The Billionaire's Fake Marriage: A Single Dad Next Door Romance

by Sarah J. Brooks

  I led the way up to the counter, the entire wall to the left of the counter had been painted with their menu. I stopped, turning to face Garth.

  “Alrighty, what do you want?”

  He looked around, his eyes moving fast as he read from side to side. I grinned watching him, and he glanced at me.

  “Do you know what you want?”

  I nodded before stepping towards the counter.

  A man came out from the back of the kitchen. “Ally! How are you doing?” He shot me a grin.

  Jacob's green hair was cut short and tied out of the way in a hair net, his brown eyes hidden behind glasses.

  He leaned against the counter. “What can I get ya?”

  “I'll have the usual.” I glanced at the man behind me. “And whatever he wants.”

  Garth opened his mouth, closed it, and stepped towards the counter.

  “The Elvis burger, please. With garlic fries.”

  “That will be $10.23.”

  I saw Garth's jaw almost drop, his eyes popping out of his head as he heard the price. I smirked, reaching into my purse and pulling out a bill. Handing it over to him, I waved away the idea of him giving me back the change.

  “Thanks.” His eyes sparkled. “I will be right back. Feel free to take a seat.”

  I gave him a nod and headed to the booth I always took. Garth followed me.

  “Did he get our order wrong?”

  I laughed softly.

  “No. It's that cheap.” I shrugged. I'd heard a lot of reasons for it but was never actually sure what version was the truth. “But anyways, are you and Brent going to be seeing much of each other while he is in town?”

  “I hope so. He’s not in town long, but there is a client who is very interested in working with us, and it would be very beneficial for both of us to be there when we meet with them.”

  I raised an eyebrow. They must be someone special. I resisted the urge to dig deeper; after all, I might get to be there when they met. I didn’t want to come off nosey.

  “But we do have dinner planned for tonight, so we’re able to catch up. And I’m sure he will be off soon enough.” A soft smile touched his lips, but his eyes looked sad.

  I bit my lip, something tugging at the pit of my stomach. “It’s hard being away from your best friend.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”

  “It was a long time ago.” I shook my head, trying to clear the memories. “Anyways, enough about the past! It’s awesome you two are able to catch up. You must have been really close when you started the business. And clearly, you did a good job together.”

  “Well, we did manage to snag you.”

  My heart did a flip.

  Before I could say another word, I heard someone coming towards us. He laid the tray down with a smile.

  “Enjoy.”

  And with that, he was gone. I reached out for my triple bacon burger and unwrapped it quickly. I took a bite a little too big to be considered ladylike. Garth smirked, watching me as he unwrapped his own burger. Peanut butter oozed out. He licked his lips.

  “I will admit, I'm impressed with that place,” he said as we made our way into the office. “And your job with the house. It looked really good today.”

  “Thank you.”

  I didn't want to let on to just how happy it made me that he was impressed. I knew it shouldn't be that important to me, but it was.

  I pulled the door open for him.

  He nodded his thanks as he stepped past me, and we headed for the elevator. He pulled his phone out of his pocket as we stepped into it.

  “Looks like they want to put an offer in on that house.”

  “Really?” My heart skipped a beat. “That's great!”

  “I'll get together with them tonight. You don't have to come for the boring part, we can learn that another day.”

  “Are you sure you don't need a little extra help?” I didn't want to be unprofessional.

  The elevator stopped on our floor and the doors opened.

  “It's fine, you go home and celebrate. You earned a night of rest.” A grin spread over his face. “They are good clients to get under your belt.”

  We stepped out onto the floor. I could tell everyone was staring at us. Garth just walked past it with his head high, not seeming to give a damn—then again, he was probably used to people staring at him. I was not. I hated the feel of their eyes on me as I made my way back to my desk.

  “You'll need paperwork printed up, right?” I felt stupid the second I asked. “I mean, I'll get the papers printed up for you.”

  “Thank you.” He gave me a nod before heading into his office without another word.

  As soon as the door was closed, the three girls turned to face me.

  “Well?” The blonde, the older one, turned to me. “What was that about?”

  “Er, someone wants to place an offer on a house. I'm going to get the paperwork printed up.”

  “Not that! The conversation, the looks ...”

  “The looks?”

  The blonde stared at me for a fraction of a second before opening her mouth. The elevator bell rang before she could say anything, and I heard the shift of the metal doors opening. I looked up in time to see a little girl run out of the elevator.

  “Marissa!” A woman called, letting out a deep breath as the girl ran towards Garth's office. “You can't just barge in there.” She moved slowly as if she had been days without sleep. “Wait for me.”

  “But Mom, I want to surprise him,” the little girl whined.

  I couldn't help smiling.

  I pushed myself up from my desk and circled around to the little girl as she reached out for the door. Grabbing the handle, I crouched down in front of her.

  “Hi,” I said, my eyes locking on hers as my smile widened. She stared at me. “I'm Ally.” Still she didn't say anything. “Did I hear you say you wanted to surprise him?”

  “Yea!” She gave me an excited whisper, and I glanced up at the mother. Her shoulders were hunched from the bag she carried, and now that she was closer, I could see the dark circles under her eyes. Despite that, there was something I recognized about her.

  “Well,” I smiled up at the mother. “Why doesn't your mom go sit down, and I will help you surprise him.”

  “A-are you sure?” she stuttered.

  I nodded.

  She stared at me with wide eyes, a soft smile touching her lips. “Thank you,” she mouthed before making her way over to the couch where potential clients sat.

  “Okay,” I whispered, standing up. “Stay really quiet, and I'll open the door for you. You can jump out and surprise him.” The girl nodded frantically. “Ready? One ... two ... three.”

  I flung the door open, not sure if I'd end out getting into trouble later on, and the girl jumped into my boss's office. For a split second, I wondered if it was his child. Maybe the woman on the couch was his wife.

  Garth's head snapped up.

  “Uncle Garth!” The little girl squealed.

  “Boo! What are you doing here?” A wide smile spread across his face as he pushed himself out of the chair. He picked her up in a hug and twirled her around. The little girl giggled.

  Closing the door slightly, I padded over to the coffeemaker and poured a cup. I snatched a couple creamers and sugar before heading over to the couch. I sat down beside the girl.

  “It looks like you could use this.” I handed it to her.

  She stared at me with wide eyes as she took it. “T-thank you.” I placed the creamers and sugar on the table in front of us.

  “If there is anything you need, just let me know.”

  I stood, not wanting to bother her anymore. As much as I wanted to know more about her and the little girl, it wasn't my place to ask. And more than anything, the woman looked so tired; I just wanted her to have a chance to rest.

  I padded back to my desk, sat down and got the paperwork started for Garth. I glanced up at he
r after a couple of seconds and saw her eyes were closed.

  I listened to the noises coming from Garth's office as I got the paperwork done up and printed off.

  I saw a chance and took it, heading into the office to drop off the paperwork. I knocked once before entering.

  I stopped dead in the doorway, and my heart did a backflip.

  Garth sat on the floor, the little girl in front of him, and both held dolls in their hands. They looked up at me, and I grinned from ear to hear. Men with children had never been something I was into—suddenly, I realized why girls liked it.

  “I um, have the paperwork ... was going to bring it to you.” I padded over to his desk and dropped the papers beside his computer.

  “Do you want to come play with us too?” the little girl asked.

  “Oh, I can't. I've got to work.”

  “Work sucks,” she spat.

  An amused snort escaped me. “I know, right?” I crossed over to them and crouched down, resting my elbows on my thighs. “But you have lots of fun for me, alright?”

  The girl nodded before I pushed myself up and turned around.

  “Ally ...” Garth's voice stopped me dead in my tracks. I turned back to him. “How is Beatrice?”

  “Asleep last I checked.”

  A smile touched his lips. “Good.” And with that, he turned his attention back to the little girl. I watched them for a couple of seconds as they played. It didn't seem to bother him at all that he was playing with dolls. Most of all, it seemed to make the little girl behind happy.

  I heard her giggle as I left the room, closing the door behind me, and glanced at the girl's mother, Beatrice. I closed the distance between myself and her, the empty coffee cup still in her hands and her purse about to fall over.

  Ever so carefully, I picked the purse up and moved it onto the table. I was right, she was asleep.

  It didn't last long. She woke fifteen minutes after I moved her purse, looking just as unrested. She looked around frantically before checking her watch and relaxing a little, blew out a deep breath, and then stood and headed into the office.

  I heard her and Garth speaking but couldn't quite make out what they said.

  A couple minutes later, she and her daughter left, the little girl waving to me as she passed my desk. I waved back, a wide grin spreading over my face.

  “She is so cute,” one of the girls said.

  “I can't believe he is like that with his niece. Can you imagine what he would be like with his own kids?” I could hear that lost-in-a-daydream tone in her voice.

  I can't deny it, I agreed with them.

  I now understood why girls liked men who were already a father. I bit my lip, trying to focus on my work instead of my boss.

  Chapter Five

  I strode towards the door wondering who the hell could be coming over here at such a time. My fingers curled around the handle and pulled the door open. Gobsmacked, I stared at the man in front of me.

  “Mr. Adams.”

  “Please, Garth.” He gave me a smile. “I um, wanted to stop by and let you know that they placed the offer. It's looking very good right now.”

  “That's great!” But that didn't really tell me why he was here. I mean, bosses didn't just stop in and see someone to let them know it's looking good.

  “I ...” He held up his hand, and that's when I realized it. A bottle of wine. “Thought we could celebrate.”

  My heart skipped a beat. My house was a mess and the dishes hadn't been done, and I wasn't even sure if I owned wine glasses. But I knew I wasn't going to say no.

  “Sounds perfect.” I stepped out of the way and motioned for him to come on inside. Garth looked around, slipping out of his shoes.

  “It's a mess; there are dishes in the sink, and I'm not even sure if I have clean cups, let alone wine glasses.”

  I figured there was no point in hiding it.

  He grinned. “Been there. Worst comes to worst, we can drink out of the bottle.”

  “Okay.” I turned around and headed for the sitting room—the cleanest room in my house. Because I never used it.

  Garth was quick to make himself at home. He sat down on the couch beside me and opened the bottle of wine. He grinned, taking a sip from the bottle and handing it to me.

  I took a small sip and handed it back to him. “So it went well?”

  “Yup! I'm almost sure the sellers will accept the offer, and then we can move on to the next one.”

  Did he already have someone else lined up? I remembered him saying that he and Brent had to meet with a client together. Was he still looking for someone else to sell a home to?

  He took a swig of the wine and glanced at me. “Thank you. I couldn't have done it without you.”

  “Oh, I'm sure you could have.” My cheeks flushed. I wasn't willing to admit how much that meant to me. Garth's grin grew wider.

  “My sister-in-law said you were very kind to her.”

  I shrugged. “I just got her some coffee.”

  “Something no one has ever done while she is there.”

  “Does she come see you often?” She looked familiar, but I didn't remember ever meeting her.

  “Every two or three months. Her and Marissa live a few states away, but they don't have a lot of support there or family who wants to see them. So they make the trip out to see me every now and then.”

  I nodded, allowing myself to take it all in.

  “She's quite fond of you,” I said.

  “Actually, she seemed really happy with you. I don't think Alyssa ever paid much attention to her when she comes in. She wouldn't stop raving about how you helped surprise me.”

  I reached out, accepting the bottle from him and taking a swig of wine.

  Sitting here with Garth—my boss—felt ... I wasn't sure. I wanted to say it felt right, but part of me said it didn't. Part of me said it was wrong. It sure as hell didn't feel wrong. But I didn't dare let myself explore that.

  Garth leaned forward, slipping out of his suit jacket and placing it beside him. His muscles flexed as he reached up and undid his tie. I swallowed, my lips dry all of a sudden as I watched him unbutton the top of his shirt. His grey-green eyes locked on mine, and for a second, I could have sworn there was lust behind them.

  I mentally shook myself. I was acting stupid. This was my boss we were talking about.

  “I really couldn't have done any of this without your help,” he said. “Alyssa ... she never would have staged the house like that. Don't get me wrong, she's a great worker, but there's something ... about her.”

  “You mean the fact she wants to fuck you.”

  The second I blurted it out, I regretted it. Not so much because he knew how she felt, but because I had been the one to rat her out.

  “It's not just that.” He paused, he must have caught on to my confusion. “I mean come on, it's pretty obvious what she's looking for from me. I'd have fired her by now, but the truth is she is really good at her job. Just not the way you ... she talks the right talk and walks the walk but ... not like you. You go above and beyond. I like that.”

  I stared at him, my cheeks burning as I tried to figure out what to say. Nothing came to mind.

  “It's just a shame I'm going to have to give her position back to her when she is feeling better.” He looked away from me. “The truth is, I've come to enjoy our time together.”

  I opened my mouth to say something but still couldn't bring myself to. I closed my mouth and tried again.

  “I-I've come to enjoy our time together too,” I admitted. “But I mean, I'll still be around. I can help you get houses ready to go.” After all, that was part of my job. “And if you need an extra set of hands on anything while Alyssa is busy, I can jump in.” I paused. “Or you know, we can hang out after work ... as friends.”

  He turned to me, studying me. “Friends.” He pondered the word for a little while. “I'd like that.” He took another swig from the bottle. I couldn't help wondering if he was drunk. Wa
s he that much of a lightweight?

  I took the bottle from him and took a long swig. Friends.

  Who would have thought. As far as I could tell, he just liked me as an extra set of hands, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe he did actually like me for me.

  “She's going to hate seeing you in those clothes.” My brow furrowed as I turned my attention to Garth. “I mean, her clothes are cheap compared to yours.”

  “Why did you buy me clothes?” I bit my lip. “I mean, you didn't buy her any.”

  “That's because she already had clothes. She went out and bought them herself.”

  He said it like it was so simple. I looked away. I couldn't help worrying about how she would feel when she came back. I was sure everyone was already sending her updates. She wouldn't be happy with me, that much was for sure. But I wasn't going to let that scare me. I'd jumped at the chance to move up in this company, and I was going to keep busting my butt until I did move up. And then I'd just keep on moving. I wanted a life where I didn't have to struggle to pay my bills.

  Garth

  I looked at the girl across from me. I have to admit there was something about her I really liked. And today I’d gotten to know her a lot better. I’d seen the way she handled my niece and the way she handled clients. Her work ethic was awesome, and she obviously had good taste in food—and a good budget. Both of those things appealed to me more than I wanted to admit. She appealed to me more than I wanted to admit.

  I caught her staring at me. She’d changed out of her work clothes, and sitting in front of me, she wore yoga pants and a tank top. My eyes roamed over her body but came to a stop at her feet—not that feet were my kind of thing.

  Without realizing what I was doing, I reached out and touched the blisters. I looked up at her.

  “Your shoes did this?”

  “Uh, yea. They’ve actually gotten a lot better these past two days already. I mean, with the new shoes.”

  My stomach turned. I knew cheap shoes weren’t good for your feet, but I’d never seen feet as blistered as hers. Has she had these since she started working at the company?

  I was thankful I’d decided to take her out and get her new clothes and shoes. I forced myself to look away from her feet, my eyes trailing up her petite frame and to her face. She took a sip of the wine, her black hair falling into her face as she pulled the bottle away from her lips and tilted her head down.