The Wedding Wager

by Regina Duke

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  KEVIN KNOCKED on Megan’s door.

  “Are you ready to go?”

  After a few moments, Megan opened the door. She did not look happy.

  Kevin frowned. “Something wrong?”

  Megan moved efficiently toward the entry way. “Now that you ask, yes, there is something wrong.”

  Kevin followed her. “What now? Another change to the prenup?”

  Megan toss her hair back. “Do you know how long it takes to drive to Colorado?”

  Kevin shrugged. “A couple of days.”

  “Two ten-hour days if we don’t stop at any restrooms or stop to eat along the way. Two long, miserable days of staring at the passing countryside, and since restrooms and food are a necessity, it’s more like two thirteen hour days in the car. That is crazy!”

  “How come you’re suddenly a road map expert?”

  Megan held up her smart phone. “I looked it up. You want this relationship to look real, correct? Well, no bride-to-be would spend the days before her wedding driving cross country so she could arrive to meet her in-laws looking like something the cat dragged in.”

  Kevin was taken aback. “I bought a brand new SUV to travel in. It’s got that new car smell and it’s very roomy.”

  Megan rolled her eyes. “New car smell? Trust me, after three days of driving, you will never want to smell that aroma again. And three days would be the shortest estimate, because I cannot sit in one position for hours at a time.” She looked around for her luggage. “Where are my things?”

  Kevin resisted the urge to snap, You mean, the things I bought you? Instead he said calmly, “Jeffrey took them downstairs and put them in the car. Look, Megan, I thought a road trip would give us an opportunity to get to know each other.”

  She glared at him. “Let me give you the crash course. I’m a girl. Girls need restrooms on a regular basis. I also need to exercise my legs every couple of hours because of my injury. Otherwise, I get sore and achy. And that makes me cranky.”

  Kevin decided to play the sympathy card. “Okay, I’ll level with you. I’m terrified of flying, all right? I just can’t get on a plane. I know it’s crazy, but I’ve tried, and it’s real embarrassing when they have to take the plane back to the gate because I’m freaking out. Get the picture?”

  Megan appeared to soften a bit. Kevin thought she would relent.

  Instead, Megan said, “I’m sorry you have such a terrible fear. Fine. Here’s what we’ll do. You take me to the airport and I will fly to Reno and wait for you there. It’s only twelve hours. I checked on-line. If you can drive to Denver in two days, you can do twelve hours in your sleep. You drive down, we’ll get married, and then we’ll discuss the rest of the trip to Colorado.”

  “But I have this beautiful new car!”

  “Yes, and you’re dying to play with it. I get that. But I have to look after my health. When you first mentioned that we would be driving, it didn’t click for me exactly how far we have to go. With me along, we won’t get to your ranch until late Wednesday night at best. I will be exhausted all day Thursday, and your mother has scheduled the wedding for Friday. Not good. And trust me, if we spend three days in a car together, neither of us will feel like walking down the aisle when we get to Colorado.”

  Kevin worked his jaw. “All right. Fine. But if I take you to the airport, it will add two hours to my driving time.”

  “You have a chauffeur. Jeffrey can take me in the limo.”

  Kevin cursed silently. He thought fast. “The limo is being serviced. I didn’t expect to need it to day. It’s up on a rack right about now. And it’s Jeffrey’s day off.”

  “You just said he was loading the bags in the car.”

  Kevin backtracked. “He’s supposed to have the day off once we leave.”

  “Fine. I’ll take a cab. And I still have the thousand you gave me. That should get me to Reno. I will meet you there.” She powered past him and slammed her hand against the elevator call button.

  Kevin spread his hands. “Hey, hey, hey. If you want to fly, you can fly. If you want to get married in Reno, we can do that, too. I don’t have time to find someone else to fill your shoes.”

  Megan tilted her head and said sarcastically, “That’s so romantic.” The doors opened and she stepped inside.

  Kevin put out an arm and kept the doors from closing. “Megan!”

  Megan straightened her back and stared straight ahead. “What?”

  Kevin stepped inside the elevator to ride down with her. “I’ll take you to the airport if you’ll tell me what’s really wrong?”

  Megan glanced sideways at him. “What do you mean?”

  “You know, me behind the wheel, you in the passenger seat, driving to the place where the planes take off?”

  Megan bit back a smile. “Not that part, silly.”

  “Well, something must have happened between your morning coffee and your desire to fly to Reno. What’s going on?”

  Megan chewed her bottom lip, then brushed her hair behind one ear. She pulled her phone out of her purse and activated the contacts list. “I tried to call my mother in Guatemala,” she said. She handed the phone to Kevin, as if he could make the call work. “But a stranger answered the phone and said my mother didn’t live there anymore.” Her voice broke.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “I KNEW IT had to be something.” Kevin placed a comforting arm around her shoulders and dropped her phone in his pocket. “And it was stupid of me not to realize that a major road trip might not appeal to someone who is still recovering from injuries sustained in a car crash. I’ll make sure you get a first class seat to Reno.”

  Without thinking, Megan leaned into him. “Thank you. Are you sure you can’t fly as well? Don’t the drugs help?”

  “Drugs? I don’t take drugs.”

  “Really? Mother’s doctor told her that all those calm people in the airport are on drugs! He said she should use Xanax whenever she flies.”

  Kevin looked uneasy. “I don’t like the idea of losing control of myself.”

  “But that’s not what it does,” said Megan. “Mom told me. She said it just turns off the fear. She feels like a normal person who isn’t afraid.”

  “Well . . .”

  “Can you call your doctor? Get a prescription?”

  Kevin made a face.

  Megan pinned him with a teasing look. “You still want to drive your new car, don’t you?”

  Kevin’s chin dropped to his chest. Busted.

  “That’s okay. Let’s meet in Reno and get married there. We’ll figure the rest out after that.”

  “You seem eager to make it legal.”

  “Aren’t you? You’re the one who stands to lose a fortune. What if something happens on the way to Colorado? What if, God forbid, you run your new SUV off the road? What if you’re in a coma and can’t get married in Colorado? What if…?” She stopped when the elevator doors opened on the garage level. Jeffrey was waiting for them.

  “You’ve made your point,” said Kevin. “You’re right. The sooner we’re married, the better. Reno sounds great.”

  Jeffrey looked confused. “Change of plans?”

  Megan said, “Kevin and I are getting married in Reno. I’m going to fly there and wait for him to join me.”

  “Mr. Wake, may I have a word with you, please?” Jeffrey pulled Kevin aside.

  Megan strolled toward the new Ford Expedition where Jeffrey had been arranging luggage. One of the back doors was still open. She could hear Jeffrey whispering furiously at Kevin. Odd. Maybe it was some urgent chauffeur matter. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. By this time tomorrow, she could be married and no longer alone with her debts. She hoped the Courthouse in Reno opened for business at eight a.m.

  She was relieved that Kevin hadn’t fought her on the idea of getting married in Reno. And her logic wasn’t totally self-serving. After all, as he said, she’d made good points. She herself was living proof that an instan
t on the highway could turn ugly. No one was guaranteed a smooth ride through life. If he wanted to protect his inheritance, then he should take every precaution, and getting married as soon as possible was a big one.

  She folded her arms against the cool breeze that came down the ramp. Why was it that garages were always chilly? Maybe something in the concrete attracted cold breezes.

  Now she could hear Kevin whispering back at Jeffrey, just as fervently. What on earth? Were they negotiating the chauffeur’s contract?

  “Kevin? Is everything okay?”

  A bellboy emerged from an elevator, pushing a luggage-laden cart. Behind him came a family with two chatty children. They barely spared her a glance as they followed the bellboy to their car.

  Kevin lifted a hand. “Megan? I need to go back upstairs for a few minutes. Did you want to wait here?”

  Megan made a face. “I’ll wait in the lobby,” she said. She moved to join them in the elevator.

  As soon as Megan was inside, Kevin pressed the button for the Lobby and then the express button for his suite. Neither Kevin nor Jeffrey said a word as the elevator rose to the Lobby. Megan stepped out, her purse securely over her shoulder.

  “I’ll be down in just a minute,” said Kevin.

  Megan nodded. “I’ll be over there by the gift shop.”

  The doors closed. Before they shut all the way, she heard Jeffrey say, “Don’t be an idiot.” Then they clicked shut.

  Megan frowned. That was a very strange thing for an employee to say to his employer.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  “I THINK she heard you.”

  “So? Make something up,” said Jeffrey. “You’re the one who said she’s a blackmailer who can’t be trusted. You’re crazy if you let her get on a plane with a thousand dollars of your money! She’ll be in Reno by one o’clock and you’ll be on the road until nine p.m. All she has to do is turn around in the Reno airport and buy another ticket for somewhere else, or even worse, a bus ticket, and she’s gone, and you’re screwed! You’ll never see her again.”

  “Well, I can’t force her to drive with me all the way to Colorado,” said Kevin as the elevator rose. “She just got out of the hospital after a major car wreck. No wonder she wants to fly.”

  “Then go with her.”

  “You know I can’t do that.” Kevin paled. “I’m not proud of being a coward, but you remember what happened last time.”

  “Yeah. It was humiliating. But I’ve got the answer.”

  “If I fly, what about the car? I’m not saying I’m going to, but it’s brand new! I’m not leaving it in the hotel parking lot.”

  “Look, you take this.” Jeffrey pulled his airline ticket out of his pocket and handed it to Kevin. “Cash it in when you get to the airport.”

  “They’ll need your I.D. for that.”

  “I’ll be there. I’m driving you.”

  The elevator doors opened. Jeffrey got out and headed toward the back of the suite. Kevin stepped into the great room and looked around again, trying to soak in every penny’s worth of atmosphere.

  Jeffrey reappeared and handed Kevin a prescription bottle. “Take one of these now. Just do it. When you get to the loading gate, take a second one. Then get on that plane and don’t let Megan out of your sight! I will drive your new car to Colorado.”

  “Really?”

  “No problem.”

  “You sure these will work?” He read the label. Xanax. “Hey! This is what Megan suggested I use.”

  “I’ve been trying to get you to try these since our freshman year. Now’s the time. They work. Trust me. How do you think I manage to look like such a fearless flier? If I’m driving the new car to Colorado, I won’t need them.”

  Kevin nodded. “Okay. If you’re lying to me, I will never let you forget it.”

  “I’m not lying. Now let’s go. I’ll drive you guys to the airport and cash in my ticket for you.”

  Kevin felt like a man about to face a firing squad. “All right,” he said tightly. “Statistics say I should survive the flight.”

  “And I can invent some statistics that say, if you let go of Megan, you will lose everything. You don’t have time to find another candidate. It took three weeks to find her.”

  “Okay.” But Kevin did not feel okay at all.

  Jeffrey shook his head and made a rude noise. He opened the pill bottle and shook out a Xanax. “Now, Kev. You have to give it time to work before we reach the airport.”

  Kevin took the pill and swallowed it dry.

  “You ready?” asked Jeffrey.

  “Go on down,” said Kevin. “There’s something I have to do before this pill takes effect.”

  Jeffrey grinned at him. “You loser. Afraid of flying, afraid of a little pill. Why do I stay friends with you?” He chucked Kevin in the shoulder, then headed down in the elevator.

  Kevin pulled out his cell phone and retrieved Megan’s from his pocket. He went to the bar and tapped on her contacts list.

  There were only two numbers on it, his cell phone number and one for Glenda Mully. That made him sad. No numbers for college friends. Nothing. Just his number, punched in by him at the phone store, and Megan’s mother.

  He activated his own phone and tapped in a text message, carefully adding Glenda Mully’s number at the end. His finger hovered for a few seconds over the send button. “I hope this isn’t a mistake,” he muttered as he pressed Send. Then he put his phone away, tucked Megan’s back in his pocket, and took the elevator downstairs.

  The doors opened at the Lobby level. Jeffrey was waiting for him.

  “I told you so,” said Jeffrey. “She’s gone.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “SHE’S NOT GONE,” said Kevin. “She said she’d be in the gift shop.”

  “I already looked. I asked the clerk. She said no tall blond woman has been in this morning.”

  Kevin frowned. “I can’t believe it. I won’t believe it. She’s around somewhere. We’ll find her.”

  “Try her cell,” said Jeffrey, “if she’ll even answer it.”

  Kevin’s brows rose and he pulled Megan’s phone out of his pocket. “It won’t do much good.”

  “Oh, great.”

  Kevin snapped his fingers. “She might think she lost it. She might be looking for it. She would retrace her steps.”

  “Down to the garage.”

  “I’ll go. You wait here in case she comes up while I’m taking the elevator down.” He popped back inside and pressed the button.

  When the elevator doors opened, he spotted Megan at once. She was bending low, trying to look under the car.

  “Megan!”

  Kevin’s voice caught her attention. Slowly, she began to rise.

  Kevin sped up and offered his hand. Megan took it and let Kevin help her stand upright again.

  “Sorry,” she said. “Getting up and down is still hard for me. They told me in the hospital it’s all in my mind. They said the bone has healed, everything is fine. But it’s still hard for me to trust it, going up and down.”

  “Not a problem.” He pulled her cell phone out of his pocket. “Looking for this?”

  “Oh, thank goodness!” Megan took the phone and pressed it to her bosom. “I was so afraid I’d lost it! I looked everywhere!”

  “You didn’t lose it,” said Kevin. “When we were in the elevator, you gave it to me when you told me about your mother, and without thinking, I slipped it in my pocket.”

  Megan tucked it back in her purse. “Did you and Jeffrey work everything out?”

  “Er, what do you mean?”

  Megan eyed him skeptically. “I heard him call you an idiot. Is he still employed?”

  Kevin chuckled. “Yeah, he’s still the chauffeur. In fact, let me call him. He’s in the Lobby. He thought you took off while we were upstairs.”

  “What?!”

  “You know. A thousand dollars in your pocket, fast money, all that nonsense. He thought you might have cut your losses and left with
the cash.”

  “Not very smart, is he?” Megan tugged at the hem of her top.

  “What do you mean?”

  “A thousand dollars won’t even make a dent in my medical bills.”

  “Oh, that. Right.” He dialed Jeffrey. “I found her. She was looking for her phone by the car. Come on down. We’re ready to go.” He hung up.

  “We?” asked Megan. “I thought you were going to drop me off at the airport on your way out of town.”

  “Nope. I’m taking your advice. Turns out Jeffrey uses Xanax for flying. I’m going to use his pills so I can fly to Reno with you.” He was surprised at how easy that was to say.

  “That’s great! I’m so glad.” Megan’s face lit up. “We could be married by this afternoon!”

  “Long before I drop dead or fall into a coma.”

  Megan shot him a look. “Now you’re making fun of me.”

  “No, I’m not,” said Kevin innocently. A moment later, he grabbed his chest, and gasped, “Jeffrey better hurry.”

  “You rat!” Megan swung her bag at him. It caught him in the ribs.

  Kevin laughed.

  The elevator doors opened and Jeffrey appeared.

  “We’re ready to go,” said Kevin.

  “Very well,” said Jeffrey, sounding once again like a respectful employee. He held the back door open for Megan. “Miss?”

  Megan let Kevin give her a hand up into the back of the SUV. Then he went around the other side and got in beside her.

  Jeffrey paused by Kevin’s door. Megan was fastening her seatbelt. Jeffrey tucked the pill bottle into Kevin’s hand. Kevin shoved it into his jeans pocket. They were off.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  MEGAN COULDN’T HELP but feel excited when she and Kevin pre-boarded with the other first class passengers. She clutched his arm as a tactic to keep from giggling like a little girl. When they settled into their seats, a very friendly flight attendant offered them drinks. Megan asked for a diet soda and Kevin requested Perrier.