by Regina Duke
“His powers of persuasion used to be more subtle, when we were younger.”
“Oh, mom, do you have to go to Guatemala? Isn’t there good work he could do here in the States?”
Glenda Mully pushed a stray lock of hair out of Megan’s face. “I’ve followed him everywhere else,” she said, “like a dutiful wife, and I guess I’ll follow him to Guatemala. But don’t you worry. You’ll hardly know I’m gone. You’ll be at school, meeting new people, learning wonderful things! I’m so proud of you.” She lowered her voice. “And there’s something I want to show you. Come with me.”
She led Megan into the tiny bedroom that Megan had decorated by covering the walls with pictures from magazines. Beautiful homes, new cars, even dogs and cats and ponies, were all lined up to represent the future she wanted for herself. A future that would never be hers if she ended up in Guatemala taking care of orphans with her parents.
“Close the door, dear.”
Megan did so. She was puzzled, but she waited patiently while her mother pulled a box off the shelf of her closet. It was tucked far back from the edge, and Megan had never noticed it there.
“I always keep this in your room,” said her mother softly, “because your father never comes in here.”
Glenda settled on the edge of the narrow bed with the box in her lap. Her hands were roughened with work and her blond hair lightened with streaks of white and gray, but her blue eyes sparkled with the joy of her secret. She patted the bed and Megan sat beside her.
“What is it, mom?”
“Something I’ve been working on for years. It’s our secret. If your father knew about it—” She paused. “—well, he doesn’t, so let’s keep it that way.” She opened the box.
At first Megan thought it was empty. There was nothing inside. Nothing, except a small blue checkbook and a bank statement.
“I’ve been saving a little here and there over the years,” said Glenda. “When I saw that spark of learning in you, that joy you expressed every morning on your way out the door to go to school, I knew I had to find a way to help you go to college. I know it’s not much, but there’s hardly any left over after running the household, you know.”
Megan unfolded the bank statement and her mouth dropped open. “Mama! There’s five thousand dollars in here!”
“Shhh. The Guatemalan mission attracts donors. Your father has already raised seventy thousand toward the building. This money here came from me scraping and doing without for years. And I didn’t do all of that to buy windows and doors for strangers. It’s not much as far as college expenses go, but it will get you a room near campus. It’ll go quite a ways if you’re careful.”
Megan hugged her mother tight. “Oh, I will be. I’ll be so careful, mom! And I’ll get a job right away, and I’m a resident here so I don’t have to pay out-of-state tuition.” Her voice caught in her throat. “Thank you, mama.”
Glenda smiled. “And as for me being in Guatemala, just remember our code word.”
Megan wiped a tear away. “Code word?”
“At camp that year, remember? Your father’s parishioners wanted the church to sponsor a summer camp experience? And you didn’t want to go because you were only eight and the other kids were ten or older?”
Megan nodded. Her lips formed a grim line. “And dad said it would look bad if his child didn’t attend because he was the pastor. I was scared to death.”
“You’d never been away from home before,” said her mother. “I tried to convince your friends’ parents to exchange sleepovers, but your little friends were afraid of your father.”
“He’s blustery,” said Megan.
Her mother laughed. “Yes, he is. So when you packed for camp, what did I tell you?”
“When you called me every night to see if I was okay, all I had to do was say the secret code word and you would come get me, no matter what.”
“That’s right. You never had to use it, though, because when you got to camp, you had so much fun.”
Megan nodded. “I did, didn’t I?” She didn’t add that a big part of her fun was the fact that her father had not been around at camp to put his stern kibosh on everything she did. Megan put a finger to her lips and whispered, “Unicorn.”
Glenda nodded. “That’s right. You remembered.”
Surrounded now by the luxury of Kevin Wake’s hotel suite, Megan shook off the past and the tender feelings that crept up on her whenever she thought about her mother. She had remembered that code word. In the hospital after the accident, when the doctors told her she would need surgery and physical therapy, she asked a nurse to call her mother with a message: her location and the word “unicorn.” And her mother came.
Megan was still on heavy pain medications when her mother had to leave again, so she couldn’t recall if she ever found out how her mother got to her bedside from Guatemala. All she knew was that, when she came out of three days of induced coma, her mother was at her side.
Yes, she would have to call her mother and let her know that she was out of the hospital and doing well.
Physically, anyway. She reached for the hotel phone.
As for the rest of it?
She pulled her hand back. How would she explain the rest of it?
A soft knock at the door momentarily postponed that decision.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Jeffrey knocked again. “Ms. Mully? Your dinner is here.”
A moment later, Megan opened the door.
Jeffrey added, “I also brought your shopping bags up, ma’am.” He waved a hand at the pile of purchases he’d set beside her door.
“Oh, thank you. I’ll put them away.” She reached for the bags.
“Your dinner will get cold,” said Jeffrey. “I’ll just set them inside the door for you. Mr. Wake is waiting.”
“Oh, all right.” Megan took a breath and headed for the living area with the wall of windows. She hadn’t expected dinner to arrive so soon. The rest period she’d been craving had only lasted half an hour, but on the other hand she was famished.
Kevin Wake was seated at a table for two. His square jaw, piercing hazel eyes, and dark wavy hair made him look like a movie star, and the lavish surroundings only enhanced the feel of movie magic. Megan could imagine him tramping up and down hills with a lumberjack’s axe on his shoulder. And she could equally picture him in a tuxedo at a Hollywood premiere. She pulled herself up short when she began to imagine him as a scantily clad lifeguard on a beach.
On closer inspection, Megan noticed that the table had wheels and realized this was how the waiter had delivered dinner.
“That was fast,” she said.
Kevin indicated the other chair. “The service here has been excellent.”
Megan sat and examined her plate. The bleu cheese burger and salad she’d requested awaited her. “Oh, this looks wonderful!”
Kevin suppressed a smile. “I love it when women enjoy their food.”
Megan took her first bite and her eyes rolled in ecstasy. Around a mouthful of burger she mumbled, “Wommmberful.”
Kevin laughed. “Good. I hope mine is that delicious.” He cut into his steak.
Jeffrey cleared his throat.
“Yes, Jeffrey?”
“If you don’t need me, sir, I’ll retire for the evening.”
“Certainly. Thanks for your help today.”
Megan dabbed at her lips with her serviette. “Mmmm, yes, Jeffrey, thank you so much. I could not have handled all that shopping without you.”
Jeffrey smiled at her. “You’re welcome.” He gave her a brisk nod and retreated to an area at the back of the suite.
Megan looked puzzled. “Where is Jeffrey’s dinner?”
“In his room.”
“But shouldn’t he eat out here with us?”
Kevin sipped at a glass of wine. “That’s not how it works,” he said. “Servants do not eat with the family.”
“Oh.” Megan concentrated on her plate. She was glad this marriage thi
ng was just a job, because she wasn’t sure she could ever really marry a man who maintained such rigid class distinctions. Her disapproval floated in the air.
Kevin sighed. “Look, Megan, you will be going to the summer place in preparation for our wedding. It’s important that you know how things work. Jeffrey and I have shared many meals together. But when it comes to my parents and the way they live, don’t be shocked when you see the servants retiring to another room for meals. Except for when they’re serving, of course.”
“Of course.” Megan tried to say it with a straight face, but she couldn’t. She burst out laughing. “Sorry. This will take some getting used to.”
After a while, Kevin said, “You never told me why you were in the hospital for so long. Even with serious injuries, don’t they shove people out the front door as soon as they can?”
“Is it important?”
“Well, actually, it’s a great cover story for why I haven’t brought you to meet the parents sooner. I thought we could just go with the hospital thing as a reason why they don’t know anything about you yet.”
“That makes sense,” said Megan. “The fewer lies we have to tell, the simpler this will be. I told you I was in a car accident. My injuries were serious and required surgery. The worst was a broken femur. It got infected, and I was on intravenous antibiotics for a very long time. Every time they thought we’d beat the infection and they took me off the IV, the darn thing would recur. I don’t know if it was the same one or different every time. It didn’t matter. They couldn’t release me until that was cleared up. I would begin my physical therapy, then be so weakened by the infections that we had to start over.”
“Sounds awful.”
“It was. But the staff was very kind to me. Nurses are God’s angels on earth. I don’t think I would have survived it all if they hadn’t been so kind.”
Kevin lifted the lid on another large platter on the table. “Care for dessert?”
Megan’s eyes lit up. “Is that bowl filled with whipped cream?”
“I like to spoon it on my chocolate cake,” said Kevin. “Or perhaps you would prefer the Napoleon? Or the sorbet? Or the mousse?”
“Is the Napoleon that pastry that looks like it’s wearing a uniform?”
“I never thought of it that way, but the icing does look a bit formal, doesn’t it? Here.” He handed her the plate with the Napoleon on it.
“And whipped cream,” said Megan. “Pretty please.”
Kevin smiled and spooned a large dollop of whipped cream on the pastry. “More?”
“Just a smidge more. Oh, a bigger smidge.”
Kevin laughed and handed her the spoon. “Help yourself. Coffee?”
“Is it decaf? I need to sleep tonight.”
“Decaf it is.”
“Then definitely, coffee.” Megan smiled back at him. Maybe this job wouldn’t be too terrible after all. “So the whole ad in the paper for a personal assistant was just to meet women who might fit the bill as a fiancée?”
“That’s right.”
“I take it I fill it, since I’m here and you had the prenup papers drawn up.”
“Oh, yes, the job is yours.” His earlier doubts returned and he cleared his throat. “I suppose if I needed to verify that you spent the last six months in the hospital, I would be able to do that?”
“For a man looking for a woman desperate enough to pretend to be your wife, you seem quite suspicious. But yes, if you like, we can drop in on the staff at the hospital tomorrow and I’ll introduce you all around. Feel better?”
Kevin settled back in his chair. “Yes, actually, I do.”
Megan leaned across the table and stared into his eyes. “Do I look that deceitful?”
“You do not look deceitful at all, but then again, the best deceivers never look deceitful.”
Megan gave a little moue. “Good point.” She hummed with delight around another mouthful of dessert. “Mmmmm, this is so delicious.”
Kevin wagged his brows at her. “There are a couple more selections here if you’d like to try them.”
Megan held up a hand. “This is the richest and most delicious food I’ve had in months. Maybe ever. Hospital food earns its reputation for bland pap, you know. But I couldn’t eat another bite.”
Kevin drained his coffee cup. “In that case, would you feel up to reading the prenup?”
“Straight to business,” said Megan. “I like that. Where is it?”
“On the bar. I had the lawyer keep it to three pages.”
Megan rose and perched on a leather stool at the bar. She read silently through the document. Then she picked up a pen and began to make notes on a cocktail napkin.
Kevin watched her and let his mind wander. There was an old wives’ tale that said women who enjoyed their food the way Megan did also enjoyed other activities with equal relish. He was wondering if that might be the case with her. She was certainly easy on the eyes, even in a state of fatigue. The linen suit she was wearing emphasized her long lean legs. The sound of her voice shattered his reverie.
“This document is totally unacceptable!”
CHAPTER NINE
In three strides, Kevin was beside her. “What’s the problem? My lawyer and I worked for hours this afternoon getting this ready.”
“But there is no mention of your promise to pay my medical bills!”
“As your husband, I would naturally do that.”
“So you say now. But after we’re among your family? And they remind you that these were bills incurred before we married? I’m sorry, I know I’m being paranoid, but the weight of this debt is crippling to me. I worked my way through college. I even worked two jobs at a time so I wouldn’t have to take out loans. I took an extra year to finish because of my work schedule. And then just as I was about to start my new life, this accident wiped out everything I owned and took me out of the running for the new job I had lined up. All my hard work, for nothing. I’ve been shoved into a pit of debt through no fault of my own.” Her voice broke.
Kevin grabbed a cocktail napkin and dabbed at her eyes. “Hey, hey, no need for tears. I’m a man of my word. This really worries you, doesn’t it?”
Megan snuffled into the napkin and wiped the saltwater off her face. “I know to a rich man like you, this is no big deal. But for working stiffs like me and my parents, it feels like the end of the world. I haven’t even started my life and I’m burdened with this huge obligation! My car insurance paid out to its limit, but those blasted infections wouldn’t go away.”
“There is always bankruptcy.”
Megan’s eyes flashed with fire. “Oh, really? Just like that? Marry me, Megan, to help me inherit my fortune, and when I don’t need you any more, you can crawl away and declare bankruptcy and have that haunt your future credit line for seven years? No, thank you!”
Kevin was taken aback. “Seven years?”
“Yes! The hospital billing office started calling me for money three months ago. They dialed my hospital room number and told me they were taking me to collections because I hadn’t paid anything on my bills yet. The floor nurse had to get on the phone and raise a ruckus and tell them to leave me alone at least until I was discharged.”
The tears threatened to start again, but Kevin slipped an arm around her shoulders.
“Let’s write an addendum,” he offered. “Let’s do it right now. You start. Here, let me get you some paper.” He retrieved his briefcase and popped it open. Out came pens and a legal pad. “I’ll call my lawyer and let him know we’ll be faxing some changes tonight.”
Megan’s color was better now, although her hand shook as she pressed pen to paper.
“By the way, I should put your cell phone number in my phone,” said Kevin.
“Don’t have one anymore. Destroyed in the crash, and I didn’t have an income to pay the bills anyway.”
“Wow. Okay, that’s on our list of things to do. Get you a new phone.” He moved away to the windows to place his call.
>
A moment later, he was once again at Megan’s side. “He hadn’t even left for the day yet. Remind me to never become a lawyer.”
Megan rewarded him with a muted laugh. “Here’s what I have so far. What do you think?”
Kevin read her addition and nodded. “That should do it. A tidy promise to cover pre-existing medical bills. Let’s both initial it. That’s what Patrick said we should do if we’re faxing it. Then he’ll come by in the morning with the final version and we can sign it for real.” He noticed she had written a separate paragraph on another sheet of paper. “What’s this?”
Megan said, “I was hoping it would be all right if I included a weekly allowance for myself. I hate not having pocket money.”
“You just put down $1,000. Don’t you mean, one thousand a week?”
Megan looked horrified. “No! I was thinking of the thousand you already gave me. It turns out Jeffrey used your credit card for everything, so I still have that money in my bag. If we call it an allowance, I’ll have cash and I won’t feel so broke or dependent.”
Kevin looked grim. “That is ridiculous. You—”
“Fine,” snapped Megan. She was so tired, she couldn’t take anymore. “I knew this whole thing was too good to be true.” She slipped off the stool and went to retrieve her purse. Vibrating with fatigue, she pulled out the money and slapped it on the counter. “Here. And here’s forty toward the linen suit I’m wearing. You’ll have to wait for the rest on the suit because I need something to wear to job interviews.”
Kevin grabbed her wrist, then immediately loosened his grip when she winced. “Would you wait just a second? Hear me out!”
Megan stood staring at his hand clamped around her wrist. Since she couldn’t flee without cutting her arm off at the elbow, she took a calming breath and said, “I’m listening.”
“I was about to say, a thousand dollars is ridiculous. You should get at least that much every week. In fact, you should get at least what I pay my chauffeur.” He jotted a number on a napkin.