“It was good seeing you Tucker,” Sinclair said as she moved to the door.
“You too.”
When she left and Holly turned to me, I said, “A fake marriage seems to have worked out for her.”
She nodded. “Yes, well that’s no surprise. She and Wyatt never stopped loving each other. They just had to get over old hurts.”
“And her brother?”
She picked up the coffee cups and brought them to the kitchen. “What about him?”
“He’s happily married after a fake marriage.”
“Yes, well, I think they’d always had a little thing for each other. He was always a little different around her.”
I followed her to the kitchen. “So, the mayor and Brooke? Is that because Brooke always had the hots for him?”
She turned to me. “Really? I didn’t know that. I just figured since their families were close, and she worked for him, they’d fallen in love while working to save her father’s farm.”
“So, proximity can lead to deeper feelings?” I asked.
As if she knew where I was leading her, she shook her head. “Not necessarily. Brooke and the mayor knew each other for a long time. So did Ryder and Trina, and Sinclair and Wyatt.”
I stared at her, having an urge to shake her. To make her stop being so damned resistant to me.
Instead, I smiled. “I guess we’re safe then. No chance you’ll fall for me.” Because I was annoyed, I left the kitchen to finish unpacking. As I put my clothes away, my annoyance grew because it was clear even after all her resistance, a part of me still held out hope that by the time we were done, we wouldn’t be fake.
14
Holly
I didn’t have much time to make up library plans to show Meredith. The project had gone from renovating the existing building and improving the resources it offered, to a brand-new building and improved resources. But Meredith insisted on seeing what I had over lunch on Saturday after noon. With Tucker’s help, we used a computer program to draw up ideas, with figures crossed that there was land available to fit the idea. We were definitely going at this backwards, but I knew that by the time we were done, our concept today would likely be vastly different. More than anything, I just wanted to get our ideas in front of her.
An hour before her arrival, I finished printing out all our ideas and putting them in a folder for her to review. I also printed out our building ideas, taping the pieces of paper together to show the full blueprint for her to go over.
“Holly, come cook with me,” Tucker said, leaning against the kitchen door. “She’ll like it better if it looks like it came from you. And since you have no intention of keeping me around, you need to learn to cook.”
He had a smile on his face, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Ever since Sinclair’s visit earlier in the week, he’d seemed a bit off. Like he’d been upset or annoyed at me. Since it made it easier to avoid him, I let it go.
“Put this on,” he said, handing me an apron.
“I should be working on the project,” I said, tying the fabric that said, Hot Stuff For You.
“You’re in this mess because you want to appear to be traditional. We know she thinks you should be cooking.”
Finally reaching my end point, I asked, “Are you mad at me?”
“I’m doing all I can do to help you, Holly and yet you continue to do the very opposite of what you say needs to happen. You’re in a fake marriage to show her you’re not a spinster, which by the way, why you don’t tell her to fuck off, I don’t know. But you’re doing it, and yet you won’t even attempt to cook, which you also know she thinks you should be doing. I also did your laundry. What do you think she’d think of that?”
“I didn’t ask you to cook or do laundry.” Jesus, did he see my old lady white undies?
He gave me a look that suggested I was being childish and ungrateful. “I get hungry and I like to eat. How about you?”
Instead of getting sucked into a fake marital fight, I let out a breath. “I’m just nervous, Tucker.”
“That’s why you have me. All you have to do is cut up this fruit and put it in this bowl. I’ve got a quiche in the oven—”
“So real men do make quiche?” I grinned.
He looked at me like I had a third eye.
“That’s a saying. It was from an old book,” I explained.
“I think I’ve already shown you that I’m a real man. Twice.”
My body went hot as the memory of just how real he’d been flashed in my brain. “It was a joke.”
His eyes widened in shock.
Realizing my mistake, I quickly corrected myself. “The quiche comment, not…the other…”
He let out a breath. “I’m sorry if I’m tense. I just wonder why I’m here sometimes when you don’t want me here and you don’t want me to help.”
“I do want you to help. I appreciate all you’ve done. I’ll cut the fruit.” I stepped up to the cutting board where he’d put some apples, oranges and bananas.
“You might want to peel the apples,” he said as he watched me cut.
“Why? The nutrients are in the peel, right?”
“Yes, but many people don’t like that part in their salad.” He picked up the peeler and showed me how to quickly remove the apple peel.
Once I did that, I started cutting again, removing the core and chopping into smaller pieces.
“Try to keep them uniform in size,” he said.
I glared at him over my shoulder. “Do you want to do this?”
“I’m teaching you how to cook, love. Keeping them the same size makes a prettier salad, and before you ask, aesthetics are a part of eating, and it’s easier to consume.”
I sighed and made sure my apple pieces were the same size. Then I cut the orange and the bananas.
“I made this juice to go over it. It’s a little lime, sugar and ginger.”
I took the juice, poured it on the fruit and stirred. Then I snapped up an apple to taste it. It was actually pretty good.
Before I could tell him so and thank him, the door rang, and the oven timer went off.
“Perfect timing,” he said, taking his own apron off that said ‘Mr. Good Lookin’ is Cookin’. “I’ll get the door. You take the quiche out. I’ve already put a trivet on the table.”
“I had trivets?”
Finally, something gave and he laughed. “No. They’re my contribution to this marriage.”
“Huh.”
“You ready?” he asked.
“As I’ll ever be.”
He grabbed the salad, setting it on the table as he left to answer the door. I pulled the quiche out of the oven and brought it to the dining table. I wondered what Meredith would think if she knew Tucker had fucked me on it. Was that traditional? The thought made me smile as I set the quiche down on the table.
“My what a lovely spread,” Meredith said as Tucker brought her to the dining area. “And you cooked. I hope you’re as good as Tucker here,” she said giving Tucker’s bicep a squeeze.
I frowned. I wasn’t sure what was worse; that she was gushing over my man or touching him. I gave myself a mental slap. Tucker wasn’t my man. Not really.
“Careful, Mrs. Reynolds, my wife is a jealous type.”
Meredith laughed. “At my age, if she was jealous of me, I’d think there was something wrong with your marriage. Oh, and please, call me Meredith.”
He held out a chair for her and he reached mine as I started to sit. He squeezed my shoulder in a gesture that I’d seen Wyatt and Ryder do with their wives. I had a pang of wishing it was real, but I was sure he was just giving me reassurance that I could do this.
I served her a slice of quiche and Tucker served her fruit salad.
“My, this fruit is delicious. What’s on it?”
Tucker looked at me.
“Ah…lime juice, a little sugar and…ah…” was it cloves…no ginger. “Ginger.”
Tucker gave me an imperceptible nod.
“It’s lovely. And look how uniform the fruit is in size. I swear, so many people don’t do that and I end up with a mouth of apple too big to chew.”
Tucker had a smug smile as he drank from his glass.
We were able to manage small talk by keeping it away from Tucker and my lives. Instead we discussed Sinclair’s run for mayor.
“You know, I really like Maurice, but the last few months he’s been a bit off, don’t you think?” She shook her head. “I suppose that young woman turned his head. Do you know she’s his best friend’s daughter?”
I glanced at Tucker, wondering how he’d feel about Meredith talking about Brooke. She hadn’t said anything offensive, but there was something to her tone that suggested she disapproved.
“The heart wants what the heart wants,” he said, his gaze returning to mine. Was that code for me? Or just his recognizing that Meredith could be heading down an unpleasant path for him?
“Oh, I know. My Jamison was older than me, but not by that much. Today so much has changed, hasn’t it?”
“I don’t know.” Tucker cut his quiche. “A hundred years ago, a man would marry a much younger woman as a matter of course.”
“I suppose, but usually he was a widower with children and needed a wife to manage the home. It was a matter of survival, really. Today we can marry for love, which is optimal, but still…He could be her father.”
“But he’s not,” Tucker said tightly.
“I think she’s good for him,” I jumped in. “Mo isn’t that old, but you wouldn’t have known it considering how stiff and serious he’d become.”
“Are you saying old people are stiff and serious?” Meredith quirked a brow at me.
Crap. In effort to help Tucker did I just offend Meredith. “Not at all. My point was she has helped him relax and find fun life again.”
“I suppose. I wonder when they’ll have children. I guess she has some time, but still, I think it would help make their marriage more solid if they had kids. It would be harder for her to leave.”
Tucker gaped at her. He started to open his mouth, but I interrupted.
“Would you like more to drink, Meredith? I have more iced tea or water. I have orange juice if you prefer.”
“I’d love more tea.”
“I’ll get it.” Tucker shot up from his chair. With a forced smile he took her glass.
When he left, Meredith leaned over to me. “Is he okay? He seems a little grumpy. I hope everything is okay with your marriage?”
“He’s fine.”
“You’re not withholding from him? Are you?”
I cocked my head, not quite sure what she meant.
“In the bedroom,” she murmured low, like it was a secret.
For a moment I just stared.
“It’s important to keep you husband satisfied if you don’t want him to have a roaming eye.”
Seriously? “Things are fine there,” I assured her.
“You sure?”
I looked over my shoulder at Tucker who was drinking water at the sink.
I leaned closer. “Normally, yes, but before you arrived…he was little randy…and I…”
“Say no more.” She patted my hand. “How about we review your plans and then I can get out of your hair. A young man like him, I’m sure he keeps you busy all hours of the day and night. I almost envy you.”
I couldn’t believe it. I was talking about my sex life…or more accurately, my fake sex life, with Meredith Reynolds, the town’s matriarch.
Tucker returned with her iced tea.
“Meredith would like to review the plans now,” I said to him.
“Oh…okay. I’ll clear the plates.”
“Well that’s your job dear,” Meredith said to me.
“It’ll help him pass the time,” I said to her with a wink.
Tucker’s eyes narrowed like he knew we had a secret.
“Yes, of course.” She laughed; her eyes gleaming with mischief as she looked at him.
He watched us with suspicion as he cleared the table and I pulled out the folder with our plans.
I rolled out the mockup of the library. “One thing that I think would be wonderful would be to have reading nooks for the kids. If it’s raining or they’ve finished homework or something to have a comfy place will encourage them to read. And I’d love it if it was colorful nooks that looked like books or a fairytale place. Maybe something like Harry Potter’s Hogwarts—”
“This is a place of learning not play.”
I frowned. “Reading can be play for the imagination, which is crucial for critical thinking.”
“I was imagining places to study and be tutored.”
I nodded. “Yes, I had ideas for small rooms for that. They could also be used for small group lessons and demonstrations.”
“Demonstrations? This is reading, not science.”
I ignored that. “I’d also love for kids to be able to check out e-readers, that offered reading and audiobooks—”
“Audiobooks. They won’t learn to read if someone else is reading.”
That wasn’t exactly true.
“Well they could read along, and also listening can encourage their love of books and stories.”
I continued to review the plans, and she continued to be contrary. I began to wonder if I said up, she’d say down. If I said big, she’d say small. As we worked through my ideas and she shot them all down, I realized it was going to be a long day, and a long project. Tucker said she’d get bored quickly, but it seemed to me the more we went through my plans, the more animated to have her way she became. As she did, I realized that my worst fears could come true. I could be fake married to him for much longer than was feasible. And when it was done, we’d have a library, but I wasn’t sure it would fix all the problems I was looking to fix with this project.
15
Tucker
I generally went through life with a sunny disposition. Not much got me down, and when it did, I could usually overcome it and let it go. But over the last few days after Sinclair’s visit, it was hard to shake the agitation I felt at this situation.
I had no problem respecting Holly’s desire to keep this platonic. What bothered me was that I was so sure she felt more for me but wouldn’t let herself. Holly wasn’t a woman to have sex with a man, much less twice, without feeling something more than just base lust. Why was she fighting her feelings for me? Was there something wrong with me? Was she still hoping her ex would change his mind and come back to her? It was driving me fucking mad.
So, I was already in a usual pisser of a mood when Meredith showed up. Thank God Holly was on her game because I just couldn’t get myself in the right frame of mind. And then when she started with her snooty judgements about Brooke and Mo, I had a hard time not physically escorting her out of the house. I had to keep reminding myself why she was here. Why I was here. Thank God I was able to take a moment to get Meredith a refill of iced tea, although when I got back, they both had a conspiratorial look on their face.
I was happy to do the dishes to get away from Meredith, but I could hear the two of them in the other room. She shot down every idea Holly had. What the fuck was that about? Did she really disagree, or was she just being contrary to assert her power? I really wanted to ask her to leave, but I reminded myself that part of what was giving me this chance with Holly was this stupid ruse to get the library built. That meant I needed to behave. I should probably also get my attitude adjusted.
“I know computers are all the rage but you know in my day we had the card catalogue. Don’t you think kids should learn how to use that?” Meredith said after Holly explained the computerized system expansion she envisioned.
I shook my head.
“Kids still learn the Dewey Decimal Classification system, but they don’t have to use the card catalog. They can search for the book and get the number from the computer,” Holly explained.
“But they don’t know how to use the cards.”
O
h, for Pete’s sake. They don’t know how to harness a horse to a buggy either because of progress, lady.
Unable to stand it any longer I took a breath to settle down enough to not be rude.
I walked into the dining area where Holly had all her papers out. “Honey, remember you said you’d help me take care of that thing.”
“What?”
Meredith actually snorted. “Oh dear, I’ve overstayed my welcome. My mother always said that was the worst faux pas.”
“We got caught up in the project,” Holly said with a questioning glance to me. I’m sure she was pissed that I was interrupting her plans, except it wasn’t her plans that were being considered.
“Yes, well, I know Tucker has been very patient. But you are newlyweds, so let me get out of your hair.” Meredith picked up her purse, and Holly escorted her to the door.
“I’ll be in touch and we can work out some of the issues,” Meredith said.
“Yes, of course.” Holly smiled, but it was strained.
Just like last time, once Meredith was out the door, Holly leaned against and looked like she’d lost her best friend.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t take it anymore. She seemed okay with leaving,” I said.
“She thinks we’re having sex,” Holly shook her head and walked up the hall to her bedroom. I followed her, but didn’t go in. That was her space.
“Why would she think that?” I asked.
“She noticed you were grumpy and decided that along with being a bad wife in the kitchen, I must also be withholding sex.”
“Fuck. I’m sorry.”
“I told her I wasn’t, except that you were randy just before she came and I had to tell you no.”
A perverted part of me wanted to make some comment about how we needed to do what Meredith expected. A good fuck could snap me out of my funk. Fortunately, my mother raised me better.
Holly disappeared with some clothes into her bathroom.
“Did she buy that?” I called out.
“Yes. And your saying I promised to help you take care of something …well in her mind that was code for taking care of your manly needs.”
Fake Marriage (Contemporary Romance Box Set) Page 70