Jamie took out his earbuds and hunched over, trying to catch his breath.
“What are you doing out here?” Jamie asked.
Danny looked odd sitting on the beach with a white button up and suit pants. He’d taken off his shoes and socks, but still.
“Thinking. The water always does that for me. I could ask you the same question. It’s a little warm to be running, don’t you think?”
“I had some thinking to do as well.”
Danny stood up and dusted off his pants. “So I’ve got some bad news.”
“Yeah. Lay it on. Day of bad news.”
Danny tilted his head and creased his eyebrows, but he didn’t ask, and Jamie appreciated that.
“Mrs. Calhoun won over the HOA board. They’re disputing your lease. I’m afraid they going to kick you out. There’s nothing I can do.”
Jamie squeezed his eyes shut. He could not handle one more thing today. “Can’t we say I’m her brother or something?”
“You obviously haven’t been around Mrs. Calhoun long enough. She’ll demand proof.”
“Alright. Let me think on this. How much time do I have?”
Danny rubbed the back of his neck. “A week, maybe. I refused to be a part of it, but they work fast.”
“Thanks for the heads up. Can we not tell Bethany yet? Maybe I can fix this before she has to know.”
“Of course. I won’t mention it to Bunny and I’ll continue to work on the rest of the board members and see if we can do anything else.”
“Thanks, man. I’m going to head inside. I’m roasting.”
Just what he needed. Another reason for the judge to question his stability. And he didn’t know what this would mean for Bethany.
Jamie ran up the stairs, flung open the back door, and walked into an oven.
“Holy hell it’s hot in here.” He found Bethany surrounded by papers at the kitchen table in her all too common tank top and sport shorts. Sweat beaded on her back, and she wiped at her forehead.
“The AC is busted.”
Jamie took a couple of hot breaths. This day couldn’t get any worse.
“When does the repairman come?”
“He’s already been here.”
“When is he coming back?”
“When I come up with five grand for a new system. I’m sorry, Jamie, I don’t have that kind of cash.” She leaned back in her chair, defeated. Yep. It got worse. This was, however, one problem that his money could solve.
Jamie grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge, took a deep drink, and collapsed in the chair across from her. “Call him back and tell him you’ll pay whatever he needs to get it done this afternoon.”
“I can’t take your money.”
“Yeah, you can. I live here too. I’ll fix it. Consider it another six months’ rent.” Mrs. Calhoun was the least of his problems. He’d figure her out after he figured out what to do about a wife. He wasn’t leaving this damn furnace of a house.
Bethany closed her eyes, and a few tears leaked out of the corners. Normally he’d be sympathetic, but he was too hot and too angry to be sympathetic about anything.
“Beth, you gotta call him now, or this won’t get done today. Neither one of us can stay in this heat. Better yet, give me his number, and I’ll talk to him.”
She pushed her phone toward him. “It’s the last number called.”
She shoved her chair back and ran out of the room. She was heading upstairs, but it had to be hotter up there than it was down here.
He made the call, promised a lot more than five grand, but convinced the repairman to come within an hour.
He went onto the deck, because it was cooler outside than in. He had no idea what he was going to do about Zoe and Garrett and that bastard boyfriend of hers. Correction. Bastard husband.
He heard sobbing. Bethany must be on the porch above him. Poor thing. He wondered what she would’ve done without his money. He often took for granted how easy money made his life. It’d only been in the past couple of months that he realized it couldn’t solve all of his problems. It certainly solved a lot of them, and he wasn’t sure how he would’ve managed all these years without it.
After a few minutes, he couldn’t take it anymore. He climbed up the outside stairs and found Bethany on a beach chair, sobbing all over his dog. He picked up the tissue box on the ground and handed it to her.
“Hey, it’s not the end of the world.”
She blew her nose and shook her head. “You don’t understand,” she said in a shaky voice.
“I know I don’t. But hey, we’ll be able to sleep tonight. It’s all about the little things.”
She let out another sob. “But it’s only a matter of time before the fridge goes or the roof needs to be repaired or something else equally expensive. I can’t afford the upkeep on this house.”
He settled into a chair next to her. She reached out a shaky hand and took another tissue.
“How’d your appointment go at court today?”
Jamie shook his head. “The judge ordered the paternity test. She didn’t even give me visitation yet. She totally disregarded the calls to DFS. On top of all that Zoe and her boyfriend got married, so they look like a happy little family, and I look like the jerk trying to make it all fall apart.” He left out the part about him telling the judge he was married. He didn’t want to look like an idiot. Which he most definitely was.
“Oh, Jamie, I’m sorry. Look at me freaking out about an air conditioner, and you had a far worse day than me.” She reached out and grabbed his hand. He looked down surprised.
“It’s not a big deal. Annabelle will figure it out. She’s the best in the state.” He didn’t want Bethany to worry any more than she already was.
“What did she say after the hearing?”
He thought about keeping the wife thing a secret, but he had nothing to lose by telling her, and maybe it would help her forget about her own problems. He didn’t want her dwelling on the house.
“Well, I sort of messed up in court and told the judge I was married. Annabelle told me that now I have to find a wife, or I’ll get in trouble for lying.”
“How are you going to do that?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I have no idea. I asked Annabelle for suggestions, and she offered herself.”
Bethany laughed. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to laugh. It’s just that Annabelle’s kind of got a thing for you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
She rolled her eyes. “You can’t see it? The way she fawns all over you. Most attorneys aren’t so attentive with their clients.”
He chuckled. “I thought she was joking.”
“She wasn’t. You ought to consider it. She’d make a strong case for your son if she has some skin in the game.”
“No way. If she was married to me, she’d have to step down as my attorney. Plus she was there when I announced that I was married. If I go and tell the judge that Annabelle is my wife, she’ll ask why we didn’t say anything before. Besides, she’s not my type.”
Bethany snorted. “Please. She’s exactly your type. She looks like Zoe but classier.”
Jamie shrugged uncomfortably. “Maybe she’s my type in the looks department, but not the personality one.”
“Too strong for you?”
“It’s not that. It’s just that.” Jamie stopped. He was about to say, “She’s not like you.” He was afraid Bethany would take that the wrong way.
“It’s just what?” she asked.
He saw the sparkle in her eyes again. He was glad he’d taken her mind off her problems. There were tear streaks on her cheeks, and her nose was red, but she still looked adorable. He sat back and a plan began to form in his head. One that would solve all of their problems.
A few hours later, cold air was blowing out of the vents. Bethany sighed a breath of relief. One problem fixed. She was amazed at what Jamie’s money got him. Though, it wasn’t any good at helping him with the problem
he cared about most.
He came into the kitchen after paying the repairman. She didn’t want to know what it cost. He must’ve paid a premium to get it done this afternoon.
“You wanna go swimming?”
She shook her head. “I need to get dinner going.”
He laughed. “No way. We’re going out tonight. I’m not letting you put any more heat in this house. Come on. Just a half hour, it’ll be fun. Then we’ll shower and go out.”
“You’ve done enough for me today. I can’t let you take me out for dinner too.”
He stalked up to her and stood way too close. “You think I’m taking you out because of pity or something?”
She shrugged and looked away.
“I’m taking you out because I want to celebrate our victory over the hundred degree heat. But also because I like your company. Now go get your suit on because I want to go swimming, and Hexa won’t go anywhere without you.”
Bethany laughed. That was true. If she was home, Hexa was stuck to her side. She reached down and put her hand on the dog’s head. Hexa looked up at her with those deep brown eyes. She deserved to go swimming.
“Okay, fine, but you can’t throw me in.”
Jamie shook his head. “No promises. Though I do remember what happened the last time I tried doing that.”
He disappeared into his room, and Bethany made her way upstairs. He’d been after her to go swimming since he moved in, but she’d always put him off. To her, swimming was always a solitary sport. She loved the water, but didn’t like others seeing her in her bathing suit.
She walked into her room and froze when she saw her closet door open. She’d forgotten to shut it this morning. She was too nervous to even look inside. She groaned when she peeked. Her bathing suits were strung all over her floor, and most were in tatters.
“HEXA!” Bethany should’ve known better, and now she was paying for it.
Footsteps pounded on the stairs, and Jamie came flying into the room.
“What’s wrong?”
She pointed to the mess on the floor, and he frowned.
“Oh crap. I’ll replace them. Sorry. It probably happened when she was hot.”
Bethany started picking them up and sighed. She couldn’t blame her. “I can’t go swimming with you now though. I have nothing to wear.”
“What about this one?” He’d reached above her head and grabbed a bright pink bikini off the top shelf of her closet.
She let out a breath. “Not wearing that one.”
“Come on. Why do you have it then?”
“Because Bunny bought it, and it wasn’t big enough up on top, so she gave it to me. I threw it on the top shelf and forgot about it. I’m not wearing it.”
“I’m not replacing the ones Hexa ruined unless you wear this one swimming with me today.”
Bethany exhaled. She loved swimming, and she couldn’t afford to buy a new suit. Especially because she needed to start saving for catastrophes like air conditioning. She snatched it out of his hand. “Fine. Get out. Did you forget you’re not allowed up here?”
He chuckled and sauntered out of the closet. How did he always get what he wanted?
She put on the teeny bikini, threw a cover-up on, and met Jamie on the deck, Hexa on her heels.
Jamie looked down at the dog. “What is she going to do when we move out?”
“Thankfully we don’t have to think about that for several more months.”
He smiled. “I like the way you think, Beth. But Hexa’s gonna be one sad girl.”
“No, she won’t, because by then, she’s going to have a little boy to follow around instead.”
Jamie grabbed her hand. “Thank you. I hope you’re right. Now come on.”
He dragged her down the steps. She let him. It was getting easier to be comfortable with him and his touch. Though if she thought about it too much, the nerves came back.
“You’re in a good mood,” she said when they got to the beach. He’d been so grumpy when he got home. That was unusual.
“That’s because I think I figured out how to fix our problems.”
“Our problems?”
“Yeah, ours. I’ll tell you at dinner.”
She turned around to take off her cover-up because she didn’t want to see his reaction. She’d never worn a suit like this before. She heard him suck in a breath, and she met his gaze. His eyes smoldered, and her body buzzed.
He took off his shirt, and it was her turn to be momentarily dazed. She was grateful he managed to stay fully dressed in the house because if he walked around like this, she’d never get anything done.
She expected him to disappear into the water, but instead he headed straight for her, and before she could react, he threw her over his shoulder and ran for the water. She squealed.
“Seriously,” she said into his back. “Didn’t we go over this last time?”
He laughed, and his whole body shook. “I don’t think you can hang on this way.”
“Oh, you underestimate me.”
She wasn’t sure she’d be able to hang on completely, but she could make sure he went in with her. Her dad used to do this to her when she was a kid.
“You’re going kind of far.”
“I want to find that shelf you pushed me off of last time. We wouldn’t want you hitting the bottom.”
That was even better. He had no idea what was about to hit him.
He stopped, and she knew he was about to toss her in. She let go so he thought she was being complacent. As soon as he threw her away, she wrapped her arms around his neck so he came in with her. His arms flailed for a second, and he fell right on top of her.
They both came up sputtering, and he ran a hand through his hair.
“You’re good.”
She swam away from him. “I grew up in this water. Did you think you could best me?”
“One of these days I will.”
She worried that he meant it.
Jamie took her to a nice restaurant on the water. He ordered for both of them, and she bristled.
“Why’d you do that? I can order for myself.”
“If I let you order for yourself, you would’ve ordered the cheapest thing on the menu. I know you like a good steak, so stop complaining.” She’d made him steak a few nights ago for dinner.
She frowned. “You spend too much money on me. One of these days I’m going to feel obligated to do something I don’t want to.”
He chuckled. “Bethany, I would never expect anything from you. I like you too much, and I value your friendship. I spend money on you because I can, not because I expect anything. Believe me, if I wanted more out of you, you’d be getting a lot more than a new air conditioner and dinner.”
“And what, pray tell, would you buy me if you were trying to get me into bed?”
He didn’t hesitate. “A new car. Jewelry. I’d take you shopping at an expensive mall and let you buy whatever you wanted. I’d fly you to Bermuda.”
“You’ve thought this through.”
“I’ve done it.”
Bethany blushed. Part of her wondered why he wasn’t trying to woo her. Was she not good enough? He must’ve done that many times before. The sheer number of women in his past had to be astounding.
Jamie took a sip of his wine and looked at her with those deep green eyes. Before she could say anything stupid, like how handsome she found him, he leaned forward.
“I have a proposal for you.”
She sat back, not liking the sound of it. She was barely getting comfortable with him, and he was throwing her for a loop.
“We both have problems that need to be solved, right? Maybe we help each other.”
“That depends on which problems you are talking about.”
“You need money. I need a wife.”
She laughed out loud. “That is absurd.” He meant proposal literally. Not happening.
“How is it absurd? You can’t afford to keep your house. What would you have done if I hadn�
�t been around? Plus, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Danny wasn’t successful in convincing the HOA that you could have a roommate. Mrs. Calhoun is going to make sure I move out in less than two weeks. If we’re married, we’re family.”
That news hit her hard. Danny had told her the meeting went fine. Now she was learning otherwise. Mrs. Calhoun and her plans. She shook her head. She wasn’t going to give up her ideals for that house. “I may be a lot of things, but I’m not a prostitute.”
“I’m not asking you to be. No sex required. It will all be for show. What happens when we close the doors will be our business.”
She met his eyes but didn’t say anything. Apparently he took that as an offer to continue. She hadn’t meant for it to be.
“We’ll sign a pre-nup. It will state that in the event of any divorce you get to keep your house and two million. I keep everything else. That should be enough. You might even be able to open your own dance studio too.”
She sat back, stunned. What was he talking about? She had no words to respond to what he offered. He mistook her stunned silence for no.
“Is two not enough? I can make it three.”
She took a drink and found her words. “No, two is more than sufficient. I’m a little surprised, that’s all. I thought you were joking.”
“So what do you say?”
“Um, yes.” She didn’t see how she could say no. No one had ever offered her that much money before. Money like that would put her in Danny’s or Mrs. Calhoun’s camp. She’d be able to quit her job and maintain the house. This was more than she could ever hope for. On the other hand, she was marrying for money. That was one lesson her mother had taught her from a young age. Marry for love. Nothing else. It wasn’t a real marriage, so it didn’t count. Though, it was possible she’d regret this in the morning.
After dinner, he drove downtown. Both probably contemplating their own problems and the depths to which they would sink to solve them.
“Where are we going?”
“To make this look real.” He parked in downtown Charleston. “Come on.”
She stepped out of the car, and he led her across the street. Before she knew what was happening, they were standing in front of a snooty looking jewelry saleswoman.
Folly and Forever (Omega Mu Alpha Brothers Book 3) Page 8