by Alice Ward
With that thought in mind, I finally knocked and almost immediately heard footsteps inside. It sounded like Dani was wearing high heels. Taking a small step backward, I waited for her to open the door.
When she did, my mouth fell slightly open. Her long auburn hair was tied back in an elegant ponytail, and she wore a short green dress that made her eyes look like emeralds. Her dress was classy without being gaudy. I was taken aback by her beauty, but I quickly recovered.
Smiling, I held out my arm to her. “Shall we go, or do you need a few more minutes? I can come inside and wait.”
Her eyes widened, and she threw a quick look over her shoulder. “No. There’s no reason for you to come inside. I’m ready.”
I wasn’t nervous anymore. I was actually happy to see her. “Okay. Let’s go then.”
Dani stepped outside and pulled the door closed behind her. She moved so quickly that I couldn’t see anything inside her place. I suspected that was her intention.
“In fact,” Dani said while we walked to my car. “That should be part of our deal.”
“What should?”
“You don’t need to be at my apartment,” she said firmly. “There’s no reason for it.”
“Okay.” I was a little annoyed, but I tried not to let it show. I knew she was just trying to place some boundaries on our, for lack of a better word, relationship, but I still felt slightly offended.
We reached the car, and each climbed inside without a word. If this was a date, I would have opened her door for her, but I didn’t think she would have liked that. Her demeanor was standoffish and stoic. I wanted to make conversation on the way to the restaurant, but I didn’t know what to say. Every time I thought of something, I immediately realized how stupid it would sound. So, I drove through the city in silence. When we reached Le Jean, I pulled up to the valet and handed him my keys.
Dani and I walked inside, still not talking. I glanced at her, taking in her appearance again. She really was a gorgeous woman. I considered giving her a compliment but was afraid she would take it the wrong way. Dani already had a way of keeping me on my toes. Just her presence made me acutely aware of my actions.
“Reservation for Gaston,” I said to the hostess.
“Of course. Your table is ready for you. Right this way, Mr. Gaston.”
“Call me Talen,” I said with a smile. “Mr. Gaston is my father.”
The hostess laughed, but I thought I heard Dani sigh softly behind me. She clearly wasn’t impressed by my little joke. I cleared my throat and stuffed my hands in my pockets, suddenly more self-aware than ever.
As I studied the menu, I glanced up at my… wife. “I think we should come up with a backstory.”
She frowned. “A backstory?”
“For us.” I gestured between the two of us. “People will wonder how we met and fell in love. We should think of something concrete to tell them. That way there are no discrepancies.”
“Okay.” She stared down at her menu. I waited for her to speak, thinking she might have some ideas, but she said nothing. Her eyes were focused intently on the menu in front of her.
“Maybe we met in college?” I offered.
An elegant eyebrow lifted. “Where did you go?”
“Dartmouth.”
“Won’t work,” Dani said, shaking her head.
“Why not?”
She gave me an are you stupid look. “Because I didn’t go there.”
“But the investors won’t know that,” I pointed out.
“One quick internet check and they would.”
She was right. That wouldn’t work. If any of the investors bothered to Google Dani Brooks, they would know she didn’t attend Dartmouth, and our lie would be revealed.
“Okay.” I took a sip of water. “Then we stick to the truth.”
Her eyes widened, and her mouth fell slightly open. Her expression was almost comical, but I knew better than to laugh.
“I don’t mean the whole truth,” I said with a smile. “Just that we met in Vegas. It’s the truth, and it’s believable.”
“Okay,” she said with a shrug and turned her attention back to her menu. I fell silent, waiting for her to speak again. I expected her to help me come up with our story, but she didn’t seem at all interested.
“So, where exactly did we meet?” I asked. “We can’t say a strip club. That wouldn’t be good. Maybe one of the casinos? The Palazzo? Or Bellagio?”
“Whatever…” she shot me a glance before it fell back to the menu. “Just tell me what you want me to say to them, and I’ll say it.”
I sighed. She was frustrating, but I didn’t want to start an argument before we even ate dinner. As I watched her from across the table, I wondered how to loosen her up. She and I needed to work together if we had a prayer of making this thing work.
“How about some wine?” I offered. “Do you like red or white?”
She frowned. “I don’t want any.”
“Something else then. A martini maybe?”
“No. I don’t want to drink with you.”
Her words were harsh and brisk. I leaned back in my seat and tried to relax. I was already tired of her attitude. This situation wasn’t easy for either of us, but we needed to get along, or it would all fall apart. If she refused to meet me halfway, then we needed to end this charade now.
“Listen,” I said softly. “I know this is weird, okay? But we have to act like a real couple. Otherwise, there’s no point to any of this. I know you don’t know me, and don’t give a shit about the predicament I’m in, but I’m asking for your help. Can you just pretend to care for like five seconds?”
I knew it wasn’t fair. Even though I was paying her, Dani was doing me a favor, and I owed her a lot. I should have been nicer to her, but my patience was wearing thin. She refused to participate in our conversation. She barely looked at me, and when she did, it was with contempt. I was beginning to wonder if she would be able to fake it well enough. At this point, no one would believe she was my wife. No one.
“I still don’t want to drink with you,” she snapped.
Just like that, what little patience I still had left my body. I sighed and leaned forward, resting my hands on the table between us.
“You don’t have to, but when we’re around other people, you have to act like you like me. We’re married, remember? In case you didn’t know, newlyweds are usually happy.”
“I don’t know if I can do this,” Dani said with a shake of her head.
“What do you mean?” I demanded.
The brow shot up again. “Just what I said. I don’t know if I can do this.”
She tossed down the menu and stood, hurrying away from the table. I thought she was just going to the bathroom. Maybe she needed some time alone to relax and calm down, but when I followed her with my eyes, I realized she was heading toward the front door.
Shit. Damn. Fuck.
My irritation hit an all new high. I take her to a nice restaurant, the nicest restaurant in the state of Nevada, and she was leaving. Who did she think she was? It’s not as if this arrangement was that difficult for her. She was being paid, after all. I was the one who had to put in the most work, not her. It was up to me to convince my parents and the investors that my marriage was real. All Dani had to do was stand by my side and act happy. Apparently, she couldn’t even do that.
I jumped up from the table and ran after her. I flew across the restaurant, throwing myself against the door. When I burst outside, I scanned the area for some sign of Dani. She didn’t have a car so she couldn’t have gone very far. When I finally saw her, she was getting into the back of a cab. I ran forward, trying to catch her before the car drove off, but I wasn’t fast enough. Right when I made it to the street, the cab pulled away.
This woman was going to make me crazy.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Dani
I hadn’t seen my mother at all since my trip to Vegas. Her neighbor had been kind enough to check in on her eac
h day, but I still felt guilty for leaving her alone. It had been days since we’d seen each other. I wondered if she would be angry or worse… if she would even realize how long it had been. When I pulled into her driveway, I felt myself begin to shake. Before my mother’s dementia set it, I would have told her everything that happened over the last two weeks. My breakup with Perry. My crazy, drunken marriage. Everything.
Now, I knew I couldn’t. Not only would it confuse her more than ever, but she would become inconsolable. Her emotions were always on edge, and it was my job to keep her calm. I couldn’t risk upsetting her just to make myself feel better. As much as I wanted her advice, I couldn’t ask for it. I had to stay strong, no matter how hard it was. My mother was counting on me.
I stepped through the front door to find her sitting on the couch. She was watching television and didn’t notice me come inside. It made me nervous that she was so oblivious. If someone broke in, she wouldn’t even realize until it was too late. Not for the first time, I was grateful that she lived in a safe neighborhood.
“Mom,” I said, walking over to her. “Hi.”
She startled. “Oh, Dani Bug, I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I’m sorry. I should have knocked.”
“Don’t be silly,” she laughed. “You never have to knock. How are you?”
“I’m okay,” I said with a fake smile plastered on my face. “I had a long weekend. How are you feeling?”
“Just wonderful,” she assured me. “I feel just wonderful today.”
“That’s great,” I said and meant it. She really did seem to be okay. Her cheeks were flushed pink, and her eyes were alert. So often now, she was pale and disoriented. I liked to see her this way. “So, Mrs. Gleason checked on you this weekend, right?”
She blinked rapidly and almost seemed surprised to see me beside her. “What?”
“Mrs. Gleason,” I repeated. “She came over this weekend?”
“Um,” she blinked again, and suddenly, her eyes weren’t as alert. She looked around her, trying to find her bearings. I hadn’t meant to confuse her.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said quickly. I grabbed her hand and held on. “Let’s talk about something else.”
The lines on her forehead deepened, but she nodded. “Okay.”
“My art show went well. I—”
“You had a show?” she asked with excitement. My stomach dropped.
“I did.” I ignored the tears pricking the backs of my eyes. “Last week.”
She turned fully to me, looking for a moment like a little girl. “Oh, how was it?”
“It was great,” I lied. “I sold so many paintings. I think my art is really starting to take off. You would have been proud of me.”
“I’m always proud of you,” she gushed.
My throat clogged. “Thank you,” I managed to say. She patted my hand and turned her attention back to the television. I knew she couldn’t focus on our conversation for too long. It was draining for her. She did the best when she could just sit and relax. Her mental capabilities were failing her more and more. I hated seeing it. It broke my heart each time she got a little worse.
We sat together for a few hours, just watching television and relaxing. Everything was fine until it wasn’t.
Mom squealed and jumped to her feet. Right away I could see the problem. She had wet her pants.
“It’s okay,” I said gently, but she had already begun to cry and fret over the mishap. “You change and I’ll get this cleaned up.”
She looked mortified, her cheeks flushed a bright pink as she trudged to the bedroom, and I got to work on the seat cushion. After that, I did a load of laundry while she napped, my mind spinning like the washer the whole time.
Seeing my mother that way was the hardest thing I’d ever experienced. Just a few days before, she seemed okay. Now, she was deteriorating again. These things happened so quickly that I was never prepared for them. One second, she just forgot small details, and the next, she couldn’t remember how to use the bathroom properly. While I folded her clothes, my eyes began to water. I didn’t know what to do.
I didn’t have the resources to care for her properly. She so desperately needed to be in a home, but I couldn’t pay for it. My mind turned to thoughts of Talen, and I wished I hadn’t stormed out of dinner the night before. Talen had a way of getting under my skin. In the short amount of time that we’d known each other, he was able to infuriate me more than anyone else ever had. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was about him that bothered me so much, but I hated it.
Still, I knew I shouldn’t have left like that. In the moment, I didn’t think I could handle being his wife for an entire month. Just talking about the plan made me queasy. Coming up with a backstory? A lie? It sounded so terrible, so unlike me, that I wanted to run screaming from the restaurant. While I didn’t scream, I did run. I ran all the way to the street and grabbed the first cab I saw.
It wasn’t smart, but it was what I needed to do. As I stood in my mother’s house, listening to her soft snores, I knew I’d made a mistake. Talen was offering me a chance to finally make some real money. I worked constantly, either at my part-time job as a waitress, or my other part-time job as a bookstore clerk. Together, I was still barely able to pay for rent and essentials. My paintings weren’t selling the way I needed, and my mother’s condition was getting worse every day. She couldn’t wait much longer. I sighed and folded the last of the laundry, thinking that I needed to call Talen as soon as I got home.
That afternoon, I said goodbye to my mom and headed home to get ready for my waitressing shift. I’d seriously thought about staying the night in case she needed me, but she seemed better. Her mood had improved by the time I left, and she almost seemed like herself again. She would be okay until the morning at least.
I drove through town, enjoying the silent comfort of my car. My head was still spinning with thoughts of Talen and my mom. I’d made my decision while I folded her laundry, but I still didn’t feel right about it. The idea of calling Talen and asking for a second chance felt wrong. My cheeks flushed with shame before I even made it to the restaurant.
Hours later, my feet hurt but I had another hundred dollars in my pocket so I couldn’t complain too much. It was after midnight when I let myself into my apartment, and my eyes fell on my easel. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep for a while, and I wasn’t ready to call Talen yet, so I placed a blank canvas on the wood and went to work. Again, I didn’t plan my painting. I just chose a few different colors, and let my emotions lead me. I thought about my mom and Talen. I remembered the way I felt when I woke up next to him, my new husband. As my paintbrush hit the canvas over and over again, tears formed behind my eyes. I blinked them away, not wanting to obscure my view of the painting.
When I was done, I took a step back and admired my work. The painting was of the chapel where Talen and I got married. It was blurry and unclear, exactly the way I remembered it. It looked like it had been doused in water, the colors running smoothly together. I smiled to myself. I didn’t need anyone to tell me this painting was good. I knew it was. There was a beauty to it that wasn’t easily achieved. I was immediately proud of myself and filled with a sense of confidence.
I rode that confidence all the way to my phone. When I picked it up, I dialed Talen’s number without hesitation. It rang twice before he picked up.
“Dani,” he said, his voice sleepy. I glanced at the clock and realized it was after four in the morning. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I said back. “Sorry for calling at this hour, but I wanted to apologize for the way I acted last night. I shouldn’t have left dinner. That was rude.”
“Yeah,” he said but not unkindly. “It was, but I understand. This entire situation is crazy.”
“I’d like another chance to make this work,” I said quickly before I could lose my nerve. “I think we can both get something out of this arrangement.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying since the beginni
ng.” There was a bite to his tone.
I didn’t appreciate it. He was upset about the previous night, but that wasn’t an excuse. This wasn’t easy for me, and I wished he could appreciate that. Instead, he was acting like a child. I was frustrated, but I forced myself to stay calm. Picking a fight with him wouldn’t do either of us any good. He needed my help, and I needed his money. My mother’s face flashed before my eyes, and I took a deep breath. She was my reason for everything. I had to find a way to help her, even if that meant sucking up to Talen.
“You were right.” I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”
“Okay,” Talen sighed. “Well, if we’re going to do this, then your attitude needs to change.”
“My attitude?” I asked, immediately bristling.
“Yes. You can’t keep walking out when you don’t like something. You have to actually participate. Otherwise, no one will believe we’re a couple.”
He was right, and the knowledge made me want to scream. Instead, I took one of the deep, cleansing breaths I learned in a yoga class long ago.
“I can do that,” I promised. “But I’m not the only one who needs to change.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that you can’t keep bossing me around,” I snapped and immediately went back to my yoga voice. “I’m not your property, Talen. I understand that you’re paying me to do this, but I’m still a person. You need to show me some respect.”
“I have been!” he argued. “At least, I’ve tried, but you haven’t exactly made it easy.”
“Neither have you,” I fired back, all hope of calm lost.
We were both silent for a few seconds. I could hear Talen’s breathing on the other end of the phone. We were butting heads again, and I seriously wondered if we would be able to pull this off. Finally, I sighed and sat down on my couch. One of us needed to budge, or we would end up right back where we started.
“Let’s just agree to be nicer to each other,” I said softly. “You respect me, and I’ll respect you, okay? We have to work together, right?”