[Anthology] A Clean Fake Marriage Romance Collection

by Victorine E. Lieske

  “That’s really sweet.”

  His cell phone rang out Bohemian Rhapsody, and he caught Sidney’s ‘oh brother’ look. He smiled as he swiped the front and answered. “Hey, Ma. What’s up?”

  A muffled sound came through the line, and then she whispered, “Blake.”

  His throat tightened. “Mom? You okay?”

  Silence.

  He stood, his heart racing. “Mom?”

  The line went dead and he cursed.

  Sidney jumped out of her chair. “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know.” He dialed her number again as he headed to the door. “She was fine this morning. I’ve got to go check on her.”

  “I’m coming with you.” She grabbed her purse.

  After Sidney locked the door, they ran to his truck. His mother’s phone went directly to voice mail. He tossed his cell to Sidney. “Keep trying.” He put the truck in gear and tore out of the parking lot.

  Sidney’s hands shook as she fiddled with the phone. “What did she say?”

  “Just my name. She could barely speak.”

  “Dear heavens.” Her face drained of color and her eyes grew wide.

  He wanted to say something to reassure her, but no comforting words came. The red lights seemed to take an extra-long time, and he tapped the steering wheel. Maybe he should call 911. But what if it wasn’t an emergency? His mother would be livid.

  When they got to her house, he stopped in the driveway and both of them ran to the front door. He tried the handle, but it was locked. “Mom?” he called, lifting the plant to get the key hidden under the pot.

  No one answered, and he unlocked the door and ran inside. His mother lay on the floor in the kitchen, her phone in her hand. Blood pooled on the tile under her head, which sported a large gash. A chair lay on its side. He gently shifted her so he could look at the wound.

  “There’s a first aid kit under the sink.” He looked up at Sidney and she nodded. She opened the cupboard and brought it to him.

  He pressed some gauze to the injury to stop the bleeding. His mother stirred and he breathed a sigh of relief. “Mom, what happened?”

  Her eyelids fluttered open. “Blake. I knew you’d come.”

  “Are you okay? What were you doing, Ma?”

  She pointed up. “The light was flickering again.”

  He groaned inwardly. “I told you I would fix it.” But he hadn’t. He’d let it go. Guilt swarmed in on him like angry bees.

  “I know.” She winced when he lifted the gauze to look. “I shouldn’t have messed with it.”

  “The fall didn’t knock you out, because you had time to call me.”

  She raised her hand and took hold of the gauze, pressing it to her head. “I think I fainted when I saw the blood.”

  Sidney crouched down beside her. “You scared us, Mrs. Wellington.”

  His mother’s gaze fell on Sidney for the first time. She looked at Blake, then back at Sidney. She struggled to sit up. He placed his hand on her back and steadied her. “I’m sorry. Did I interrupt something?”

  “I was just eating dinner with an old friend. You remember Sidney Reed?”

  His mother smiled. “Of course. Sidney, you’ve sure grown up.”

  Suddenly, she burst out laughing. “That’s what I keep hearing.”

  SIDNEY EXHALED RELIEF as Blake drove her home. She’d been so afraid something serious had happened. Thank goodness it was just a fall, with nothing broken. Blake had examined his mother’s injury and proclaimed it minor. Gave them a good scare, but she’d be fine.

  Blake scowled and hit the steering wheel. “I should have fixed that light for her.”

  “You couldn’t have known she’d get up on a chair and mess with it.”

  He pulled into her parking lot and cut the engine. “She asked me to look at it days ago.”

  Sidney felt his pain. “So, you’re human.”

  “I knew the flickering bugged her. It wouldn’t have taken me long to look at it.” He ran his hand through his hair.

  “You fixed it tonight.”

  He gave her a flat look. “A little too late, don’t you think?”

  She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “It’s not your fault.”

  “I could have gone over there. I’ve just been too preoccupied with—” He stopped and clenched his fist on the steering wheel.

  “With what?”

  “My own stupidity,” he said, under his breath as he got out. He opened her door for her.

  He walked her to her door, his shoulders slumping. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

  “It could have been so much worse.”

  “But it wasn’t. She’s fine.” Sidney didn’t know what else to say to make him feel better. She pulled him into a hug and laid her head on his chest. “You’re a good man, Blake.”

  He patted her back but didn’t say anything. After he left, she plopped down on her couch, trying to ignore the empty feeling in her chest.

  Chapter 15

  Sidney looked at the clock. Six-thirty. Blake had been on his date with Angie for a half-hour now. She went back to her book, staring at the same page she’d been on for the past ten minutes. None of the words sank in. As soon as she started reading, visions of Blake and Angie filled her head and she couldn’t concentrate. Frustrated, she tossed the book on the coffee table and stood. Time to do something else.

  She opened the closet and took out her running shoes. It had been a while since she’d put them on, but her restlessness wouldn’t leave. Running would be the perfect thing. She quickly changed and pulled her hair into a ponytail.

  She strapped her phone to her arm and plugged in her earphones. When she pressed the button to play her favorite music, instead of One Direction, she heard the opening guitar riff from Stairway to Heaven.

  What? She scrolled through and saw that Blake had managed to put a bunch of his songs on her playlist.

  Ugh. She swiped until she found her own playlist and turned up her favorite pop song, letting the music flow into her soul.

  When she stepped outside, she took a deep breath. The late evening sun cast long shadows, and the cool breeze felt refreshing. She started jogging on the sidewalk, down a residential street.

  Blake hadn’t contacted her all week. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but for some reason his lack of communication was driving her nuts. She’d gotten used to seeing him pop up for one reason or another, but now, his absence left a hole.

  Maybe he’ll come over after his date, like last time.

  She shook her head to clear the thought away. No. She didn’t need to see Blake. He needed to leave her alone so she could get over her stupid crush and get on with her life.

  She turned down Ash Avenue, picking up her pace. It was dangerous keeping Blake as a friend. The kiss proved that. He was just messing around, and she...what was she doing, falling in love?

  Oh heavens. That couldn’t be right. She couldn’t fall in love with Blake. Not again. She ran faster, feeling the burn in her lungs and an ache in her muscles.

  Last time, she was sixteen years old. Everything had been so dramatic at that age. Her massive crush. Her first kiss. Her humiliation when Blake called her a little girl. It had caused such heartache, she had learned to push her crazy impulses away and rely on her level head.

  And now her head was telling her to stay away from flirty men who just wanted nothing more than a fun time. She huffed in disgust.

  Her phone pinged, letting her know a text had come through. She pulled it out of her arm band and looked at the message.

  Phyllis: Can you come over?

  Sidney looked up at the street sign. She actually wasn’t too far away from her parents’ house. She jogged in place while she texted back.

  Sidney: I can be there in ten minutes.

  Phyllis: Thank you. See you soon!

  When she reached her parents’ street, she had a nice sweat going. Her lungs begged for a break and she slowed to a walk to coo
l down. She pulled her earphones out as she came up the walkway.

  Her mother had the door open before she reached the steps. “Come on in.” She wore an overly wide smile on her face.

  Sidney’s Spidey senses kicked in, and she glanced around. “What’s going on, Mom?”

  Her mother took her hand and led her into the living room. The first thing she noticed was Ted sitting on the couch, his hands on his knees. Then she saw her father, looking uncomfortable sitting in a folding chair someone had brought in. Then her gaze landed on Reverend Joseph.

  Oh crud.

  She sucked in a breath and looked to her mother.

  “Sidney, I thought we could all sit down and have a conversation.”

  Panic enveloped her as she looked down at her shirt, stuck to her skin by the large sweat stain on her front. Nice. Her underwear was also creeping where it shouldn’t be, but now wasn’t the time to fix it. “Mom, I was just out running...”

  Reverend Joseph stood and extended his hand. He was the kind of guy you’d see on television playing a reverend. Young, but not too young. Mildly good-looking. A wide smile you could trust. “Nice to see you again, Sidney. Your mother tells me you’re getting married?”

  Her throat closed up and she had difficulty breathing. Was it too much to hope for a zombie apocalypse to start up right about now? She glanced out the window, but got no help from the walking dead. She blew her hair out of her face and shook his hand. “Yeah.” Oh, she was so going to the Bad Place.

  “Why don’t you sit down?” Her mother indicated the vacant seat beside Ted.

  There wasn’t anything else to do but sit. Ted looked just as he had last time she’d seen him, in a button down white shirt and a tie. Maybe the tie had changed. She probably looked a fright sitting next to him, in her sweaty workout clothes, her hair a mess.

  She fiddled with her hands as Reverend Joseph cleared his throat. “Well, there’s no point in beating around the bush. Your mother tells me you’re getting married, and that she’s worried about the two of you.”

  Ted tugged on his collar, but said nothing. Sidney squirmed. “We’re fine,” was all she managed to squeak out.

  Reverend Joseph nodded, a knowing look on his face. “You’re both young.”

  Sidney picked that up and ran with it. “Yes! We’re young. In fact, we haven’t set a date yet because we want to take things slow.”

  Ted nodded and grabbed her hand. “We aren’t going to rush into anything.”

  Sidney’s mother frowned, obviously not pleased by this. Reverend Joseph, on the other hand, smiled and leaned forward. “I think this is a good idea.”

  Her mother clicked her tongue against her teeth. “But, waiting too long can be—”

  “Phyllis,” the reverend interrupted. “They need to go at their own pace. You wouldn’t want them to rush into anything and then regret the decision later.” He turned back to the two of them. “Now, let’s set up a time when you can come in and talk. I’d like to go over a few things with you two that I think would be helpful.”

  Sidney swallowed the lump forming in her throat. She forced herself to speak. “Sure.” Anything to get them out of there.

  Her mother gripped the arms of her chair. “But Reverend, do you think it’s wise for Sidney to be spending so much time with another man?”

  Heat climbed her face. “He’s a client, Mom.”

  “I’m sure Sidney can make those decisions on her own,” her father said, looking mortified.

  The front door swung open and Natalie walked in. She froze when she saw everyone sitting in the living room. “What’s going on?”

  Ted loosened his tie. Her mother stood. “We’re just talking with Reverend Joseph. Do you want to pull up a seat?”

  Natalie’s gaze bounced from Ted, to Sidney, to the Reverend. “Um...no.”

  Sidney saw an opportunity to get out of there, and stood. “Well, thank you for coming over tonight, Reverend. It was wonderful to speak to you. I look forward to talking with you in the future.” She tugged on Ted’s arm and he stood as well. “We’d better be going.”

  “Of course.” Reverend Joseph’s wide smile came back. “I’ll call you.”

  “Yes! You do that.” Sidney practically dragged Ted to the door, looping her arm through his. “I’ll see you guys later!” They were outside before anyone could object.

  Sidney shoved Ted over to his car. The sun had set and darkness surrounded them. She whispered, “Can I have a ride home?”

  “Sure. No problem.” He smiled at her.

  As soon as they were in the car, Sidney turned to him. “I’m so sorry! I’ll get you out of this soon, I promise.”

  He shrugged. “I actually don’t mind. I like your family.” A hint of a smile played on his lips, but she had no idea why.

  When they were down the street, he cast a sideways glance at her. “You okay?”

  She turned up the air conditioning and pointed the vent at her face. “Other than being completely embarrassed by my mother, I’m fine.”

  “I thought you handled it well.” His face sobered. “What’s going on with you and Blake, anyway?”

  “Nothing!” She blew out a breath in frustration. That wasn’t exactly true, at least not if she counted her stupid crush. But that didn’t count, because Blake wasn’t serious about her. “He’s just a friend. And a client. I’m setting him up with other women, for heaven’s sake. You’d think my mother would get that.”

  Ted pulled into her parking lot and killed the engine. “Well, you can’t blame her. You’re always with him.” Ted got out of the car before she could stop him, and he came around and opened her door.

  “It’s not like I go out of my way to see him. Blake has a way of just showing up.”

  Ted helped her out of the car and walked to her front door. “Then maybe he’s trying to tell you something.”

  What was he implying? That Blake liked her as more than just a friend? That was ridiculous. She snorted. “Yeah, right. Blake’s too much of a flirt to get serious.”

  Ted’s eyebrows rose, but he didn’t say anything.

  She pulled him into a hug. “Thanks for once again covering for me tonight. I really appreciate it.”

  A pair of headlights shone on them as a truck pulled into the parking lot. It looked a lot like Blake’s truck. He was done with his date. How long had he been with Angie? It was getting late. Had they hit it off? Was he coming to tell her he had found his match?

  Sidney’s heart pounded, and she impulsively whispered, “Help me out a little, will you?” Then she mashed her lips to Ted’s. He tried to pull back, but she wrapped her arms around him and held on. It was the most awkward kiss she’d ever experienced, with neither one of them moving their lips. He stood, frozen, and she didn’t want to let go because Blake might have hit it off with Angie. Now, she realized that didn’t make a lot of sense, but for some reason, kissing Ted felt like the best thing to do.

  A car door slammed and Sidney pulled back and smiled at Ted. “Thank you, again.”

  He blinked, his eyes growing wider by the second. “Um...”

  Blake walked up to them and folded his arms across his chest, a scowl on his face. “Ted.” He nodded a curt greeting.

  Ted looked like he was going to faint. “Blake.”

  The two men stared each other down for a moment. Then Ted hitched up his pants and said, “I guess you two have some business to discuss.”

  “Yes,” Blake said, and planted his feet apart.

  “I’ll just be going then.” He gave Sidney a half-hearted wave. “We’ll get together later and...plan the wedding...or something.”

  Sidney almost burst into laughter, but she held it together. “Okay, then.”

  Ted climbed into his car and they watched him drive off. Blake’s scowl deepened. “You were out with Ted tonight?”

  “Yes. What’s wrong with that? He’s my fiancé.” Maybe Blake wouldn’t notice she was in running gear, her phone strapped to her arm, w
hile Ted was wearing business clothes.

  “Nothing.” Blake stared down the street where Ted’s smart car had disappeared.

  Sidney pulled out her keys, but waited for Blake to say something. She didn’t want to imply she was inviting him in by opening the door. When he just stood there staring off into space, she said, “What did you need?”

  He turned to her. “Just wanted to give you a report on my date.”

  Her stomach clenched, but she ignored it. “You know, you can just email me to let me know how it went. You don’t have to come over after each date.”

  “You’re right,” he said almost to himself. “I should go.”

  He looked so deflated that she suddenly felt bad for forcing him out. She sighed. “No, it’s okay. Come in. Let’s talk about how it went.” She unlocked her door and ushered him inside.

  Chapter 16

  Blake was an utter mess, and he knew it. When he saw Sidney kissing Ted, he’d almost gone insane. The urge to punch the guy had overcome him, and he’d had to fold his arms in order to control himself. What was Sidney doing? She was carrying the lie too far.

  Unless...

  Was it possible the lie had become real somehow? Like in the romance novel on Sidney’s coffee table, had she fallen in love with her pretend fiancé? The thought made him curse himself for his idea to wait and see if she’d tell him the truth.

  What if she’d fallen for Ted? And why did that thought make him want to punch something?

  Sidney plopped down on the couch and waited for him to sit beside her. “Now, how did it go? Do you want to date Angie again?” Her eyes were wide with curiosity.

  He’d forgotten all about the date. What should he say? That it was unremarkable? Angie was nice, but there weren’t any sparks there. Of course there weren’t. He’d been thinking about Sidney the whole time. He definitely wasn’t going to tell her that!

  What was wrong with him? Sidney was either falling in love with Ted, or she was lying about being with him as an excuse so he would leave her alone. Either way, she wasn’t interested. He should take the hint and move on.