by Mia Carson
“A few signatures, but other than that, it’s a done deal. Congratulations. Your family owns the home and the land.”
Dad appeared in the doorway, awakened from a nap. Mom thrust the deed in his face. “I don’t understand what’s happening.”
“I haven’t been entirely honest with you both,” I sighed.
My dad put his hands on his hips. The gesture reminded me of my high school days, when I’d come home with beer on my breath, stayed out past curfew, or gotten a B on my report card. Disappointment.
Mom looked like another blow would send her keeling over. “Let’s go in the living room,” I said. I turned the TV off. Dad opened his mouth, but Mom put a hand on his. They sat on the couch. It was weird not seeing my dad in his recliner.
I opted to pace. “Mackenzie, you’re making me nervous,” Mom said before I even began.
“I did something dumb,” I said. “Kind of.”
My parents have a lot of kids, and we’d all done some dumb stuff. They didn’t know about my debt—which was gone now, anyway—and always thought I was the responsible one. My brother Brian had gambling problems, Becky’s husband left her with two kids to support, Cheryl couldn’t figure what she wanted to do with her life, Eric lived in the south of Spain with a woman more than twice his age. We all had our problems.
“I went to Las Vegas after Lucas and I split.” After all Brian’s gambling issues, I could see tight worry on both their faces. “And I kind of got married.”
Mom looked relieved. Dad said, “You don’t kind of get married. Who is he?”
“Um, his name is Scott Creed.”
Dad’s face was a blank. Mom’s wheels were turning. She’d heard the name. Her house had magically just been paid off. She put two and two together. “Creed… Enterprises?”
I nodded. She paled instantly.
“What?” Dad didn’t like being in the dark. He leaned forward. “Who is this guy?”
“Scott Creed is one of the richest men in the world,” Mom said carefully. “Right?”
“He was fifty-second richest. Two weeks ago he signed a merger that bumped him up to thirty-third.”
Dad’s eyes narrowed. Mom zeroed in on my wedding ring tan line. “What happened? Where is he?”
“We were drinking, we didn’t know each other, we got married, and when the dust settled, we decided to give the relationship a try. We were together three weeks, and we had a fight.”
“So you came here after one fight?” Dad blustered. “Now I understand why you quit your job.”
“Is he a nice man?” Mom asked. “I remember seeing him in the gossip magazines. He seemed like kind of a lady-killer.” She phrased it delicately for my father’s sake.
“He wants to change.” He did, I could tell.
“You had a fight, and he bought our house to win you back?” Mom’s tone was gentle. I nodded. “We can’t take it. Not if you’re divorcing him.”
“I’m not divorcing him.” The words flew out of my mouth before I knew what I was saying. My subconscious spoken.
“Then where’s your ring? Mackenzie, my head’s going in circles over all this.” Dad the pragmatist.
“Frank, leave her alone. She’s obviously had a tough few weeks.” I nodded again. “Do you love him?” Mom forced me to stop pacing and sit on the couch next to her. She took my hands.
I nodded. I didn’t want to love him. Didn’t want to face him at all. I wanted to evaporate into nothing after what he’d seen. But… I couldn’t help it. I thought about him all the time. Maybe… maybe I should enjoy it instead of self-flagellating every time I had a fond thought about my husband. The word husband didn’t ring true. I didn’t know him. A week ago I’d been so excited about the prospect of discovering everything there was to learn. I still was. I wanted to be by his side as Percy Hall grudgingly admitted he’d made a good business match. Wanted Giuliana to see I wasn’t just a convenient fling. The thoughts cemented the fact that I trusted that he loved me back. A sobering prospect.
My phone buzzed. A text from Susie.
I think Scott’s about to make a dramatic gesture, she said. I tried to talk him out of it.
Too late, I texted back. Dramatic gesture made. Jaws on the floor all around. Why’d you tell him about the house!!!!!
“We can’t take his money,” Dad said again. “We’ll make it work in the apartment. This place is too much to keep up anyway. I don’t want you with some man just because he pays for things.”
“Frank.” Mom’s tone was harsh. “That’s not why she’s with him.”
I confessed to both of them. “It was, at first. I feel so awful about it. We kind of used each other in the beginning. It was how it all started. But we spent time together.”
“And you love him,” Mom said again, wanting to hear me say the words.
“We fell in love.”
“So why are you here and not with him? Women make no sense to me.”
“You haven’t talked to him since you’ve been here, have you?” Mom already knew the answer. I shook my head. “Maybe you should call your husband and have a talk with him.”
“I’ll go to the bank, tell them to call this whole thing off,” Dad said.
“Don’t,” I said. “Not yet. I—Mom’s right. I should talk to him.” Excitement bubbled in me to hear his voice. I glanced at my phone. I’d missed the interview. I didn’t think it mattered anymore.
Scott
I sat in the back of the Creed Enterprises board meeting, taking notes on my new laptop. This merger. It solved problems I didn’t even have. I was set for life. I’d have to aggressively work to sabotage this, now that the papers were signed. The organization could essentially go on autopilot and just rake in money. Serena could keep doing her thing. My parents, already comfortable, were locked in to an annual income that allowed them travel and see the world. I’d already set up three new charities: one for women in developing nations, one a tech scholarship, and the third a wildlife trust in the Amazon. Hall wasn’t as excited about these endeavors, but I’d stressed to him that paying my good fortune forward is one of my highest priorities.
I almost didn’t take my phone out of my laptop bag when I’d heard the buzz. Mike Knost was presenting about the change in management structure at our Palo Alto offices, and I wanted to hear this. I peeked at the caller ID. Mackenzie! I grabbed the phone and ducked out into the hall.
Mackenzie didn’t say hello. She launched into the conversation. “You can’t just throw money at a problem!”
I took a deep breath. “I knew you were going to say that.”
“I’m serious!”
“Got you to call me, didn’t it?”
“Scott, this is super serious. It’s my parents’ house.”
“Exactly. Now they own it. No more mortgage payments. Is there enough to get the roof done?”
She hesitated. “Yes.”
“Have dinner with me.”
A little laugh. “I’m in Iowa.”
“I know. I have a plane.”
“There’s not even a place to have dinner around here. Not that you would like.”
“Just because I have money doesn’t mean I don’t like inexpensive food. Take me someplace you like. I’ll pick you up at seven if you’ll go with me?”
“I’ll meet you. If you pick me up, my parents will want you to come in and we’ll be there all night.”
“I want to meet them. I want to ask your dad for his permission to marry you.”
Her pause spoke volumes of longing, or so I thought and hoped I wasn’t reading into it. When she spoke, her voice was soft. “You already married me.”
“I want to marry you again. Right this time. With our families, our friends. Sober.”
She laughed. “Meet me at the Railway Diner in Calico.”
“Seven o’clock.”
“Don’t dress fancy. It’s not a nice place like you’re used to.”
“I think I can handle it.”
“I�
�ll see you tonight.”
“I can’t wait,” I said.
She took a minute to answer. “We’ll see about that.” She hung up. I still considered it a win. Her pauses said more than her words and her soft tone. I’d gotten to know Mackenzie’s angry voice quite well, and it hadn’t made an appearance. I checked my watch. I had to go if I wanted to be there on time. I ducked back into the meeting and collected my things. I had my executive assistant, Tori, take over on the notes. I usually like to do my own—helps me think—but if I can’t do it, Tori is the best. “Call me tomorrow and fill me in, please,” I whispered to her. She nodded and picked up the notes in my file.
On my way to the car, I called Kevin. I had him get the plane out, get us a flight plan and a pilot. I also asked him to pick me up something casual for dinner. He snickered at me when I told him where I was going. “Pack me a suitcase for a few days. I don’t want her parents to think I’m pretentious.” I knew Kevin well enough to hear his eyes roll through the phone. “I need directions to the restaurant and a car at the airport. Not super flashy, but I’m not driving a piece of crap. You know what I like. Get me a motel room somewhere in Calico, will you?”
“I’ll see what I can do. Meet me at the airfield at three. I’ll have everything ready by then.”
“You’re a lifesaver. Couldn’t do it without you.”
“Oh, I’m very well aware.”
I knew nothing about Calico. The pickings must be pretty slim to get an, “I’ll see what I can do” from Kevin. He’s usually much more of a yes sir kinda guy.
I had two hours to get myself ready. I drove myself home and changed out of my three-piece Armani suit into a three-hundred-dollar pair of jeans, a fifty-dollar plain black t-shirt, and an Under Armor zip-up sweatshirt. I grabbed a pair of canvas sneakers to complete the ensemble. I’d change into whatever Kevin had for me on the plane.
Now I had… an hour and fifty minutes to kill. I texted Susie. She’s going to have dinner with me.
She texted back immediately. The woman must never let go of her phone. I certainly appreciated it. I know. She told me. Then my phone rang. “I want you to be ready for her to tell you to fuck off.”
My heart plummeted. She wouldn’t… would she? She could tell me to fuck off pretty easily over the phone. “Is that what she said?” I tried to keep the disappointment out of my voice. I’d always thought I was good at it. Considered myself a pretty decent actor. When it came to Kenz, though, I was nothing.
“No. She didn’t say anything, just that she talked to you and that you have dinner plans. She’s been really mad at you, and neither of you will tell me why, and I don’t know if you really did do something inexcusable.”
“I hope not.” I’d explain I hadn’t watched the file. Tell her the whole story. I couldn’t do better than the truth, and if she didn’t believe it… Well, then my heart would break. Nothing more to it than that.
“Just… Make sure you go in with realistic expectations.”
My laugh wasn’t a happy one. “I can’t.” Turns out absence does make the heart grow fonder, and this week apart from Mackenzie cemented all of my feelings for her. I knew we could make our relationship work if she gave me another shot. Now all of the secrets were gone. I’d do anything. Anything she asked.
“Well, I’m here for you if you need me.” She sounded like she’d rather do anything but listen to me lament the loss of her best friend, but I’d gotten to know her well enough to understand the offer would stand. I couldn’t take her up on it, though. If Mackenzie shot me down, I’d go to Ryan. Probably back to Vegas. A weekend of sin to forget what I’d almost had. It would be debauchery like the strip had never seen. Yet the idea didn’t appeal to me like it might have once. I’d cross that bridge when I came to it.
“Thanks, Susie. Thanks for everything.” This would be our final call. Either Mackenzie and I would repair things, give our marriage the shot it truly deserved, or we would take a trip to the divorce lawyer.
I never did sign a pre-nup, so it was up to her how hard she’d screw me if that happened. A sobering thought indeed. I pushed the idea out of my head and checked the time. An hour and forty minutes before the car came for me.
I changed into workout clothes and went to my gym.
Mackenzie
“You’re having him take you to the Railway Diner?” Cheryl quirked an eyebrow at me as she curled my hair.
“Where else would we go?”
“Somewhere in New York. Have him take you home. Go someplace expensive if he’s paying.”
“I want him to meet you guys.”
My sister’s eyes widened. “I still can’t believe you’re married to a billionaire. And you didn’t tell us!”
“Yeah, well, it’s complicated.”
I studied my reflection in the mirror as Cheryl put the finishing touches on my hair. Long rolling waves curled below my shoulders. She’d done a great job. My dress was from the Target in Waterloo; it was black with a bold floral print, and had wide straps. It showed more cleavage than my dad would prefer, but Cheryl picked it out for me. Cheap heels pinched my feet. That’s one thing I’ll say about the expensive, fancy shoes, the kind I never thought I’d own. They fit so much better than the cheap ones. Makes spending a day in heels not nearly as daunting.
I painted my lips red to match the roses on my dress. My eyes were nude except for bold cat eye liner and thick black mascara.
“Well, you certainly look fantastic.”
“Have you thought about beauty school?”
Cheryl blushed like she always did when anyone tried to get her to focus on a plan. “No.”
“You’re really good at it. My hair and makeup have never looked this good. You always look so put-together.” She’d been into styling hair and doing makeup since elementary school, stealing mine and Becky’s makeup and showing up at school looking like a cheap hooker. She’d refined her tastes since then, though she still favored the dramatic, hence the cat eyes. She wore her hair platinum blonde in a short, spiky cut, out of place in Calico. She was never without dark lipstick and something shimmery around her eyes.
“There are tons of schools in New York,” I suggested.
“Which all cost a million dollars. Rent is like a million dollars.”
“There are schools in Des Moines, too. Or Minneapolis.”
“I never really thought about it. I mean, I do it for all my friends. For Becky’s friends, now that she’s home. None of them are quite as pretty as you.”
“Oh, stop it.”
“I mean it. Your hair is gorgeous. I want to do highlights. If it were up to me, I’d do some white-blonde ones and some bright red ones. It’d look fabulous.”
I looked at my virgin hair in the mirror. Maybe. She’d never led me wrong in the past.
“I’d also trim some of your length and do side bangs.” She reached over and tried to approximate what the side bangs would look like.
“Let’s do it tomorrow.”
“Seriously?”
“Why not?”
Cheryl grinned. “Awesome!”
“Am I done?”
She checked me over, tweaked a curl to her satisfaction, and nodded at me. “You look really hot. Dad’s going to hate it.”
We headed downstairs where my parents and Becky hovered in the front hall.
“I don’t understand why he’s not picking you up here,” Dad grumbled. “I want to meet this guy.”
“I need to talk to him first. I have to be sure.”
“In that outfit, you look pretty sure. I don’t like that lipstick. You need a sweater or something to cover up.
“She’s fine, Frank,” Mom told him. She frowned at me, suggesting she didn’t actually mean it. “I’m sure one of your sisters has a sweater if you think you might get cold.”
“I’m fine, Mom. Thanks.” Jeez, if she’d seen me in that bikini on the yacht? Yikes.
“Would you kill us if we followed you there and spied on you?” C
heryl asked, looping an arm around Becky’s shoulders.
“Um, yeah, I would.” I folded my arms and shifted my weight on my feet. The heels pinched again. “Look, I told you, I need to figure some stuff out with him. See where we go from here after the fight we had.”
“Go have dinner, go talk,” Becky said.
“Thank you, voice of reason.”
“We won’t wait up,” Cheryl teased.
“Should we not?” Mom’s frown deepened.
“Probably not.” If the talk went well, I didn’t want to be anywhere but in his arms tonight. I wasn’t going to bring him back here, not when we hadn’t seen each other for a week.
Dad gave a little harrumph.
“She is married to him,” Becky said.
Dad gave a bigger harrumph.
“You should go. You’re going to be late.” Becky winked at me.
Dad handed over the keys to his truck, an older Ford pickup with four wheels in the back. He used to haul farm equipment with it. Now it just gathered dust. I had to focus on remembering how to drive a stick, but after only two stalls I backed down the driveway. He stood in the doorway, shaking his head at me. I remembered his driving lessons in this truck’s predecessor, doing slow laps in the electric company parking lot. He had yelled, I had cried, but I had learned, dammit.
I clutched the wheel so hard my knuckles ached. I took some deep breaths and flexed my fingers. Whatever happened tonight would be okay. Mom sat me down and told me they’d make things work with or without Scott’s money.
“This has to be about you, honey. About what you want. Don’t worry about us.”
Of course I would worry about them. She was right, though. We’d gotten along all our lives without Scott. I didn’t need him. I sure found myself wanting him, though.
At seven in the evening on a Tuesday, the Railway Diner was winding down. They stayed open until nine on weeknights, ten-thirty on weekends. A few cars littered the parking lot, including a shiny maroon Mustang, this year’s model, which had to be him. The car sparkled in the streetlight in a way none of the others did. I parked the diesel truck next to it, careful not to ding the gorgeous car, which was the cheapest one I’d ever seen him drive.