Lillian rolled her eyes. “What are you doing?”
Tamara pursed her lips in a silent shush. Then she focused on her watch as she bobbed her head. A minute passed before she dropped Lillian’s arm.
“Your pulse seems fine.”
Lillian stared at her. “Of course, it’s fine. I told you, I was going to be sick not have a heart attack.”
Tamara patted her hand and then made her way back over to the bed and plopped down. “Just wanted to make sure you’re not dehydrated.”
Lillian’s stomach began to settle so she stood. “I’m dehydrated because my best friend is making her pregnant friend pack by herself in eighty-degree heat.” The summer was brutal, and in a poorly ventilated apartment, it was even worse.
Tamara shot her a sympathetic look. “Sorry.” She moved to roll off the bed but then stopped when three heavy knocks sounded from Lillian’s front door. Tamara shot her a look. “Who could that be?”
Lillian honestly didn’t know. After Joshua dumped her, she found a month-to-month lease in Brooklyn. No one knew she was here. And she had no family. Her parents left her in the foster system when she was six and she highly doubted that they suddenly wanted her back.
She shrugged as she made her way through the living room and over to the door where she pulled it open.
A gasp escaped her lips as she stared into the warm eyes and half-smile of Reed Williamson. He was leaning with one arm on the door frame. He had a sky-blue t-shirt on with acid-washed jeans. He looked both casual and expensive at the same time.
Heat raced to her cheeks when she realized that she hadn’t said anything. She swallowed. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Is this a bad time?” He straightened and peered past her into her apartment.
“I—uh—I’m packing.”
He stepped closer and shot her his intoxicating grin. “Perfect. That’s what I’m here for.” He hesitated as he glanced down the hallway. “Well, me and them.”
Lillian peered past him to see five men standing in the hallway. They each had on a shirt that said Hunky Movers.
“I wanted a shirt, but they said it was for employees only,” Reed said.
As his warm breath rushed across her cheek, Lillian realized that he was standing inches away from her. She pulled back to see him staring down at her. Warning bells sounded in her mind as she took a step back. “I’ve got this handled. Really. There’s not much here to even pack. I’m pretty close to being done.”
Reed shook his head. “Nonsense. I’m sure we can—”
A squeal sounded behind Lillian, and she winced. Tamara must have discovered who was standing in the hall.
“Are you serious? I mean, you go to the bathroom for one minute and so much changes.” Tamara’s voice grew louder until she was right next to Lillian.
Reed turned his attention over to Tamara. “Reed Williamson,” he said, extending his hand but then paused. “Don’t I know you from somewhere?”
Tamara grasped his hand and shook it vigorously up and down. “I’m one of the nurses for your grandfather. Tamara.”
Reed nodded. “Right.”
She giggled. “I just have to say, it’s mighty nice what you’re doing for Lil over here. She’s had a crappy last year and you offering her a job like you did. . .” Tamara’s voice cracked, and Lillian took that as a cue to push her from the room.
“I don’t think Mr. Williamson wants to hear my life story. Don’t you have that thing?” Lillian asked, staring at Tamara, hoping she would get a hint.
“Thing?” Lillian asked.
“Yeah, that work thing you were telling me about.”
Tamara stared at her harder before she began to slowly nod. “Right, the thing. I should go and do the work thing.” She turned her attention back to Reed. “It was nice to meet you,” she said as she stepped past him. “And you”—she lowered her breath as she pulled Lillian with her—“every detail. I expect an invitation to your housewarming party when you’re all moved in.”
Lillian nodded and then motioned toward the hallway. Thankfully, Reed had already let himself in so there was no way he and Tamara would have to interact when she left.
“I’ll be seeing you!” Tamara said as she waved toward Reed and stepped out of Lillian’s apartment.
Before Reed could respond, Lillian shut the door.
“Sorry about her,” Lillian said as she shot him a sheepish look.
“Well, I only just officially met her, but I kind of like her,” he said, smiling over at Lillian.
Lillian leaned against the now shut door. “Yeah, she’s great.” As her gaze made its way over to Reed, she suddenly realized how alone they were. It didn’t seem to bother him one bit. There was a hinted smile on his lips. Fearing she had something on her face, Lillian reached up and rubbed her nose. “What?” she finally asked, hating how unnerved he made her feel.
He shook his head as he leaned against the back of her couch just as he’d done in his office. “Nothing. I was just wondering if you were going to let the movers in.”
She stared at him. And then the memory of the group of men standing in her hallway raced back into her mind. She straightened and pulled open the door. Glancing down the hall, she waved for them to come in.
“So sorry,” she said as they piled into her apartment.
They nodded to her as they passed by. Once they were all standing in her living room, she glanced over at Reed who had his hands shoved into his front pockets. He looked so relaxed. How was he this calm?
“Lil, this is Bernard. He’ll be packing up your apartment and bringing it to my flat.” Reed waved toward the shortest of the five men. He had a bushy beard and was wearing a ball-cap. He nodded toward Lillian as he reached out his hand.
“Nice to meet you,” Lillian said as she shook it.
“Don’t you worry, miss. We’ll get you situated and treat your items real nice. My boys are the best in the business. Never broken anything yet.”
Lillian’s gaze made its way around her apartment. After her divorce, she thrift store shopped. Nothing here really had any sentimental value to her. It never really felt like a home. Just a holding place while she waited for something more. “You know what? Don’t worry about it. Just pack my bedroom and bring all of the rest of the stuff to Salvation Army.”
Reed glanced over at her. “You sure?”
Lillian nodded. After all, she was going to make a killing from this fake marriage to Reed. After all was said and done, she’d be able to stock her next apartment with brand new things and not items that reminded her of her failed marriage and previous life.
“You heard the lady. This shouldn’t take you much time at all.” Reed reached out as if to touch her shoulder but then hesitated before he let his hand fall to his side. “We’ve got other things to do,” he said, nodding toward the doorway.
Lillian stared at him. Her heart began to pound as if it had suddenly dawned on her what was really happening. She was going to marry billionaire Reed Williamson. Granted the feelings weren’t there, but the paperwork was. Suddenly, she needed a paper bag.
“You okay? You went really white,” he said, peering into her gaze.
Lillian swallowed as she forced a nod. “Yeah, I think I’ll be okay. I guess I just realized that this was really happening.”
An uneasy expression passed over his face. “Is that okay? I know Orson said there’s no out, but I’m sure I could come up with something. I could say you died?” He raised his eyebrows.
“That’s okay. I really need this,” she said. If only Reed knew how true that was.
“You seem to be doing okay.”
Lillian stifled a laugh. “Yeah. I’m doing great.”
Reed opened the front door and waited for her to pass by him. “Well, after this whole arrangement is over, you’ll be sitting pretty.”
“That’s the goal,” Lillian said as she walked out into the hall.
Reed pulled the door closed and then pau
sed to study her. “So it’s agreed then.”
She shot him a sideways glance. “What?”
“I won’t fall in love with you if you promise not to fall in love with me. We’ll call this a mutually beneficial arrangement and make sure we both fulfill it without any scars.” He leaned closer to her.
She could feel his warmth wash over her. She felt like an idiot when her breath caught in her throat. Of all the times to be stunned speechless, this was not the time. So she foundher voice and whispered, “Agreed.”
He hesitated before he extended his hand. “Promise?”
She nodded and shook his hand. A tingling sensation started in her palm and raced up her arm. As much as she wanted to pull away, she kept his hand grasped firmly in her own.
“Deal,” he said and then dropped her hand. He cleared his throat as he glanced down the hall and then back to her. “Let’s go get engaged.”
Chapter Four
Reed kept his gaze focused on the road as he drove into the city with Lillian next to him. The silence in his Corvette was deafening. He needed to say something.
Had she felt something as well?
He gripped the steering wheel as he pushed the memories of holding her hand from his mind. For some odd reason, there had been a zap of electricity that raced up his skin when they shook. It must have been the heat in her apartment. It felt as if it was one degree cooler than boiling.
He reached over and turned the fan of his blower up a notch. From the corner of his eye, he saw Lillian rub her upper arm. Feeling bad, he turned the air down. “I’m sorry. I’m just really hot. Was your apartment’s air out?”
Lillian glanced over at him and shook her head. “That’s how it always is. The air conditioning is not the best.”
Reed turned his attention back to the road. “You’re in for a nice surprise then. I like to keep my flat nice and cool.”
He flipped on his blinker and pulled off the freeway.
After he’d read over the contract that Orson had put together, his mother came waltzing into the room, proclaiming how relieved she felt now that everything was settled. Reed wanted to shake some sense into her. Just because she forced a girl into contractually marrying him didn’t mean that his grandfather was going to sign off on the marriage.
Poor Lillian had to go along with this ridiculous idea even if it did nothing for Reed’s benefit. She was now a part of this messed up agreement. He glanced over at her. She was so quiet.
He could tell that there were things about her that she wasn’t telling him. Who wants their entire apartment donated? What could have possibly happened in her past that gave her no sense of home?
He wanted her to be able to tell him these things. But she was closed tighter then a ship. And he didn’t blame her. For all she knew, he was some crazy guy. Which, after what his mom did, he was beginning to think that perhaps he was.
“You okay?” he asked. He couldn’t just let it lie. He wanted her to know that he was here. They were going to be man and wife, after all.
She glanced over at him. There was a confused look in her eyes. Like she didn’t know how to answer him. “I think so.”
He twisted his hands on the steering wheel. “It’ll be over before you know it and then you can move on with your life.”
Lillian snorted.
He shot another glance her direction. What did that mean?
Her cheeks reddened as she leaned back in her chair. “Sorry. It’s just you said life like you assumed I have one.”
“You have no life?” He rested his wrist on the steering wheel as he relaxed on his seat. “Well, I would beg to differ. Your apartment seemed tidy. There wasn’t an excess of cats. And you wear jeans, not sweatpants, so you’re ahead of most shut-ins.”
Lillian laughed. “There you go again. Thinking that hermits and serial killers wear their status on their sleeves. We’re sneaky. We only allow people to see what we want them to see.”
Reed leaned closer to her. “Should I be worried that you keep referring to yourself as we?”
“Yeah, you should be.”
He pulled back as he flipped on his blinker and pulled off the freeway. Ten minutes later, he stopped in front of Jezebels and let the car idle.
“What is this place?” Lillian asked, peering out of the window.
“This is where we are going to get clothes,” he said as he opened the car door.
When he rounded the hood and handed his keys off to the valet, Lillian was still sitting in the car. She looked pale. He shot her an encouraging smile and walked over to her door.
“You can do this. It’s just shopping,” he said as he held out his hand to help her.
Lillian stared at it and then back up to him. “But. . . This isn’t where I normally shop. What does a place like Jezebels sell?”
Reed shrugged. He honestly didn’t know. All he did was ask his kid sister, Cassie, and she told him that this was a trendy store. “Trust me, I have it on very good authority that this is the place to shop.”
Cassie had almost blown out his eardrum the night before when he’d called her to tell her about the contract and marriage. She went on and on about finally getting back at Mason for what he did. She said something about fate smiling down on them. Cassie wasn’t shy about her dislike for Hannah. Reed appreciated his sister’s support, but he was ready to move on and wished Cassie would do the same.
Lillian hesitated but then set her hand in his. Once she was on the sidewalk, he shut the door and the valet drove his car off. He led her over to the front doors of the shop—reveling in the feeling of her hand clasped in his. Was it bad that he was enjoying it?
They paused, and Lillian peeked through the windows. “I’m not so sure. These really don’t scream me.” She waved to the flowing skirts and sleeveless dresses.
“I’m sure you’ll look great in whatever you pick out.” He pinched his lips together when he realized what he’d just said. Lillian heard it too and turned to look at him with her eyes wide. He needed to get out of her presence so he pulled open the door and nodded toward the inside. “Cassie said she’d met you here at twelve-thirty. That’s in ten minutes. Go in and look around. I’ll text her and tell her you’re here.”
“Cassie?”
Reed nodded. “My kid sister. She’s coming to help you navigate New York’s fashion world. She’s ecstatic to meet you and make you over.” He winced at the phrase Cassie had said. It definitely did not sound natural coming from his lips.
“Really. How does she know about me?”
Reed smiled. “I told her our situation. You can trust Cas. She’s amazing. She’ll take good care of you.”
Lillian glanced up at him. “You’re not coming in? You don’t need a strapless body suit?” She pointed to the black velvet full body suit that the mannequin had on.
Reed laughed and shook his head. “Not today.” As he studied her, a strange feeling brewed in his stomach. Was it wrong that his heart skipped a beat that she wanted to spend some time with him? He cleared his throat and forced a smile. That was ridiculous. She was just his fake wife. Nothing more. She just didn’t want to be stranded in an unknown store.
“I’ve got a ring to buy.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Big night planned. Mom wants there to be cameras and everything. She wants this to look genuine. So, get a nice dress while you’re in there.” He waved his hand toward the interior of the store.
Lillian followed his gesture with her gaze and then took a deep breath. “Okay, here I go.” She made her way into the store and Reed let the door shut behind her. She wandered around a few displays, reaching out and brushing her fingers against a few shirts.
Then he remembered her card in his back pocket. Can’t have her shopping without money. He pulled open the door and called out her name.
Lillian turned and made her way over to him. “Coming to rescue me?”
Reed shook his head. “Nope. But, I figured you needed money so. . .” He pulled out the charge card and hand
ed it over.
She took it and turned it around in her hand. “This is mine?” she asked, running her thumb over her name that was embossed with gold on the front.
“All yours. As per the agreement. Unlimited clothing budget. Well, actually there’s $50,000 on it. But don’t go too crazy and spend it all here.” Her skin paled and he noticed she was staring a bit too hard at the numbers across the card. Worried, he ducked down to meet her gaze. Had he said the wrong thing? “Are you okay?”
She pinched her lips together and nodded. “It just feels surreal. I can’t believe this is happening.” She leaned forward with a twinkle in her eye. “I almost want to get a lottery ticket. I feel strangely lucky.”
Relieved that she wasn’t upset, a smile twitched on his lips. He liked Lillian. She was modest and humble—two qualities that were sorely lacking in all the women he dated before her. It was nice. “Well, with what you are getting for helping me out, I think we’ve got you more than covered. Besides, I think the odds of winning the lottery are about a hundred million to one.”
She nodded as she slipped the card into her pursed and turned. “Well, I should get some shopping done, and you have a ring to buy.” She smiled at him. “I have the very important decision to make between that mohair vest and a pair of suede pants.” She wrinkled her nose as if that decision was a very strange one.
He saluted her and then turned on his heel and headed towards Tiffany’s. He slowed his gait the farther he got. For a moment, he contemplated going back into the store to be with her. He enjoyed her company. But he stopped himself before he went too far down that rabbit hole. He was being ridiculous. She was perfectly capable and probably didn’t even want him there. She just asked to be polite. He pulled out his phone and located Cassie’s photo. He hit the message button.
Lillian is at Jezebels. Where are you?
He hit send and waited.
Five minutes away
He sent a thumbs-up and continued down the sidewalk. Lillian would be fine. Besides, he had a ring he needed to pick out. His mom was adamant that they had to get this right. They needed the whole world believing that their love was real, or his grandfather would never buy it.
Marrying a Billionaire Page 3