make him believe that I wasn’t sincere? I knew a lot of women were gold diggers. Maybe he assumed I would insist on taking the cash, despite saying I wouldn’t.
“No cash and no obligation to follow through with the ‘relationship’ once you get what you need.”
Caden chuckled. “You’re the strangest woman I know. Every other woman would give anything to catch a man like that, a man who would be a billionaire, no less. But you? You’re acting like it’s strange for me to wonder why you’re being so nice about it.”
I pulled up my shoulders again, not knowing what else to say. I wasn’t going to go back on my word, and I really meant it when I said I didn’t want anything in return. This was about the thrill of it, the danger. This wasn’t about reward, it was about doing something different for a change. I didn’t expect Caden to understand so I didn’t go into it. He was already living life on the edge as far as I could tell, taking risks and doing whatever he wanted to do, whenever he wanted to do it.
Me, I’d been so damn careful my whole life, I was looking for a reason to throw caution to the wind.
It took him a while longer to think about it and I waited instead of leaving. I waite
d for him to give me an answer.
“Okay,” he finally said.
I blinked at him, surprised.
“Okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Let’s do it.”
He grinned at me and it was a boyish grin. He was handsome when he looked mischievous like that and I couldn’t help but smile back. Caden walked toward me and for a moment I wondered what he was going to do. I had a flashing image of him grabbing me for a kiss and my stomach flipped. But Caden hugged me instead.
“You’re a rock star,” he said, letting me go. “I’ll walk you out.”
He turned away from me and I hopped off the counter, pushing my thoughts away. Caden walked me to the car and opened the door for me like a real gentleman. There was no bantering or flirting, only Caden being well-mannered.
“Goodnight, fake fiancée,” he said, with a grin and I laughed. He closed the door for me and stepped back when I started the car. I pulled out of the parking lot and ignored the butterflies in my stomach.
This was only for Caden so he could get his inheritance. I was doing it for the money, for him. And the restaurant. But I was starting to like the idea of spending time with Caden outside the restaurant.
I couldn’t believe I had thought about him kissing me. It had been such an idiot thing to think. Caden and I weren’t attracted to each other at all. Sure, he was extremely good looking. He had the kind of eyes I could get lost in if I forget to check myself, and a wide jaw with stubble that made him look hotter, not shabbier. His sandy hair always looked windblown and messy, and Caden made messy look good. But even though he was really attractive, he wasn’t the guy for me.
It must have been the idea of being his fake fiancée that had made me think about kissing him. It meant nothing, I told myself.
And with that, I pushed the thought of Caden as anything more than my boss, a friend, and my fake fiancée for a while, out of my mind. We were only playing games. It would do me good to keep that in mind.
I considered stopping at Tina’s place on the way home again and telling her what had happened. What we had decided. But I decided against it. I couldn’t keep dropping in at her place close to midnight. She had a family, two kids and a husband; a full life. I wanted to keep this my little secret for a while anyway. I wanted to keep it to myself until I had decided how I felt about it, and until I knew what Caden and I would be like together in this new adventure we were heading into.
Of course, I would tell my best friend in due time. But until then I would think about what it meant by myself without Tina’s sage advice and logical approaches. For a short while I would allow myself to dream, to get to know Caden outside the restaurant before I was forced to snap back to reality.
Chapter 7
Caden
Fridays were always the busiest at the restaurant and it was all hands on deck. We worked our fingers to the bone serving the diners that came in a steady stream. It was nights like this that reminded me how well we were doing. I thought about inviting Zach over for a meal with Blithe. Thanks to my best friend’s investment, all this had become possible, and I wanted him to see for himself how we were thriving
When the dinner rush was finally over it was almost midnight. Every weekend we often closed later than during the week but I didn’t mind. I enjoyed having so many diners to cater to. The Spiced Cow was doing well and the more people that walked through the door, the better I felt about my business.
Harper and I were working our usual routine of packing up the restaurant. We carried dishes to the kitchen to load the dishwasher while Greyson made sure the meat for the weekend was ready before he left on his hiking trip.
“I want to head out tomorrow and grab a couple of things for our trip next week,” I said to Harper. I rinsed the plates before handing it to her to stack in the dishwasher.
“Alright,” she said. She didn’t sound anything but neutral, like we were discussing stock for the restaurant, not a trip to betray the authorities and pretend we were in love. “We can make a space to go shopping.”
I nodded. On Saturdays we didn’t open so early for the business breakfasts, so we could head out without neglecting the restaurant.
“I’ll pick you up at eight-thirty,” I said. Harper agreed and disappeared back into the dining room.
I was looking forward to spending time with Harper, especially since we were going to go to the store to take care of the stunt we were going to pull. It had all been her idea and I had to admit, it was genius. When I’d thought about the possibility of hiring a fake fiancée I hadn’t seen it as something someone might want to do. It would never have worked that way.
But Harper seemed more than happy to help out, and she wanted nothing in return. I wasn’t quite sure what the catch was, but she was a stunner and this was for a fuck load of money, too.
Now that it appeared the plan might work out, I was daring to hope for that money again. There was still a chance it could all blow up in my face, of course, but if Harper was convincing and we made it happen, we could sign those documents and stop Camden’s advances on the cash, buying us a little time. That was all I needed. We only had to take the first step. I had no idea what the next step would be, but we would figure it out when we got there.
“What was that all about?” Greyson asked, stepping out of the pantry. “You’re taking her on a trip with you?”
I nodded.
“Can I come on a trip with you, too? Or is it an exclusive thing?” Greyson asked. “Do we need to get it on if I want to travel with you?” He chuckled at his own stupid joke.
I hesitated for only a second before I decided to tell Greyson what was going on.
“She’s pretending to be my fiancée,” I said. “So I can claim the cash my grandmother left me.”
“Yeah, that sounds perfectly legal,” Greyson said. “Do you want to elaborate, or is this just a way to get in Harper’s pants?”
“It’s real,” I said. “Not Harper’s pants, my grandmother’s pockets.”
Greyson frowned and I explained to him what had happened at the reading of the will. I told him how I had lied and what Camden was planning on doing to get his hands on my inheritance.
“He’s such an asshole. I saw the little prick last when we were kids and I didn’t like him much, then. I like him even less, now. I don’t want him to get his lazy hands on my money. The guy doesn’t even work for a living.”
“Fucked up,” Greyson said in a way that made me wonder if he was being sarcastic or not. I explained the whole situation, ending with Camden’s threat to get more lawyers involved because he didn’t believe I had anyone.
“But you don’t,” Greyson pointed out.
“I do now.”
Greyson raised his eyebrows and whistled through his teeth.
“That’s a hell of a story,” he said. “And Harper agreed to this?”
“It was her idea,” I said.
Greyson folded his arms over his chest and grinned at me. “I see what’s happening here. You’re making a move on my girl.”
I chuckled. “It’s really just one hand washing the other. Or something. She’s not even asking for cash in return, so I guess it’s not even that. But if you want to get technical, your girl is making a move on me.”
Greyson laughed. “Touché. This is about as unbelievable as stories get, I’m not going to lie. And you’re trusting me with this whole story?”
If I could trust anyone, it was Greyson. I didn’t trust a lot of people, but he was a good man. I could tell him anything and I knew he would take it to the grave. Greyson cared enough not to tell anyone what was happening.
“I know you won’t spill,” I said.
You hope,” Greyson said with a grin, but I knew he had my back. Greyson and I were cut from the same cloth and even though he was a bit younger than I was, we had hit it off from the start. I knew he wouldn’t fuck me over because I knew what kind of person he was.
“So, where is it that you’re taking her?” Greys
on asked. “Somewhere romantic? A fake honeymoon?”
“We’re headed out to California on Monday. We have to show up at the law office together and sign a statement of some kind that declares we’re engaged to be married. Then he’ll start the litigation process so Camden can’t have my money. It’s just a bunch of paperwork but it has to be done.”
“And what if they ask you all kinds of questions about her the way they test the guys that try to marry for a green card?” Greyson asked. “Do you know the color of her toothbrush?”
I laughed. “This is an inheritance, not a burden on the economy. The money is already waiting for someone to take it. It’s just a formality.”
Greyson shrugged and we laughed about it together. “I hope for your sake it works. That’s a hell of a lot of money to have at our fingertips. Imagine what you could do with it.”
I nodded. “Imagine how much I could do for the restaurant. It’s a lot of money that I can use to expand.”
Greyson nodded. “That is something to keep in mind,” he said, but he was thoughtful.
“What’s on your mind?” I asked.
“I was just wondering, what about Harper and this fake relationship you’re going to be putting together? How do you think it will work out for the two of you? How far are you going to take this?”
“It’s just a fake engagement until the paperwork is taken care of.”
“And if they find out you’re single once you have the cash?”
I shrugged. “People break up all the time, don’t they?”
Greyson shrugged. “Don’t make this something it doesn’t need to be.”
“I’m not planning on being a dick and pulling her over, if that’s what you’re talking about. She works for me and we’re friends. I respect her.”
Greyson shook his head and leaned to the side a little to see if Harper was within ear shot. She was in the restaurant, clearing up, humming to herself. It was endearing.