Her Big Fat Fake Billionaire Boyfriend (Billionaire Series Book 1)
Page 7
The rehearsal went about as expected. The wedding was going to be outdoors on the beach, and the hardest part would be walking on the runner and not tripping. Everything else was kept simple. After the dinner, Kenzie turned to her sister. “I’ll meet you in the clubhouse for your bachelorette party in a second. I have to run upstairs and grab your present.” Since she hadn’t been able to attend Tessa’s bridal shower, she’d brought a gift for the party tonight.
“No problem,” Tessa said. “We won’t start without you.”
Kenzie rushed upstairs to her room. She went to the closet and pulled out the gift. She’d made her sister a locket. A hurried knock came on her door. She wondered if her sister had followed her up. She opened the door. Mason stood there, his face pale. “Kenzie. I need you downstairs.”
“What? I can’t. My sister’s bachelorette party is tonight.”
Mason gripped her arm and shoved his way into her room. “Please. Mother is here. She wants to see you. She’s making such a big fuss over it.”
Kenzie yanked her arm away from Mason. “What did you do?”
Mason ran a hand through his hair. “I told her we were here for a getaway trip. She just showed up, demanding to see you. She thinks I’m lying about us being together.”
“You are lying!”
Mason cringed. “Just go downstairs with me. She’s insisting on having dinner with us. It won’t take long.”
She glared at Mason. What was he trying to pull? She had no time for this. “If I miss my sister’s bachelorette party, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Fine. Come sit down with us to show her you’re here and I haven’t been lying. Then make up some excuse and leave.” Mason stood there, wringing his hands, looking pathetic and desperate.
Ugh. Why was she even considering it? She should go down there and tell his mother the truth. Then Mason would be out of her hair. She sighed. “Alright.”
Mason smiled. “Really? Thank you. You’re a lifesaver. Come on, she’s waiting.” He held out his hand. “And put this on.”
She stared at her wedding ring. The one she’d left on his pillow. She swallowed. “No way.”
He shoved it in her hand. “Just wear it. We’re supposed to be married.”
Kenzie knew she’d regret it later, but she slid the ring on her finger. She stuffed the gift into her purse and followed Mason out the door. She practiced ways she would spill it to his mother as they walked down the hallway to the elevators. When they got to the first floor she had decided it was best to blurt it out. Mason and I aren’t married anymore. Then she could leave and let them have a fallout.
They entered the Emporium and Mason showed her to the table. His mother stood as they approached. Delores looked exactly the same as when Kenzie met her at the wedding. Her hair was swept up in a French knot, and she wore a form-fitting dress that screamed money. She smoothed her features into a smile. “Kenzie, darling, so nice of you to come out of hiding to eat dinner with me.”
The way she said it made Kenzie cringe. She knew that condescending tone—her own mother used it all too often. “Good to see you, Mrs. Wells.”
Mason cleared his throat. “Mother,” he said in a warning tone.
They all sat down. “I can’t imagine what has been so pressing for you, my dear. We missed you at our family reunion last year. Mason said it couldn’t be helped, but when you missed my husband’s birthday celebration, and then Christmas . . . well, I was beginning to think Mason wasn’t telling us something.”
Her gaze pierced through Kenzie. Accusing.
Kenzie gave Delores her sweetest smile. “I’m so terribly sorry, Mrs. Wells. It’s just been one thing after another. First, my mother got Typhoid Fever, then my father ran off with the milkmaid, then my aunt dropped acid and held up a bus full of penguins . . . it’s been one family crisis after another.”
Delores froze, her eyes widening as she stared at Kenzie. “Well . . . I . . . Mason said your business was taking off. I had no idea. . .”
Kenzie held in a laugh. She had gone against her plan to blurt out the truth, but it was totally worth it to see Mason’s mother speechless.
Mason kicked her under the table and she flinched. “Yes, that too. So, you see, I’ve been so very busy with my business and my family, I haven’t had as much time to be there for you. But I’m here now, Mrs. Wells. How are you and your husband?”
Another kick came from under the table before Delores frowned. “My husband is very sick. I’m afraid he won’t make it.”
Guilt made Kenzie’s stomach sour. “I’m so sorry.”
A small chime came from Kenzie’s clutch, and she discretely pulled out her phone.
Where are you? The party can’t start without you!
Tessa’s bachelorette party. She had to leave. But what was she going to say?
Mason put his arm around her. “We promise that we’ll be there at the reunion so Dad can see Kenzie one last time.”
Delores blinked back tears. “It would mean so much to him.”
Oh no. More guilt poured over her. She had to get out of this situation, and fast. She sat up straight. “Oh, my. I have a bathroom emergency. Please excuse me.”
Before anyone could react, she got up from the table and fled out of the restaurant. Her cheeks flamed as she ran down the hallway toward the clubhouse. The farther away she got, the more relief flooded over her. That was over. Done. She was never going back to that horrible situation. She yanked off the ring and stuffed it in her purse. Mason could lie and tell his family whatever he wanted. Apparently he’d been doing just that this past year and a half anyway. She shook her head. What a creep.
She pushed open the door and entered. The giant room was decorated with flowers and tulle, totally transformed from earlier in the day. She placed her gift on the table with the others. Tessa grabbed her and gave her a hug. “Now the party can start!”
The couches and chairs were set up in a large circle. Kenzie didn’t see her mother, which was a relief. The chairs were filled with women Tessa’s age. Adele, Shelley, and Brenda sat together on the left. Tessa sat at the head of the circle and motioned to the empty one next to her. “Have a seat.”
Kenzie sank down on the chair and crossed her ankles. Everyone in the room was staring at her. She tried not to pay attention to it as Brenda handed out pieces of paper to everyone. “We’re going to play Bachelorette Balderdash.”
Kenzie got into the game, writing down crazy answers to the questions when she wasn’t sure of the right answer. She filled out all the questions, smiling at some of them. They collected all the sheets and then started reading them out loud.
From the corner of her eye she saw movement, and she turned to see Mason outside the door, frantically waving at her through the small glass panel. Her stomach clenched. She shook her head a little, but Mason kept waving and he looked a little distraught.
Great.
Tessa patted her knee and Kenzie whipped around to pay attention. Tessa grinned at her. “You’re in so much trouble.”
“What?” Panic jumped into her throat. Her sister had seen Mason?
“Bride’s favorite pastime: Smelling my lovely scented feet. I know you wrote that one.”
Everyone laughed, and Kenzie forced a smile. “Yeah, that was me.”
“A point goes to Kenzie.”
Another movement caught her attention. The door creaked open and Mason stuck his head inside. He was not going to give up. Kenzie widened her eyes and said, “Oh! Bathroom emergency! I’ll be right back.”
She dashed off her chair toward Mason, who ducked back outside when he saw her coming. She shoved her way into the hall and rounded on him. “What are you doing? I told you: I have to be at my sister’s party!”
“You need to come back. My mother thinks you’re on the toilet dying.”
“So? Maybe that’s an okay ending to this fake relationship.”
He wrung his hands. “Please, come back for a few minutes.”
She plopped down at the table with Delores. Her cell phone still sat on the table. Apparently she’d forgotten it. “Sorry. Got lost. Mason found me wandering around the place. This resort is huge, isn’t it?”
Delores pinched her lips together, but she didn’t say anything. A waitress was already at the table, tapping her pencil on a pad of paper.
Mason slid his arm over her shoulders. “Do you want your usual, dear?”
She had no idea what Mason thought was her usual, but she wasn’t going to stick around and eat it anyway. “Sure, sweetheart,” she said, giving him a smile.
She wondered if faking a heart attack would be enough to get her out of the meal.
Chapter 11
Kenzie shifted on her chair while the chatter from the other tables accentuated their silence. Mason’s mother sipped her water. Finally, she couldn’t stand it anymore. “Have you read any good books lately?”
Delores peered at her over her lifted water glass. “I really don’t read much.”
“Oh.” Kenzie unwrapped her napkin, placing her silverware on the table. She spread the napkin onto her lap. The silence was deafening so she tried again. “I noticed you ordered salad. Is that what you usually get?”
“Yes.” Delores set her water down, but didn’t say anything else.
Mason squirmed and Kenzie shot him a ‘help me out’ look. “Have you heard back from Uncle Lloyd? Is he going to make it to the reunion this year?”
His mother smiled and touched her perfectly styled hair. “Yes, he and Irene are both coming. His surgery went well and he’s back to his old self. Even his son is going to make it.”
“Really? He’s on leave?”
“Yes. It will be great to see Evan.”
The conversation stalled again and Kenzie wracked her brain as to what she could say. Nothing came to mind. She wondered how long she’d have to sit there before she could duck out again. A text came through on her phone.
Are you okay?
Her sister was worried about her. It was so rude not to be there. She couldn’t leave her sister hanging any longer. Mason would have to deal with the aftermath. She held her phone to her face and said, “Oh, no.”
Delores frowned. “What is it?”
“My aunt broke out of jail. Formed a gang. I’ve got to go. Family emergency.”
Shock crossed Delores’s face, her mouth dropping open, but Kenzie didn’t wait around for the questions. She shot out of her seat and walked as quickly as she could out of the restaurant. As she was sprinting down the hallway, she could only think one thing: she had somehow been transported into a bad movie.
She slipped back into the clubhouse and ignored all the stares as she took her seat. The room sat deathly silent, and Kenzie couldn’t stand it. She said the first thing that popped into her head. “Well. Don’t use that bathroom for a while.”
A few of the girls giggled, but Tessa looked concerned. “You okay?”
“Yes.”
Brenda raised an eyebrow. “We were about to start a new game. We’re splitting up into two teams. One member will be chosen to be the model. The rest of the team will design a wedding gown . . . with toilet paper. The best toilet paper gown will win, and all the team members will pick a prize.”
Kenzie kept watch of the door while they played party games, but luckily Mason didn’t show up again. Maybe he was afraid of what else she’d say to his mother if he dragged her back there. Served him right, though. She held in a smile.
After the games were done, they sat back down in the circle and drank champagne. “Kenzie,” Brenda said, flipping her blonde hair behind her shoulder. She smiled, but for some reason it made Kenzie apprehensive. “Tessa tells us you do this thing, like a fortune teller or something.”
Tessa’s eyes widened.
“Well,” Kenzie said, “It’s more like looking at people and deducing things. Like Sherlock Holmes.”
“Oh,” one of the ladies on the other side said. “Like, you can look at people and figure stuff out about them?”
“Yes.” Kenzie nodded. She didn’t know why Tessa had a look of horror on her face.
“Do it,” Brenda said, grinning. “Tell us stuff about everyone.”
Kenzie glanced around the room. The first thing to catch her attention was the woman wearing comfortable shoes. They reminded her of nursing shoes. “You’re a nurse,” she said, pointing to the woman.
Another woman held a purse with puppies on it. “You own a dog,” she said. Adele raised an eyebrow and Kenzie noticed she had a ring indention on her hand, but no wedding ring. “You’re divorced,” she said.
Tessa stood. “Maybe we should—”
“No,” Brenda interrupted. “Let her keep going. This is fascinating.”
Kenzie looked at the woman tapping her foot. “You have somewhere else you need to be.”
The woman’s gaze darted to Tessa. “No, I don’t.”
Kenzie shrugged; she always got a few wrong. She pointed to the woman who had brought out her keys, a photo of a young boy dangling from the ring. “You have a son.”
“Oh, my gosh,” Brenda said. “Tessa, you are so right. She’s terrible at this!”
Kenzie’s gaze snapped to Tessa, who looked mortified. Brenda continued. “That’s not Angie’s son. It’s her nephew. Gail isn’t a nurse, she teaches middle school. And Gina’s allergic to dogs.” Brenda laughed and everyone joined in.
Heat rose to Kenzie’s cheeks, and Tessa shot her a guilty look. Kenzie stood. “I should go.”
She headed to the door and Tessa caught up with her, grabbing her arm. “Kenzie, wait. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. I’m still practicing.” Who was she kidding? She knew she wasn’t very good at it yet. Why did she even open her mouth?
“You got Adele’s right. She is divorced.”
Laughter rang out from the ladies and Kenzie felt her cheeks flame even hotter. “Sorry, I need to go.”
“I’m sure they’re not laughing at you.”
Kenzie didn’t care. Their laughter didn’t hurt nearly as much as knowing that Tessa had talked about her behind her back. She turned and walked out.
***
Camden stepped off the yacht onto the dock, the boards creaking as he walked toward the resort. Eric had kept his promise to Tessa: no strippers or anything outrageous. They drank expensive whisky, smoked cigars, and played poker on the boat. He’d learned Eric had a wicked poker face. Now his wallet was several hundred dollars lighter.
He walked along the boardwalk, enjoying the salty air and light breeze. The moon hung low in the sky, a choppy reflection hitting the water. He stopped for a moment to listen to the sounds of the beach at night.
A shadow caught his eye. Someone crossed the patio and sat down at a table up by the resort. It looked like Kenzie, so he continued to walk up the boardwalk. When he got close enough, and could see it really was Kenzie, he spoke. “You okay?”
Kenzie looked up, startled. “Yeah. I guess.”
Her eyes were red, as if she’d been crying. “What happened?”
She rubbed her arms and curled her legs up to her chest. She wore a giant t-shirt and leggings. Her feet were bare. “What do you want to know? The part about my sister betraying me, or the part about Mason’s mother showing up?”
He pulled out a chair, the metal scraping against the cement. “Neither one sounds good.”
“I know. I’ve had a terrible night.” She looked out over the ocean. “I just want tomorrow to end so we can head back home.”
“What happened with Mason’s mother?” he asked softly.
“She showed up wanting to have dinner with us as a couple. I had to make some lame excuse and leave. I’m sure she’s livid that I would treat her that way.”
“She still does
n’t know?”
“No.” Kenzie turned her gaze to him. “And I can’t tell her. Her husband is dying. His last wish is to have the family all there for the reunion next week.”
He gently put his hand on hers. “But you’re not part of the family. Not anymore.”
“He thinks I am. He wants me there. How can I refuse?”
Camden wanted to say, “You just say no,” but he bit back the words. Who was he to tell her what to do? Instead, he said, “You have a tender heart. I like that about you.”
He probably shouldn’t have added the second part, because she pulled her hand away from his and drew her legs up closer. “Thanks.”
Something sparkled and he stared at her hand. He swallowed. “What is that?”
She looked down at her hand and sighed. “I forgot to take that off.” She slid the wedding ring off her finger and stared at it.
Camden wanted to ask her about it, but figured he could put the pieces together on his own. Her ex had given her the ring so it looked like they were still married. She blinked and stuffed it in her purse.
Time to change the subject. “What happened with your sister?”
Kenzie didn’t meet his gaze. “She told everyone I was no good at my Sherlock Holmes thing.”
“What? At the party?”
“No. Apparently, I’m so bad at it, she’d been talking about it to her friends. They decided to see for themselves.” She sniffed and rubbed her nose with one knuckle.
Oh no. He knew she was no good at it, but it was fun to watch her try to guess things about him. She must have embarrassed herself at the party. “That’s not good.”
She waved his comment away. “It’s okay. I never was really good at it. I was fooling myself.” She stopped and looked at him. “Except for you. I guessed you were a construction worker.”
Guilt bubbled up in his stomach. It had been harmless to let her think that at first. But now that they were getting to know each other, it somehow made him feel bad that he’d let her think that. And now it would be too awkward to admit the truth, especially after what she’d said about men who have an obscene amount of money. He looked at the stars above the water. “You have many talents.”