by Tia Siren
She took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll tone it down. But this”—she drew a circle in the air around her face—“isn’t so easy to control. This is my face, and when you piss me off or do something I think is really stupid, I can’t hide how I feel. I’ll try, but I’m warning you now.”
Drew laughed. I looked at him and then at Avery, who seemed to have relaxed a bit.
“Fine. I can handle that, but remember Janice is going to be watching. We need her to believe we are a happy, loving couple.”
She nodded. “Got it. Now, if there’s nothing else, I have an interview.”
“Oh really?” Drew asked, interested.
“Yep. I need to get a job in case all this blows up in our faces.”
“You’re going to work?” Drew asked in surprise. “You do know he can support you, right?”
She shrugged. “I’m sure he can, but I don’t want a penny from him. I only want Iris.”
Drew looked at me, and I could see the moment he decided my ultimate plan was terrible. I stared back, defiant.
“Well, good luck,” Drew said as she stood to leave.
“We’ll have to go with you,” I told her.
“No way! You are not going to my job interview!”
“If you remember, you rode here in my car. I’ll have the driver take you back to your car.”
“Oh, dammit. I forgot. See, I knew there was a reason I needed to drive,” she complained.
“If you’re going to be late, we can go straight to the interview,” I offered.
“Can you? I’ll take an Uber to pick up my car after I’m done. I don’t expect you to wait around,” she said, sounding like a normal person who didn’t hate me.
“Yes. Let’s go, Drew.”
I left a hundred on the table and headed for the door. It wasn’t like Drew and I had anything pressing to do besides finding a house. Drew could stay in town another day and help me look. I liked having him around. He was a good buffer between Avery and me.
Chapter Fifteen
Avery
It was surreal to be dropped off at a job interview by my husband and his rented car and driver. I was wearing my wedding dress to the interview, hoping it brought me some kind of good luck, but as I waved and walked inside the building, I suddenly felt silly for doing so.
I gave the receptionist my name and sat down to wait my turn. As I sat and waited, I looked down at the heavy rock sitting on my finger. I was married. My brain still couldn’t make sense of the fact. I was married to Jake Colter, the man who had taken my virginity and I had hated ever since. Now he was my husband.
I burst into a fit of soft giggles, thinking about how ridiculous my life had become. If someone had told me a month ago that I was going to be the new Mrs. Jake Colter, I would have laughed my ass off. I couldn’t wait to show Sally the ring and tell her the plan. I hoped she would be okay when I moved out. I would have to pay rent for the following month. I didn’t want to leave her in a lurch. She had done too much for me to up and leave her hanging like that.
“Miss Hampstead.” The receptionist said my name, and for the first time, I realized I wasn’t a miss any longer. I was a missus.
I didn’t plan on changing my name. That was a detail Jake and I never even discussed. I doubted he wanted me carrying around his name any more than I wanted to have it.
I went through the office door and managed to get through the interview without completely blowing it. By the time I left, I was feeling confident. I knew I didn’t have the experience of some of the other applicants, but the man told me that was sometimes a good thing. It meant they could train me to do it their way without trying to erase previous training.
“How’d it go?” Sally asked when I walked through the door.
I smiled. “The wedding or the interview?”
She laughed, and I burst into laughter with her. It had been a crazy day.
“The interview went really good. I really hope I have a chance. The wedding, well, that is a mess, but I expected as much.”
“Oh, was he still acting like a jerk?” she asked.
I furrowed my brow, thinking about that, and sat down at the table with her. “Actually, he wasn’t. I mean, he wasn’t trying to be. I think it comes naturally to him.”
She smiled and nodded. “Some men are like that. They might be as sweet as pie, but you can never tell by their rough exterior. It takes a good woman to find the treasure inside.”
I shook my head. “No way. I’m not the woman to find his treasure. I did like his only friend in the whole world, Drew, though. That should tell you something about a man when he only has one person who likes him.”
Sally giggled. “I think it probably has more to do with who he is. A man that wealthy can’t trust many people. I’m sure he’s been burned more than once. I can understand why he is gruff.”
My mouth dropped open. “You like him?”
“I’m not saying I like him. I’m saying I think you may want to give him some slack. We can’t know everyone’s story. We all have one. It shapes and molds us. Every person we meet can change us a little or a lot.”
I smiled. “You’re so wise.”
“I’m old. If I haven’t learned anything the entire time I’ve been on this planet, I would think there is something seriously wrong with me.”
“I need to talk to you about something,” I told her, dreading bringing up the moving out topic.
“Oh?”
I took a deep breath. “Jake thinks we need to get a house together to prove the marriage is real. I think he’s probably right. We have to prove to the state and Janice that we have a happy home and Iris will be loved and cared for.”
Sally was smiling and nodding. “Well of course, dear. I expected that. You can’t be married and living in my guest room.”
“I’m sorry about the short notice. I’ll pay the next month’s rent.”
She waved a hand. “No, you won’t.”
“Yes, I will. I’m not going to up and leave you hanging.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Avery, do you think I need that rent money from you?”
I shrugged. “Well, of course.”
She smiled and shook her head. “No, I don’t. I knew you needed to pay rent to feel better. I took your money, but not because I needed it to support myself. I’m fine in that department.”
“Sally, it’s been a long time since you’ve written anything. You can’t tell me you still make royalties off your old books?”
“I do, and I have been writing. I don’t write the same romance stuff I used to, but I still write, and believe it or not, people are willing to buy my dribble,” she said proudly.
“Good. That’s a relief. I’ve been feeling guilty.”
“Don’t feel guilty. I’m excited for you. This is going to be an exciting journey. Your husband is very handsome, and I think things could end up very well for you,” she said, waggling her eyebrows.
I shook my head. “No way. Not going to happen. There is absolutely nothing between us but a lot of anger.”
“Anger means passion. Angry passion can be very exciting.” She grinned.
“You have sex on the brain. Are you sure you’re not writing those romance novels again?”
“Nope, but I know passion when I see it. There’s a spark between you two. You were too far into your grief to feel it before, but I think you’re going to find you can’t hide from it, especially living under the same roof.”
I sighed. “Trust me, I’ll hide from it. I’m not going down that road with that man again.”
My phone chirped. I dug it out of my purse to see a text message from Jake. It was a link. I clicked on it and was taken to an ad for a house for rent. Not a house. It was a mansion. I went back to the text and reread it. I felt the blood drain from my face as the full force of what I had done slammed into me.
“He found a house,” I said, my mouth dry.
“What?” she asked.
“Jake. He f
ound a house already. He wants me ready to move in tomorrow.”
Sally clapped her hands. “Let me see!”
I clicked the link and gave her my phone to scroll through the pictures. She was making all kinds of sounds of appreciation.
“My goodness, that is definitely a house all right. You’re going to need a map to keep from getting lost!”
I nodded my head, still too stunned to talk.
“It’ll be okay, dear. Everything is going to be just fine,” she assured me.
“He’s picking me up in an hour.”
Sally was grinning like a fool. “I suggest you go pack a bag, dear. After all, it is your honeymoon.”
My eyes widened in horror. “No! No way! It isn’t like that at all. How did he get it so fast?”
“Money. Money and power. I’m sure all it took was one phone call and whoever owns that house jumped at the chance to rent it to one of the richest men in the country,” she said matter-of-factly.
“He’s not one of the richest men in the country,” I said, walking away from the kitchen and into my room to pack a few things.
The man did know how to make things happen fast. That was a good thing. I could have Iris back in my arms by the end of the week with the speed at which he moved. I grabbed some of Iris’s things that I had as well just in case.
I heard a knock on the front door, and before I knew it, Jake was standing in the doorway of my room.
“What are you doing here?” I said, alarmed.
“I told you to be ready in an hour,” he said nonchalantly.
“I know, but I thought you would send a driver or something. I could have driven to the house myself.”
He shrugged. “Easier this way.”
“Easier for who?”
“Both of us. Drew’s with me. He can take your car over if you need it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course I need it. I don’t have a car and driver at my beck and call. I am the driver.”
He smiled. “Fine. Your car will be delivered. I want to get settled in before I call the judge tomorrow.”
“You’re going to call a judge?” I asked, shoving a few more things into my suitcase.
He nodded. “Yes. I want to get the ball rolling.”
“Good. Perfect. I’m ready,” I said, feeling a little apprehensive about leaving Sally alone.
I stopped in the kitchen where Sally was talking to Drew. I hugged her and promised to check in with her tomorrow.
“Have fun,” she said with a knowing smile.
I shot her a look before walking out the door with my husband. It was still very strange to think of him as my husband.
“Be nice to my car,” I warned Drew. “It isn’t a Porsche, but it’s mine.
He nodded and smiled. “Of course.”
The car ride to the outskirts of the city was too short. The nerves in my belly were making me crazy. I had to keep reminding myself I would have my own room. This was nothing more than like staying in a hotel.
When the car stopped in the circular driveway and the massive wood doors were directly on my right, I gasped.
“Oh my god, this place is huge.”
“And furnished. I think it will impress that sourpuss Janice. Don’t you?”
I climbed out of the car and went to get my suitcase. The driver scowled at me and took it to the front door.
“Is that all for tonight, Mr. Colter?” he asked.
“Yes. I’ll call tomorrow.”
The driver left, and it was only Jake and me standing at the front door of the massive home.
“Do I need to carry you over the threshold?” he teased.
“No. Please open the door,” I said in a clipped voice.
He used the key and opened the door. I found myself looking at a marble entryway with huge columns that flanked a spiral staircase.
“This is ridiculous,” I said for lack of a better word.
“If by ridiculous you mean beautiful, yes, it is.”
He rolled my suitcase in and left it in the foyer. I immediately set out to explore the house, taking in the huge rooms and expensive furnishings.
“Someone is renting this to you?” I asked when I found him in the den, pouring himself a drink at the bar.
He nodded. “Yes. Want one?”
I nodded and walked to take the glass of wine from his hand.
“You’re not trying to get me drunk, are you?”
He rolled his eyes. “Stop.”
“Are you going to take the master?” I asked.
“What do you mean me?”
“I’m not sharing a bed with you.”
“We have to make this look real. It isn’t going to work if we’re sleeping in separate beds in separate rooms,” he reasoned.
I shook my head. “No one is going to know what happens behind closed doors. You take the master and we’ll let them assume I sleep in there with you. I saw a room at the end of the hall, next to what looks like a nursery. I’ll sleep there.”
He raised his eyebrows but lowered them quickly. “Suit yourself.”
We both sipped our drinks as we meandered out of the den and into the kitchen. “This house. Why don’t they live here?” I asked, still amazed anyone would ever want to leave.
“The owners are living in China for a while. They didn’t want to sell and plan on coming back eventually,” he said.
“Oh, well, I guess that works well for us.”
“Yes, it does. I had a grocery service deliver some basics,” he said, opening the huge refrigerator door. “I wasn’t sure what you liked. We can make a list tomorrow, and I’ll have someone stock it up.”
I smiled. “I can go grocery shopping.”
He looked at me as if I were crazy. “Why?”
“Because that’s what us little folks do. We also drive our own cars. Where is my car by the way? I thought Drew was meeting us here.”
“Tomorrow. He went back to the hotel for tonight.”
I eyed him suspiciously. “I’m going to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”
I put down my wine glass and managed to find my way back into the foyer, and from there I made my way up the stairs and down the hall to my small room. I had a feeling it was the nanny’s room. I would check out some of the other rooms tomorrow and see if they were any bigger.
Chapter Sixteen
Jake
Something was off. I blinked several times, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling before everything came flooding back. I was in my new rented house. I hadn’t drunk all that much the night before, but it had been a hell of a day and I hadn’t been sleeping well. It only took a second to clear the cobwebs from my brain and remind myself of everything that had happened. I found that was my new morning routine. I secretly hoped I would wake up one morning and find Tracy’s death had been a nightmare.
I sat up and rubbed my eyes before throwing my legs over the side of the bed. I needed coffee and a lot of it. I didn’t bother getting dressed. It was still early and the chances of running into Avery in the huge house were slim to none. I didn’t care if she saw me in my boxers. Big fucking deal. I needed coffee.
I made my way into the kitchen, squinting as the full glare of the hot Arizona sun streamed through the large windows that provided plenty of natural light in the foyer. By the time I made it to the kitchen, I was scowling and cranky as hell.
Avery was standing in front of the coffee pot. She heard me, turned around, and shrieked.
I ignored her sound of alarm and grabbed a cup from the rack and poured myself a cup of coffee from the pot she had clearly just made. I took a sip and let the liquid work its magic as it slid down my throat.
I turned around to see Avery blushing fiercely and staring at me in horror.
“What?” I grumbled.
She waved a hand up and down my body. “What do you mean what? You’re practically naked!”
I looked down at myself to make sure I still had on the briefs. They were still there, and I wasn
’t sporting a hard-on, so I didn’t get what her problem was.
“I have underwear on.”
Another strangled sound escaped her throat. “That’s all you have on!”
“So? It isn’t like you haven’t seen it all before.”
Her eyes bulged, and I thought she was going to stroke out right there on the gleaming kitchen floor. “Put a shirt on next time!” she hissed before stomping out of the kitchen.
I smiled as I watched her go. I finished the first cup and poured a second, taking it with me back to the bedroom. I hopped in the shower, appreciating how big it was and really loving the extra jets that had been installed. I felt like a new man by the time I emerged and was ready to try to get some work done. Drew was supposed to be coming by soon to go over the details for a merger we were trying to make happen.
The master bedroom was as big as the hotel suite I had recently vacated. There was an adjacent office with big picture windows that overlooked the grounds at the back of the house. There was a desk under the window, which I quickly commandeered. I set up my laptop and began to answer emails. I liked working from home.
I laughed when I looked down at my current state of undress. Poor Avery would become apoplectic if she saw me sitting in my boxers. If I didn’t have to put on a suit and tie, I wasn’t going to. After replying to a few of the most important emails, I did a quick check of the stock market and was pleased to see I was still making money.
Then it was time to call Drew.
“Are you headed over soon?” I asked.
“I’ll be there within an hour.”
“I want to get a car,” I blurted out.
“What? You don’t drive. What are you going to do with a car?”
I sighed. “I drive. I want a car. Should I buy one?”
He laughed. “Only you would have that problem. You can lease one. That may be a better option over buying unless you plan on taking it back to California with you.”
“No. I just want it for here.”
“Okay. Should I have one delivered?” he asked.
“Uh, I don’t know. Should you?”