by Hope Stone
Tessa was already back up and in the kitchen taking things out the fridge. “I wasn’t expecting you home in time for dinner, so I was just planning on making spaghetti for the little ones. You okay with that? I can make something else for you if you’d like?”
I laughed. “Spaghetti is my favorite… but don’t you worry about that. I’ll cook, it’s been a while since I made dinner. And you’ve just fainted, so maybe messing around with a hot stove isn’t a great idea. In fact, since I’m home, you’re welcome to leave early. Of course, I make the best spaghetti you’ve ever tasted so you wouldn’t want to miss it. Besides, I wouldn’t mind the adult company.”
She nodded and agreed to stay. I was glad. I really felt like talking to an adult about something other than business. She sat down at the kitchen table while I took over with the food. I looked at the clock. It was after 6 and I needed a drink. I poured scotch into two tumblers and passed her one.
“Sorry, I don’t think I have anything to mix it with, except maybe a kids’ juice box.” I opened the fridge to confirm this.
“Scotch like this should always be drank neat,” she commented. The young woman clearly knew her whiskey. “So, is there a special reason you’re home so early?” She wasn’t judging, she was genuinely interested in my day. I wasn’t used to that.
“Well, I had a rough day at the office and needed to get out of there. I made a stupid mistake with a potential investor and now I have to either find a wife by Friday or lie my way out of it.”
“I’m intrigued. What kind of mistake did you make that you now have to find a wife on such short notice?” she giggled. Her laughter at the ridiculousness of my situation made me feel a little better.
“He assumed I had a wife because I, well, I still haven’t taken off my wedding ring. And I didn’t have a chance to correct him and now I’m expected to bring my imaginary wife and very real children to his house in the country for the weekend. I honestly don’t know what to do. If I tell him the truth, I might lose him as an investor and the company needs his money or I’m going to have to start letting people go.”
Chapter 5: Tessa
“I could be your wife.” I heard the words come out of my mouth before I knew what I was saying. “I mean, I could pretend to be your wife. If that would save people’s jobs, I’d be happy to help out.”
He looked at me for a moment and I was worried he thought I was overstepping my boundaries. But then he smiled questioningly. “You’d do that for me? I’d really appreciate it, but don’t feel like you have to.” I told him that it wouldn’t be a problem and he insisted that he would pay me overtime and it would be helping him out in a big way.
We discussed the details while he finished cooking and then we called the kids downstairs to eat. It had been a long time since I’d had dinner as a family and even though I knew it wasn’t my family, it felt good. I tried to tell myself not to enjoy it too much, that I shouldn’t get used to it. But I couldn’t help it. It was nice to feel included.
“Thank you for dinner, Mr. McAllen. See you in the morning,” I said as I was about to walk out the door.
“Oh for crying out loud, I think you should start calling me Jack, especially if you’re going to be playing the part of my wife over the weekend,” he laughed.
I couldn’t stop thinking about him as I was driving home. Those beautiful green eyes, the dark brown curls, the chiseled jawline. He was absolutely perfect looking and now that I was getting to know him, it was going to be hard not to have a crush on him. At least I knew that it wouldn’t be hard pretending to be in love with him over the weekend. Once you got past the hard, business-like exterior, he was a gentle and charming man.
I unlocked the door to my apartment and looked around at all the boxes. At some point, I would need to finish unpacking. But tonight, I thought to myself, I’m just going to get some sleep and try not to dream about my handsome boss.
But, just as I was about to drift off, the thought occurred to me that I didn’t really have any clothes that would suit the wife of a billionaire. And it’s not like I had a credit card that I could use to purchase a whole bunch of designer clothes. I was saving up for grad school. I couldn’t afford to buy fancy clothes for one weekend.
It was as if Jack was thinking the exact same thing because five minutes later, I received a text:
“Hi, Tessa. Remind me to give you my credit card tomorrow, so you can get a few things for the weekend. Please don’t take this the wrong way, you look amazing. It’s just that people will expect to see ‘my wife’ in designer labels. And hey, at least you’ll get some free clothes out of it. Regards, Jack.”
You look amazing. He thought I looked amazing and that definitely put a smile on my face. I was trying not to get too carried away, but I couldn’t stop myself from beaming. Then again, who signs off their texts with “Regards”? Clearly, he was far more used to sending emails than text messages.
Chapter 6: Jack
As soon as I hit send, I felt like an idiot. Who ends a text with “Regards, Jack”? And would she be offended that I wanted her to get new clothes? It’s not like I wanted to change her style or the way she looked at all. She was stunning and knew exactly how to dress for her voluptuous shape. I just didn’t want her worrying about what she was going to wear to play the role of a wealthy man’s wife.
I was worried that she’d be offended, but when she bounced in with that smile on her face the next morning (perfectly on time, as always), I knew that I hadn’t caused any offense. But just to make sure, I made it clear that she should only buy clothes she actually liked and felt comfortable in when I handed over my credit card.
“Thanks… I promise I will still look like me.”
That reassured me. I didn’t want her to look like anyone else. She was gorgeous just the way she was. Although I tried not to think about it. She was my nanny and it would be inappropriate. The kids really liked her and she was good with them. And I didn’t want to ruin that by doing anything stupid.
But then again, I was starting to look forward to the weekend. I tried to convince myself that it was because the children would have a great time out in the countryside with kids their own age.
I walked into the office in a great mood, but that was quickly put on hold when I spotted David sitting at my desk again. It was like he wanted to prove that he always got into work before me, even though I worked insane hours. He was twice divorced and his adult children didn’t talk to him, so it wasn’t like he had anything better to do with his time.
“I hear you got an invite to Daniel Abel’s country house? Good. Of course, I was a little surprised to hear that you’re bringing your wife and kids. I mean, I had no idea that you’d remarried, must not have got the invite.” He was smirking at me as if I was a child caught out in a lie.
“You made it very clear that I wasn’t to mention Ellie. Anyway, I made a plan. I’ve got someone coming up with me to play the part of my wife. The kids think it’s a fun game pretending that she’s their stepmother.” We’d discussed it over dinner and I didn’t think it would be healthy to encourage them to call her mom or anything. So we’d decided to just pretend she was the second wife and try not to bring up Ellie.
“Well, I’m excited to see the show you put on. I rustled up an invite for myself. I may not be a family man, but I feel I should be around if you’re going to be discussing business.”
I took a seat at my desk as my secretary brought in my morning coffee. I was pissed off that David insisted on being there. He was going to make things difficult for me. That seemed to be his purpose in life. He smiled at the the less-than-thrilled look on my face and left me to do my work.
Chapter 7: Tessa
I dropped off the kids at school and was happy to bump into Alison. She immediately suggested coffee and I agreed, but I had an ulterior motive. I needed my new friend’s help in shopping for designer clothes. She was dressed impeccably and had a look that was close to mine… if I’d had a bigger clothi
ng budget.
I had known her for exactly one day, but I felt like I could trust her with my weekend plans. Plus, she’d said that her husband worked for Jack, so she wouldn’t ruin this deal that sounded like it was the only thing that would save the business.
“Oh my gosh, this is so exciting! Nothing like this ever happens in my life. Seriously, I love my husband and the twins… but I do miss things being a little unpredictable every now and then.” She was on board with the whole plan and helping me choose clothes with a platinum credit card. In fact, before she’d become a fulltime mom, she’d worked for a fashion magazine, so she was the perfect person for the job.
She knew exactly which stores to go to and exactly what would show off my figure in the best way. Being an hourglass shape, it wasn’t always easy to find an outfit that didn’t show off too much but also didn’t cover up everything. To be honest, I hadn’t been shopping since I’d started saving up for grad school, so a few new outfits were needed. Of course, I didn’t want to go overboard because the last thing I wanted was Jack thinking that I was taking advantage of him.
With our shopping bags in my trunk, we went to pick up the children from school. Spencer and Lissa ran out to my car, excited to tell me about their day. I loved that part about being their nanny. I enjoyed their stories of things that happened at school. I was in such a good mood, I felt like ice cream was in order. And I thought maybe Alison and the twins would like to join us. The twins, Molly and Jude, were seven, which meant they were the perfect age for a playdate with both Spencer and Lissa.
While we were getting ice cream, Alison received a phone call from her husband. When she came inside, she seemed annoyed. “Daddy has to work late again tonight,” she told the kids and then turned to me, “He’s working on an internal investigation into missing funds. Jack’s been cleared, otherwise I wouldn’t tell you. But please don’t say anything to him. He might say something to one of the other board members and end up tipping off the guy they’re after. It’s just driving me nuts that he’s home late almost every night. I can’t wait until the investigation is over.”
Chapter 8: Jack
When I walked into the house, I announced my arrival as loudly as I could to ensure that I didn’t scare Tessa like I had the night before. But she wouldn’t have heard me because she and the kids were dancing around the kitchen while cooking dinner. I stopped in the doorway to watch them. It was a sight to behold. Tessa sure could move and Spencer and Lissa were jumping around with giant smiles on their faces. I might have watched Tessa a little too long. I had to stop myself from having any dirty thoughts. She made the kids happy and I couldn’t risk scaring her away. But damn, her moves were seductive without even trying.
I realized that I couldn’t stand at the door watching all night and cleared my throat as I walked in. The kids ran to give me a hug and Tessa’s face went bright red. If I’m being honest, the blushing didn’t end at her cheeks, but flowed down her neck and onto her chest… which I was trying hard not to notice.
She moved to turn the music down, but I stopped her. “You guys look like you’re having fun, I wouldn’t want to stop that. I’ll just go upstairs and get changed.”
But before I could leave, Lissa grabbed my hand. “Daddy, dance with us.”
“Well, how could I say ‘no’ to my little princess?” I twirled her around, trying to keep to the beat of some unknown pop song.
“Now it’s Tessa’s turn,” she squealed, handing me over to twirl her nanny. I laughed, feeling myself possibly blushing as well, but I did as I was told. Her hand in mine, I turned her around and then suddenly, as if something strange came over me, she was in my arms. We kept dancing while the kids jumped around the kitchen. I didn’t want to let go. Her perfume was like a rose garden, drawing me in. My hand was on her lower back as we moved around the kitchen. And then the song ended. I took a step back and mock bowed.
“Did you manage to find anything today?” I asked her.
“Yes, I found some great outfits. I went shopping with a friend with great taste.” She smiled at me and something inside me melted.
“Fashion show!” Lissa screamed in excitement. Her mother used to do that with her when she was little and they’d go shopping together. I was surprised she remembered it. I could tell that Tessa was about to say no but saw the eagerness in my daughter’s eyes and decided to go with it.
I took over the cooking while she went upstairs to the spare room to change. I wasn’t worried about what she’d chosen. She’d look good in anything. To be honest, I wouldn’t have minded if she’d worn her usual clothes… but she was playing the part of a wealthy man’s wife and there are things that come with that, like wearing designer clothes.
When she walked down the stairs, I almost choked on the whiskey I was trying to swallow. She was wearing a simple red sundress, but I swear no one had ever lit up a room like she did at that moment. She added a wide-brimmed hat and it looked both elegant and whimsical.
Next was an evening dress, which she would need for dinners as these were the type of people who dressed up for dinner in their own kitchen. It was a dark red velvet dress, much like the one worn by Jessica Rabbit, but perhaps a little more conservative. Damn, she was stunning.
I was staring at her as she twirled for Lissa. Suddenly, a strong smell of smoke came from behind me… and I realized that I hadn’t checked on the food. It was all burnt. All of it. Tessa apologized profusely like it was her fault, but I stopped her. “That’s all on me. But you know what burnt food means, kids?”
Spencer and Lissa screamed out “Pizza!” as though it was the best thing that had ever happened to them.
“Well, Tessa, since I ruined your meal…would you like to join us for pizza? I mean, you may be a little overdressed,” I joked.
She laughed and went upstairs to change while I got the kids ready to go out for pizza. Ellie had always had a rule: either we cook or we go out to eat. We never ordered delivery or brought home takeout. I had been ignoring that rule for quite some time, but tonight I wanted to bring it back. And I knew that it was partly because I wanted to spend more time around Tessa, but I told myself that it was because the kids enjoyed her company.
Chapter 9: Tessa
Going out for pizza in my childhood had always meant going to a greasy diner with my parents and my brother. That was certainly not the case for the McAllen children. We went to a local Italian pizzeria where everything was handmade and you could choose from a list of locally-grown fresh ingredients. It almost felt healthy for a pizza night. But the kids loved it. They tried to choose toppings that would make the pizza as colorful as possible. It was sweet.
Instead of a game center where the kids could go play, there was a yard out back with swings and a jungle gym. Which meant that Jack and I were alone for most of the dinner. I wasn’t complaining. He’d rolled up his shirt sleeves and had removed his tie. This was the most casual I’d seen him since I’d started working for him.
On my first day, I’d believed that he was a workaholic who’d rather pay someone else to look after his kids than to watch them himself. I knew then that I was wrong. Jack wanted to be around his children. He was just struggling to find a new normal for their family. I could see that the past three years had been incredibly difficult for him.
We started to talk about my childhood and my studies. Jack had a lot of questions, but I recognized it as a defense mechanism. I was planning on doing a postgraduate degree in psychology, after all. He was asking me about my life so that he didn’t have to talk about himself. I played along for a bit, but then decided I wanted to know more about him, fueled by the liquid courage of my second whiskey.
“If I may ask, why do you still wear your wedding ring?”
He cleared his throat and I thought he was going to tell me that it was none of my business, but instead, he answered thoughtfully and sincerely, “I guess it’s just my way of not having to move on. When you still wear your wedding ring, friends don’t insis
t on setting you up on blind dates. I’ve been avoiding dating and meeting new people. I know that Ellie would want me to find someone else, I’m just… scared.”
“That’s completely understandable,” I said, meaning it. The way he felt was absolutely normal. Without thinking, I reached over and touched his hand.
“You know what? After this weekend, I’m going to take it off for good. It’s time.” He smiled at the bittersweet thought of letting go.
The kids came back as soon as they saw the pizza on the table. We ate our delicious meal and Spencer and Lissa pretty much carried the whole conversation. Soon, it was time to get home, especially as we would be leaving early the next morning. We went through the rules of “the game” one more time with the little ones so they wouldn’t forget to pretend that I was their daddy’s wife.
Jack dropped me off at home and insisted on driving me through the security gate and into the complex. “It’s quite nice here with all the flowerbeds. How are you settling in?” he asked.
“Fairly well. I’ve just been procrastinating unpacking all my boxes,” I said truthfully.
“Well, I’ll tell you what. I’m an expert at unpacking boxes. On Sunday, after we get back, why don’t the three of us come help you?”
I thanked him; it was a sweet gesture. And I needed all the help I could get. I would be staying in town when I started studying again, so there was no point in avoiding making a home for myself.
Chapter 10: Jack
We didn’t need to leave for the countryside until 9 a.m., so I told Tessa she didn’t have to rush to get to my place at her usual time. I thought she’d probably like to sleep in for a change. But that didn’t stop her from arriving at 7. She came in wearing that red sundress she’d shown off the night before and she looked amazing.