Billionaire Games Boxed Set (The Marriage Bargain, The Marriage Caper, The Marriage Fix)

by Edwards, Sandra

  The next morning, Gerard served Lecie and Nick breakfast on the terrace just off the side of the house. It was a picture-perfect setting, except for one thing—it wasn’t real.

  Even so, Lecie stared at the diamonds sparkling on her left hand. They weren’t much by de Laurent standards, but still, she adored them. It saddened her a little that they weren’t representative of the real thing. But at least she was getting a taste of what it’d be like to be happily married. Now she understood completely why Camille and Tasha put up with Julian and Andre.

  Gerard laid the paper beside Nick’s plate, and after a few minutes, Nick grabbed it and opened it up.

  He peered over the top of the paper and said, “You want to come down to Hang Ten tonight? I have to work, but we could have dinner.”

  “Sure.” She nodded.

  He smiled and went back to the paper. Thumbing through the pages, every once in a while he’d stop and read something. Curiously, she wondered what sections of the paper aroused his interest the most.

  He was probably a sports guy. Most Americans were. Some liked certain sports better than others. She wondered if he had his favorites. Probably. And how about business? Did he read that section too? He was, after all, a business man. And from what she could tell, a damn good one. No doubt about it, his restaurant was highly successful.

  “Holy shit!” came roaring out of Nick’s mouth. Lecie looked up, a bit startled. The paper was still between them. After a second or two, he folded the paper open and turned it around to face her. “How did this happen?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  INSIDE HIS OFFICE AT HANG TEN, Nick still marveled at the notion that his and Lecie’s picture—a picture of them having dinner last night—was in the paper with an announcement that Nick Matthews, proprietor of the popular seaside restaurant Hang Ten, had married into the affluent de Laurent family from France.

  When Dean threw him Lecie’s way, Nick had no idea she had the kind of wealth the paper was talking about. It made Nick more glad than ever that she’d hooked up with him, instead of some scoundrel who’d end up trying to take advantage of her.

  Bethany, one of the waitresses, passed by Nick’s open door. She stopped and smiled. “Nice, boss.”

  He gave her one of those what are you talking about looks.

  “She’s sweet, pretty, and rich.” Bethany shot him a devilish grin.

  He chuckled. “I take it you approve?” It was no secret that Bethany, or any of the staff for that matter, hadn’t liked Ginny. Not at all.

  “Very much,” she said, and moved on.

  A few minutes later, Dean came in. “Have you seen the paper?” he asked, stalking across the room.

  Nick nodded.

  “Did you know who she is?” Dean sat down. “I mean really know who she is?”

  “No more than you.”

  Dean started laughing. Hard.

  “What’s so funny?”

  Dean shook his head. “I was just thinking…” He looked Nick in the eye. “Can you imagine the look on Ginny’s face when she sees the paper?”

  “I seriously doubt that Ginny’s within range of the Times.” For the first time, or at least the first time that Nick realized it, talking about Ginny no longer stung. Well, at least not as much as it had last week. “I hope the bank manager sees the paper today.” Nick chuckled. If there was one instant where he’d like to capitalize on being married into such wealth, that was it. Maybe it’d help him get a loan to buy the community center and the land it sits on.

  “Yeah…” Dean agreed. He had as much invested in the center as Nick. In fact, Dean’s job depended on them finding a way to purchase the center.

  Nick glanced at his watch. It was nearly noon. Good. Lecie should be here soon.

  “What?” Dean joked. “You got a lunch date?”

  “Yes. As a matter of fact, I do.” Nick got up and ushered Dean toward the door. “Don’t you have something to do?”

  “No.” A wide grin spread over Dean’s face. “As a matter of fact, I don’t. I think I’ll have lunch with you and the little missus.”

  “No, you’re not.” Nick nudged Dean out into the dining room.

  “Hey wait…how about her friend Deidra?” he asked seriously. “Don’t those rich chicks hang out together?”

  He was only trying to get a rise out of Nick, which is why Nick wasn’t accommodating. “Goodbye, Dean. I’ll see you later.”

  Minutes after Dean left, Lecie arrived. Nick’s heart danced at the sight of her. He maneuvered his way around the tables to greet her at the front door. “Right on time. You hungry?” Lord knew, he was.

  She nodded and tossed him a smile that instantly lifted his spirits.

  Nick chose a table near his office, away from the windows—now that he realized he and Lecie were on the press’s radar. He pulled her chair out and waited for her to sit, then he sat next to her. Bethany was at their side as soon as Nick’s bottom hit the chair, delivering a glass of ice water for Nick and an iced tea for Lecie.

  “The usual?” Bethany asked Nick. He nodded and looked at Lecie.

  “Yeah.” Lecie nodded. “I’m sticking with the crab cakes. They’re awesome.”

  “Salads today?” Bethany asked.

  Nick looked at Lecie, she nodded and said, “Yes. I’m famished.”

  Nick looked back at Bethany and held up two fingers. “Two Caesars.”

  Minutes later, Bethany was back with two salads. Nick said, “It’s starting to get busy.” He looked around the dining room, which was beginning to fill. “Just let me know when our lunches are up. I’ll get them from the kitchen.”

  “Will do, boss,” she said and walked away.

  Nick had this fascinating light in his eyes like he used to, before Ginny’s shenanigans almost brought him to the brink of financial ruin.

  “You really love running this place, don’t you?” Lecie asked, gazing around the restaurant.

  “I do.” He nodded.

  “It shows.” She paused, almost overcome with melancholy. “I’d love to have something that meant so much to me.”

  He looked at her like he was filled with pity for her.

  One of the waitresses, Diane rushed up to the table. “Keri called. She’s got the flu.”

  “Did you call Ashley?” he asked.

  “She’s on vacation. She’s in Texas.”

  “Kami?” Desperation filled his voice. Kami was one of the part time hostesses. She and Meredith worked Keri and Ashley’s days off.

  “Kami’s working her other job till the end of the week.” Diane said. “And Meredith is scheduled to take Ashley’s shift starting tomorrow. She’s working elsewhere today.”

  “Damn.” Nick looked around. Lecie knew they were talking about the restaurant’s hostesses. “Can we get a waitress to fill in?”

  “We’ll have to call somebody in,” Diane said.

  “I can do it,” Lecie spoke up.

  “You?” Diane looked at her, surprised.

  Nick turned to Lecie. “I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “Why not?” Lecie asked.

  “Well, for one, I really don’t think it’s your cup of tea,” Nick said. Of course, Lecie knew he was just being polite. He didn’t think she could do it.

  “What do I have to do…?” she asked. “Seat people at a table and tell them their waitress will be right with them?” How hard could that be?

  For the next three days, Lecie stumbled her way around the restaurant, playing hostess. On the third evening, when the restaurant was half an hour away from closing, Nick passed her by in the hallway outside the supply room.

  He pulled her inside. They stood inches apart. He gazed at her with adoration sparkling in his intoxicating brown eyes. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am for your help while Keri’s been sick.”

  “It was my pleasure,” she said. “Even though I was a very poor stand-in.”

  “You were fantastic.” He touched her cheek, caressing it. “Tha
nk you.”

  For a second, she thought he was going to kiss her, but instead he smiled softly and backed away.

  Every time Lecie thought Nick was on the verge of getting closer to her, it was as though something went off inside his head, reminding him not to.

  But why?

  Probably because he was still in love with Ginny.

  Lecie would do well to remember that, and stop letting herself get carried away by fantasies that were never going to come true.

  On Saturday, Nick was in his office running inventory numbers on the computer. He’d always found it a dull, drab job in the past, but now he had a newfound appreciation for it after nearly losing Hang Ten.

  He had Lecie to thank for that not happening. He’d grown quite accustomed to having her around, even in this short amount of time. He was also about to chastise himself for that, knowing full well that it was a bad idea, when Keri appeared at the door, looking decidedly pale.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked. “You not feeling well again?” He hoped that wasn’t the case. He hated the thought of asking Lecie to play hostess again, especially on a Saturday.

  “No,” she said weakly. “I’m fine.” She cut her eyes to the left, out toward the dining room. “I’m not sure you’re going to like this.”

  “What?” He got up and moved toward her. “For God’s sake…what are you talking about?” When he reached the door Diane moved out of his way.

  He passed through the doorway and his heart fell to the floor.

  Ginny.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  NICK STOOD THERE STARING AT GINNY for at least two minutes, but it seemed like forever that the silence lingered on.

  After dragging his heart up off the floor, Nick said with a measure of anger, “You’ve got a lot of nerve coming back here!”

  “Nickie…” She cooed his name in a sugary-sweet tone, sauntering toward him.

  Nick backed up, like she’d burn him if she got too close. But she kept coming. “Where the hell is my money?” he demanded, blocking the doorway to his office.

  She took on a pained expression, and said without remorse, “I spent it.” She kept coming.

  Nick stiffened. “You cleaned me out.” He raked his hand through his hair and stomped into the office. “You spent it all? What’s it been….three weeks?”

  Ginny closed the door and let out an exasperated sigh. “Don’t get all sanctimonious with me, Nick Matthews.” She dropped down onto the couch against the far left wall and crossed her legs. “You married that cute little bank account within two weeks of me dumping you.”

  Nick’s anger seethed out in a growl. “You did not dump me. That suggests you called it off. You didn’t. You simply left me standing at the altar, looking like a fool.”

  “Oh, Nickie…don’t be so melodramatic.” She scoffed. “You and me, we’re cut from the same cloth.”

  “No, we’re not.”

  “Oh, yes, my love, yes we are.” She pushed herself up and went to him, standing between him and his desk. Why she did that, he had no idea, but he followed her, wanting to keep his eye on her every move. Even though she no longer had legal access to his bank accounts, he didn’t trust her.

  “I knew you couldn’t get over me quickly enough to fall in love and marry someone else, two weeks after our wedding was supposed to have taken place.” She wrapped her arms around him and planted a kiss on his lips.

  The shock of it all crippled him for a few seconds, and stopped him from immediately shoving her off him. Which is what anyone in full possession of their faculties would’ve done.

  First horror, then hurt and humiliation coursed through Lecie as she stood there watching some woman kissing Nick. After a second or two, she summoned her pride and eased the door shut as quietly as she’d opened it.

  The image of them kissing bounced around inside her head looking for a place to land, but found none. It just kept knocking everything else aside. She saw or thought of nothing but the two of them locked together.

  She felt faint, and grabbed the wall for support. Keri passed by. “Keri…?” she said her name weaker than she’d intended.

  Keri stopped at her side. “Hey, Lecie…it’s great to see you again.”

  “Likewise.” Lecie pointed to the wall separating them from Nick’s office, and asked as if it was no big deal, “Who’s Nick in with?”

  She shook her head. “I heard somebody say Ginny was here.” Her otherwise pretty face twisted into a vile expression.

  “I see.” Lecie struggled to remain calm. “Maybe I’ll just come back later.” She stepped away from Nick’s office door and looked over her shoulder. “Keri…” she said and waited for the girl, who’d already gone on her way, to turn back around. Once she did, Lecie added, “No need to mention that I was here.” Lecie forced a smile and moved on.

  Of course, Ginny was back, breezed through Lecie’s thoughts as she pushed open the front door and headed outside. She blew out a breath that was half frustration, half disbelief. Lecie had been afraid of this from the beginning, but that didn’t make it any easier to handle now.

  Quietly, she chastised herself for ever thinking she stood a chance against Ginny.

  Oh, well… This whole marriage thing had been a good idea, as far as thwarting Papa’s deportation plans, but Ginny was back in the picture now.

  Lecie might as well go home and pack her bags.

  Once Nick regained his senses, he pried Ginny off of him and wiped his mouth, wanting to get rid of any lingering remnants of her kiss—which now he found utterly disgusting. He stuck his finger in her face, and said, “Don’t do that again.”

  “Come on, Nickie…”

  “Stop calling me that!” He hated it when she called him that. Made him feel weak. He wasn’t weak. Not anymore.

  She ignored him, saying, “Don’t you see? You’ve hit the jackpot.” There was a little too much excitement in her eyes, her face, her tone. “She should be worth a nice payout.”

  Pay-out? What the hell was she talking about? Nick had a feeling he was going to find out.

  “Think about it…” She gave an encouraging nod. “You can get enough money out of her to set us up nicely.”

  Was Nick hearing her correctly? Was she suggesting what he thought she was? No. It couldn’t be so. Surely, he’d misheard her. “Come again?”

  “You and me, Nickie. We can be together,” she said urgently. “And she can provide the way.”

  Nick’s entire body filled with contempt. It started at his feet and didn’t stop even when it reached the top of his head. It just kept coming. The contempt. Contempt for Ginny. And it poured out with his single-word inquiry, “What?”

  “Oh, good Lord, Nickie!” She huffed. “We need money. Lots of it. You can get it from her.”

  “One second,” he said, much calmer than before. He took her by the arm, near the elbow, escorted her from his office and through the dining room. Opening the front door, he said, “Don’t ever come back here again.” He nudged her outside and pointed an accusatory forefinger at her. “Next time, I call the police.”

  “You can’t have me arrested.” She snorted. “You gave me access to your bank accounts.”

  “And that was my mistake.” He nodded. “One I’ve rectified.” He sucked in a breath. “I also had a restraining order issued against you. You’re not to come near me, my wife, or Hang Ten.” He paused to let that sink in, then flashed her a smile. “Don’t believe I’ll call ’em? Try me.”

  Lecie stormed into the house and dropped her keys on the table in the foyer. She went into the living room to plop down on the couch, ready to give herself a good cry. She wished Deidra were here. She’d know what to do.

  She dug her phone out of her purse and set the call. Maybe Deidra’s grandmother was doing better now, and Deidra could come home. Funny that Lecie now considered California home.

  “Yes…” It was Deidra’s voice, but it was soft, barely above a whisper, and it sounded like she was
crying.

  Maybe it was just that Lecie felt like crying. “Deidra…?”

  “Lecie…?” Deidra sobbed. “Oh, Lecie…my grams has died!”

  “What?” Lecie felt the tears pricking her eyes. “I’m on my way.”

  Lecie went upstairs, randomly tossed clothes into a suitcase and made sure she grabbed her passport on the way out. Not that she planned to leave the country, not just yet anyway, but she wasn’t sure she was coming back here either.

  The cell phone in her hand chimed. She looked at the display. Her heart fell. Nick. She wasn’t ready to hear him say that Ginny—the woman he loves—was back.

  But she had to answer it. She couldn’t, shouldn’t, just disappear on him. That was something Ginny would do, and she was better than that. “Hello,” she said breathlessly.

  “It’s me.”

  “I can’t talk right now.”

  “Okay, I’m headed to your house. We need to talk.”

  Noooo. Lecie couldn’t handle this right now. “It’ll have to wait, Nick.” She tried to suppress the anguish of never wanting to hear those words. “I’m headed to the airport. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “I’d really like to talk to you before you leave.” His tone had taken on a somber quality. “Can you take a later flight?”

  Lecie shook her head. “No. Deidra’s grandmother has died. I have to get to her.”

  It took a second before he said, “I understand.” Then he went silent again. When he did speak again, his tone had taken on a hint of remorse. “Please give Deidra my condolences. I’ll see you when you get back.”

  Nick dropped the receiver back onto the phone’s cradle and leaned back in the chair. He glanced around his office at Hang Ten, wondering why fate was so determined to pick on him.

  “Story of my life,” he said out loud. But Lecie wouldn’t disappear on him like Ginny had done. Would she?

  No. She wasn’t anything like Ginny. He’d missed the signs with Ginny the first time around, but he wasn’t biting on that hook again.

  And he’d been deadly serious about calling the police if she showed her face again. He didn’t want Ginny anywhere near Lecie. He’d made a deal with Lecie, and he wouldn’t have Ginny screwing it up.