[Anthology] A Clean Fake Marriage Romance Collection

by Victorine E. Lieske

  “You should really talk to him more before going all the way out there to meet with him, anyway.”

  “What does that mean?”

  He wouldn’t look her in the eye. “Just that you should ask him what he’s not telling you.”

  Anger built up in her like a pressure cooker about to blow. “What did you do?”

  Guilt showed on his face as plain as the pool of soy sauce on her plate. “Nothing.”

  “You did! You checked him out online!”

  As soon as she said it, his face confirmed it.

  “I can’t believe you.” She folded her arms across her chest and hunched into the back of her chair. He was way out of line. What business of his was it, anyway? And who cares what he thinks he found out. It wasn’t important. She glared at the floor.

  William told her everything. Whatever Harrison found out, she probably already knew. Didn’t she? There couldn’t be anything William was hiding. They had an open and honest relationship. Even if they hadn’t met in person yet.

  She chanced a glance at Harrison. He looked like one of those dog shaming photos she’d seen on Facebook. It almost made her feel guilty for yelling at him.

  He was just trying to help, anyway. She shouldn’t be so hard on him. And he must have learned something or he wouldn’t have been urging her to talk to William.

  Curiosity wormed its way into her. What had he found out? Was there something William was keeping from her? She didn’t want to ask, but the words flew out of her mouth anyway. “What did you find out?”

  He shook his head. “Oh, no. I’m not getting in the middle of whatever it is you guys have going on. I’m keeping my mouth shut.”

  And of course, that made her want to know even more. “Just tell me.”

  “No.”

  She huffed. “Fine. I’ll just get on your computer and look.”

  Harrison blanched, then squirmed in his seat. “He’s married.”

  Chapter 11

  The restaurant melted around her, like someone had poured hot water on a wax painting. Her throat constricted and breathing became difficult.

  “Penny? Are you okay?”

  She knew it was Harrison’s voice, but everything seemed muffled, and her head spun.

  “Penny. Breathe.” Harrison squeezed her shoulders and she realized he was behind her. “It’s okay. You’re going to be fine.”

  The room grew impossibly hot. She needed air. Had to get out of there. She stumbled out of her chair and sprinted toward the door. December in L.A. wasn’t cold like back home in Iowa, but the 70 degree breeze felt cool on her skin and she leaned up against the building and gulped in the fresh air.

  The door opened and Harrison rushed to her side, concern etching a frown on his face. “You okay?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

  His arms wrapped around her and the musky smell of his cologne enveloped her. She buried her head in his shoulder as sobs wracked her body.

  Harrison didn’t say “I told you so,” or “You stupid girl,” like she was sure he was thinking. Instead, he simply held her while the traffic sped by and her heart shattered into tiny pieces. He rubbed small circles on her back.

  When she’d gathered her composure, she pulled away. “How could I have been so stupid?”

  “Hush, now. You’re far from stupid.” He kissed her forehead, and her heart sped up. “You are the most loving, kind, and generous person I know. He tried to take advantage of you.”

  “But, I should have seen. Should have known.”

  “How? Did he ever give you any indication he was married?”

  She stared at the concrete. “No.”

  Harrison lifted her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. Two deep pools of blue met her gaze, and her knees grew weak. He had the most amazing eyes. Why hadn’t she noticed before? His thumb grazed her jawline, which added to the weak knee thing. “You are trusting. And loyal. It wasn’t your fault.”

  Conflicting emotions surged. Anger, hurt, and betrayal for what William had done. And something else she couldn’t name, but it emerged as she looked into Harrison’s blue eyes. She turned away. “I was naïve.”

  “Yes.” He moved his hands to her shoulders. “That’s one of the many appealing things about you.”

  Frustration welled inside her and she blew out a breath. “Ugh. How could I have forgiven him for leaving me at the altar? Why did I listen to him?”

  “Because you care. And you’ve given him your heart. It’s hard to walk away from a relationship, even an online one, when you’ve put your heart into it.” He paused, and his gaze landed on her lips. The moment suddenly turned more personal, and her breath caught.

  Was he about to kiss her? She searched his eyes.

  He blinked and took a step back. “Maybe we should go to Santa Barbara tonight. In fact, I can take the rest of the day off. We’ll go to a coffee shop and you can text him. Since he’s married, he won’t appreciate you showing up on his doorstep. Maybe he’ll meet you somewhere public. I think you need to talk.”

  Being on the emotional roller coaster left her drained. Harrison was right. She had to break it off with William, face to face. Confront him about his wife. Let him know things were over. Maybe get rid of her cell phone so he couldn’t text her anymore. She was overdue on the bill anyway. “Okay.”

  He put his arm around her shoulders and led her back through the restaurant. After he paid the bill, they left.

  She sat in the car, numb. How long had William been married? Did he meet his wife during her relationship with him? Or had he been married for quite some time? She had to know. “What date was on the marriage license?”

  Harrison’s jaw clenched and he stared out the windshield. “I don’t think you want to go there, Penny.”

  Did she? The question festered in her mind. “Tell me. I need to know.”

  Harrison sighed. “If I refuse to tell you, you’ll just go look it up anyway, won’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  He was silent for a minute, and it was obvious he didn’t want to say it. “He got married fifteen years ago.”

  “Fifteen years?” She tried not to shout, but it didn’t work. “I was ten. How old is he?”

  From the pained expression on Harrison’s face, Penny knew it wasn’t good news. When he didn’t say anything, she repeated herself. “How old, Harrison?”

  “Forty.”

  Penny felt another panic attack come on. “Are you kidding me? He’s forty?”

  His pained expression didn’t go away. If anything, it got worse.

  Penny gaped. “What else is there? You’re not telling me everything.”

  “Remember the photo he sent?”

  No. This wasn’t happening. Everything she knew about him was a lie. “Was that someone else’s photo?”

  “Not exactly.”

  She pulled out her phone and flipped to the photo. “What about it?”

  “He’s not the blurry one.”

  A lump formed in her throat. “You mean he’s the short bald guy in back?”

  Harrison sent her an apologetic look. “Sorry. You almost married Danny Devito.”

  HARRISON STRETCHED out in the corner booth of All Ground Up. He’d agreed to keep his distance and let them talk alone. Penny seemed nervous, wringing her hands and looking out the front window, sitting at a table waiting for him to arrive. She’d ordered a lemonade, which she occasionally sipped. The coffee she’d ordered for William sat, untouched. Lively Christmas piano music played over the speakers.

  When she’d first texted William, he hadn’t wanted to meet. Harrison clenched his teeth. The jerk apparently wanted to string her along forever. But once he found out Penny was already in town, less than three miles from his house, he’d changed his mind. She hadn’t told him Harrison had come as well.

  He picked up his bagel and took a bite. Not bad. The walnut cream cheese spread was pretty good. He chased it down with a swig of his coffee.

&
nbsp; This booth was perfect because it offered Penny a little privacy – he couldn’t hear their conversation. But it gave him a good view in case William got upset about the breakup. Not knowing his temperament, Harrison didn’t want to be too far. He could get to Penny in two seconds.

  The bell jingled and his gaze traveled to the door. William. He was taller than he looked in his photo, but just as bald. He immediately spotted Penny and turned on what he probably thought was a charming smile. Harrison scowled.

  Penny stood and gave him a hug, which surprised Harrison. Wasn’t she there to tell him off? Give it a final break? Kick him in the tuckus and send him packing? The whole reason he’d suggested the meeting was so she could have closure and move on.

  William pulled out the chair for Penny and Harrison groaned. Was he trying to be a gentleman, after all he’d done? Was there no end to this guy’s delusion?

  As they sat and talked, Penny grew emotional. She dabbed at her eyes with her napkin. William reached across the table and took her hands in his. What was he saying? Penny nodded, blinked again, and wiped another tear. What Harrison wouldn’t give to be able to read lips.

  PENNY DREW IN A BREATH and tried to remain calm. She knew this man, even if some of the details had been wrong. His heart was the same. But he needed to answer some hard questions. “Why didn’t you tell me you were married?”

  William’s face fell, and he stared down at the table. “I’m sorry. It ended almost three years ago. She just won’t sign the divorce papers.”

  That was possible. Penny narrowed her eyes. “Ended...as in how?”

  He shrugged. “She left me. Just packed up her stuff and ran off with the dog groomer. We’ve been separated ever since.”

  Wow. She wasn’t expecting such a good answer. It was almost believable. In fact, she found herself wanting to believe him. She didn’t want to think the last two years had been a total lie. “Why won’t she sign the papers?”

  He exhaled and his shoulders slumped, the perfect impression of a beaten man. “I don’t know. Because I want them signed? I think she’s trying to punish me.”

  The sadness in his eyes stabbed at her heart. Sure, he wasn’t a hunk like Harrison. But she knew he had a beautiful soul. It wasn’t fair for his estranged wife to do that to him. “Can’t you do something about it?”

  “I was hoping she would sign the papers on her own.” He picked up his coffee and took a sip. “I guess that’s not going to work.”

  Penny traced the lid on her lemonade. If what he was saying was true, and it did make sense, then why didn’t he just tell her? The fact that he had hidden his marriage hurt more than anything. “I can’t believe you kept something like that from me.” Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks again, so she blinked them back.

  His gaze met hers, the pain in his eyes clear. “I’m so sorry. I was hoping to take care of it and not have to bother you with it. Your suggestion to get married threw me off.”

  What? Penny gaped at William. “My suggestion? That was your bright idea.”

  “It was?” His brow wrinkled. “Well, I don’t remember the details. I just know I wanted to.” He took her hands in his. “I fell in love with you, even though we’d never met. I know it sounds ridiculous, but that’s what happened.”

  “It happened to me, too.”

  William smiled and sat back in his chair, like that solved everything, which annoyed her. He wasn’t getting off that easy. Penny frowned. “I know we connected on a personal level in our conversations, but you were lying to me. You didn’t even tell me your real age.”

  His smile faded and he ran his hand over his bald head. “I’m sorry. When I sent you that photo you thought I was Blake. I was going to say something, but you went on and on about how handsome I was, and how we’d make a great couple, and I couldn’t correct you. I wasn’t sure we’d ever meet in real life anyway.”

  “‘Wasn’t sure?’ You kept asking me to run away for a weekend with you.”

  He grinned, which looked more like a leer. “The offer is still open.”

  She suddenly wanted to stuff her lemonade so far down his throat it would come out the other side. Clenching her fists, she said, “You aren’t even listening to me.”

  “That’s not true. You love me. I love you. We have some problems, but those can be worked out. Why should we be apart now because of some minor details?”

  “You being married is not a minor detail!” She clamped her hand over her mouth when she realized she was shouting. Everyone in the coffee shop looked at them. She lowered her voice. “You can’t sweep that under the rug.”

  “I’ll talk to my ex. Get her to sign the papers. Please, just give us a chance. I’ll get plane tickets. We could go somewhere private this weekend and get to know each other better.” Desperation filled his eyes, and Penny realized she’d never even known him at all.

  “You make me sick.”

  She was about to stand when a brunette walked by, stopped, and did a double take. “William? I thought that was you. Are we still on for tonight?”

  The panicked expression on his face told Penny everything. William glanced between the two of them. “I...uh...”

  A seductive smile formed on the woman’s face. “Call me.” Her hips swayed as she left the coffee shop.

  William turned to her with wide eyes. “That wasn’t what it looked like.”

  Penny gripped her lemonade so tight the lid popped off. How could she have been fooled by this man? Disgust filled her and she tossed the contents of her cup in his face.

  His mouth opened as cold lemonade splashed him and dripped down his shirt.

  “Don’t text me again,” Penny said between clenched teeth.

  Harrison appeared by her side. “Everything okay?”

  She stood. “Yes. We’re done here.” She grabbed Harrison’s arm and dragged him outside.

  He bit his lip in an obvious attempt not to laugh. “What happened?”

  “Ugh!” She stormed up the sidewalk to where his car was parked, the afternoon sun casting long shadows. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “No problem.” He unlocked the car and opened her door for her.

  She slid in. “I can’t believe him! What a colossal jerk.”

  Harrison got behind the wheel. “I thought you didn’t want to talk about it.”

  “Shut up.”

  He pulled out into traffic.

  “He’s seeing someone else! Not only did the jerk lie about being married, he’s got another girl on the side.”

  “Ouch. I’m sorry.” He shot her a sympathetic glance.

  “I can’t believe I wasted two years chatting with him online, believing his lies.” Her hands shook and blood pounded in her ears. Her phone screamed, “Text Message!” She rolled down the window and tossed her cell out, watching it fly into pieces in the side view mirror.

  The shock on Harrison’s face was clear. “Well. At least you didn’t find out after you married him.”

  The thought made her shiver. “Yeah. I’d be in jail right now.”

  He turned, his eyebrow raised. “Jail?”

  “I’m no good at hiding bodies.”

  Chapter 12

  A sliver of bright light came through the curtains, slicing across the bed. Penny knew she should get up. Maybe take a shower. But the thought of moving didn’t appeal to her. Her life stunk.

  She’d wasted so much time on William. The sleazebag. She should have known. He’d always wanted to take her somewhere, away for a weekend. How transparent was that? Of course he was married. She was the other woman. Arg. It sounded so terrible. Pain seared through her chest. She pulled her pillow over her head and closed her eyes. How did her life get so far into the toilet?

  The bedroom door clicked open and footsteps sounded across the hardwood floor. Big footsteps. Must be Harrison. She didn’t care. The curtains rustled and light poured in. “Okay, time to get out of bed.” Harrison’s deep voice filled the room.

  She moa
ned, but peeked out from under the pillow anyway.

  Harrison stood by the bed, his fists on his hips, a stance her mother used to take when she meant business, although she usually had a rolling pin in her hand and an apron on.

  Penny suppressed a smile. “I don’t want to.”

  “You can’t wallow in self-pity forever. Get up. You haven’t gotten out of bed for days.”

  “I have too.”

  A skeptical look crossed his face.

  “I have!”

  He picked up an empty container of Ben and Jerry’s sitting on the night stand. “Going downstairs to get ice cream from the kitchen doesn’t count.” He tossed it in the trash, where it landed among mounds of tissues. “Now get up and take a shower. We’re going out.”

  She wrinkled her nose. She didn’t want to go anywhere. Didn’t want to have this conversation. Just wanted to crawl back under the covers. “No thanks.”

  He frowned and put his hands behind his back. “I thought you might be difficult, so I bought these.” He pulled out two tickets and waved them in the air, like they would suddenly make her want to jump out of bed.

  “Nice try.” She buried her head in a pillow. “I don’t feel like going anywhere.”

  “Not even to...” He held the tickets close to his face. “ElfCon?”

  If he had said he wanted to dance naked on the ceiling, it wouldn’t have shocked her more. “ElfCon? Are you serious?” She sat up. “You really have tickets to ElfCon?”

  He swiped the tickets away and rocked back on his heels. “If I did, would you get out of bed and go with me?”

  “Are you freakin’ kidding me?”

  “I heard Martin Freeman was going to be there.” He smiled like he’d just eaten the cat. Or something like that. She couldn’t think straight at the moment.

  She hopped out of bed and rushed at him, trying to grab the tickets. He held them too far away for her to reach. “Some other dude is going to be there. Some guy named—”

  “Benedict Cumberbatch, I know! Give them!”

  He laughed as she pulled his arm down and grabbed the tickets. They really did say ElfCon. And they weren’t just admission tickets. They were premium passes that got them into the panel discussion. “No freakin’ way!”