Chapter 4
“Not only did you keep your girlfriend a secret from me, but you also neglected to share that you were engaged!” My mother’s voice pulls what’s left of the anesthesia right out of me, and I sit up with a grunt, realizing I’m still chained to an assortment of beeping machines.
“Mom, what are you talking about?” I rub my eyes and blink, and a roomful of blurry people come into focus.
My family—everyone apart from my brother, Jett—all stand in a half circle around the foot of my bed, but when my eyes land on her, I have to lie back down.
What the fuck is she doing here?
Suddenly, my conversation with Roman—and the family group text—comes blaring like a freight train back into my mind.
Shit. This is bad.
The machine monitoring my vitals begins beeping as my blood pressure cuff tightens around my arm.
Great, nothing like having my utter panic broadcasted to my entire family in real time.
I force a deep inhale through my nose to calm my spiking blood pressure just as a nurse rushes in to check on me.
“Whoa there, that’s a little higher than I’d like to see. You feeling okay, Leo? Need me to ask everyone to leave?” she asks, but I wave her off.
“No, but thank you. I think I just got a little overstimulated for a second. I’ll be fine though.”
“Okay, well, don’t be shy.” She places the call button in my hand before leaving.
When she moves out of view, I find my mother—her arm around Ivy like she’s afraid if she lets the girl go, she’ll disappear—wearing a confused look on her face.
My mother might seem ditzy on the surface, but she’s perceptive as shit, and I don’t think there’s any detail she doesn’t notice, no matter how small. And right now, she’s watching my every reaction like a hawk.
If I have any hope of this not blowing up in my face, I’ll need to keep my cool and pray that Ivy doesn’t give me away before I can think of an explanation.
“Are you okay, honey? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” She squeezes Ivy in another side hug. “I was just excited. I can’t believe you’d go through all this trouble to surprise us for Bart’s party.”
My dad moves to my side and places a hand over mine, his face etched with concern. “I told you you’ve been pushing yourself too hard. Arthur called us and said you’ve got a nasty stomach ulcer; he said you’re lucky it didn’t rupture.”
He scrubs a hand down his face and takes a seat in the chair by my bed, and then my mother rushes to me.
She gnaws on her cheek, looking between my dad and me uncomfortably. “Leo, you told me you were going to start taking better care of yourself. You promised me at Easter. Do you think maybe it’s time to take a step down and let someone else do the heavy lifting for a while?”
I hold up my hand. “No, Mom, it’s not like that.” I grab her hand, keeping her from biting her thumbnail, and hold it in mine. “This isn’t a big deal. I swear. And I’m already making more time for myself …”
I gesture to Ivy, who’s standing awkwardly behind her. How or why this woman hasn’t already run for the hills is beyond me.
My mom’s worried face pulls into a warm smile, and I can see the immediate sense of relief wash over her at the mention of Ivy. I notice my dad’s shoulders relax as he looks between us.
Okay, it looks like they’re buying it. I just need to keep it going until I can figure out a way to get myself out of this hole.
Roman starts on about remembering one of the nurses from high school, which sparks a whole family argument over which one of my three younger brothers she dated.
I take the opportunity to try to get Ivy’s attention, folding my lips in a flat line and holding my hands together like I’m praying, silently begging her to stay quiet. If she can just keep her mouth shut and let me do the talking, maybe I can salvage some of this horrendous misunderstanding.
She furrows her eyebrows and mouths something, but I can’t understand her because her lips are moving too fast. When the room falls silent, I realize they’re all watching our failed attempts at ESP.
So much for subtlety.
“Who’d have thought that Leo—the town recluse—would be the first of us to settle down?” Roman shakes his head and laughs. “Better you than me, brother. Though I cannot wait to hear more details about how you two met …”
“Yeah, like, did you know that you didn’t have to date our brother?” Guy adds under his breath.
“Now, let’s not scare her off already. I’m sure they’ll be happy to tell us all about it at Bart’s party tomorrow night,” my mom says with a proud grin.
“Actually, I—” Ivy starts, but I interrupt her.
“I was just catching her up on all the festivities, and she can’t wait!” I say for her, my voice sounding not at all like my own.
Please just go with it. I give my best attempt at telepathy, but this time, she nods like she understands, and a small smirk pulls at the corner of her lip.
And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the smirk means trouble.
“Yes, Leo was telling me all about the party … tomorrow? Tomorrow night?” she answers, reading my head nod as encouragement. “He’s so excited about it actually. Said he couldn’t wait to wear the matching crochet bow tie you made him for the photos.”
My mother’s eyes light up as she hangs on Ivy’s every word. “You should see how cute they look together. I think I’m going to put it on this year’s Christmas card.”
Ivy places a hand on my mom’s shoulder. “You should. It’d be iconic.”
My mother beams and audibly gasps. “We could all match!” She pulls Ivy closer and not so quietly whispers, “Now, tell me, would you say you’re a B cup? I don’t want to assume?—”
The nurse call button slides out of my hand, landing on the tiled floor with a sharp thwack, and all their heads snap to look at me.
“Jesus, Mom, can you not?—”
But she just brushes me off. “Oh, stop eavesdropping. We’re having a little girl talk over here.”
She tugs the end of Ivy’s long braid, to which Ivy just laughs. They’re talking like they’ve known each other for years rather than ten minutes.
“I’m usually a B, but it depends on the bra. Half the time, I don’t wear one because I don’t like to be restricted,” Ivy answers pushing her breasts together.
I nearly fall out of the bed.
“Hell yeah,” Luka says as he and Guy dab knuckles.
I snap my fingers at my two youngest brothers and point. “Hey, fuckwads. That’s enough!”
“Leo, you can’t scream fuckwads in the hospital. There could be children on the other side of this wall!” my mom hisses, as if that’s what’s inappropriate right now.
I snap my mouth closed and grind my teeth as all three of my brothers try to hide their snickers.
“You have lovely breasts, dear. I know my son likely agrees,” Mom says. “I think you’ll love the top I’m crocheting for you. I only started on it this morning—since I didn’t know you existed before then—but I’m nearly finished. I was just waiting for your cup size, but it doesn’t look like it’ll take more than a few rows.”
“Knock, knock,” Dr. Stone announces as he walks in the room. “Am I interrupting?”
“Not at all!” I practically yell, thankful for the interruption.
He greets both of my parents, who are more than delighted to catch him up on all the happenings of the last ten minutes—which is admittedly a lot.
“Well, Leo, it seems you’ve been busier than anyone realized.”
“It appears so,” I agree because that’s all I can say right about now.
“It’s nice to meet you, Ivy. I’m Dr. Stone, resident doctor of Ashford Falls and Leo’s godfather. I’ve known your fiancée his whole life, so if you ever need blackmail on him, please know you can always come to me. I’m more than prepared and happy to help.”
Ivy shakes his hand and laughs. “You know, I might just have to take you up on that.”
“So, Arthur, do you have any updates on what you said on the phone? How were his tests?” my dad asks.
Dr. Stone clicks his pen and scribbles something on his clipboard. “After taking a better look, it’s easy to see that you’ve probably had this for quite some time, but luckily, you got here before it ruptured. We’d be having a whole other conversation if that were the case.”
He shoots me a glare over his reading glasses. “I wish you had said something sooner. I could’ve saved you a lot of pain.”
“Well, he wouldn’t be Leo if he did things the easy way, now would he?” my dad says, his tone laced with frustration.
Dr. Stone laughs and shakes his head like he knows exactly what my dad is talking about. “No, he wouldn’t.” He nods his head toward Ivy and then back to me. “You’re going to have to keep him in line if you want him to get better. Lots of rest. Maybe even taking some time off work if you’re in the miracle business.”
To my utter shock, Ivy moves toward me and tucks her small hand in mine like she’s not going anywhere, and fuck if that doesn’t knock me right off my axis.
I don’t know how I got so lucky—or utterly fucked, depending on how you look at it— that she saved my ass, but I’m in way over my head here. And I’ll do whatever I need to do to keep from disappointing everyone in this room with the pathetic truth.
I’m a boring, workaholic coward, and I can’t even handle the job I have. How the hell did I think I was cut out to be CEO?
And soon enough, everyone else will realize it too.
“These things are always exacerbated by stress,” I hear Dr. Stone say, but all I can do is stare down at our conjoined hands as a multitude of emotions battle against each other in my chest.
“You’re going to be just fine. With a little rest and a few lifestyle changes, you’ll be feeling froggy in no time.” He gives me a wink, and I choke on my saliva at his slight insinuation.
The last thing I need in my head right now is to be thinking about feeling froggy around this dangerous woman, who is way too young and exciting for me.
“Thank you, Arthur.” Dad shakes his hand.
My mom pulls him into a hug. “Thank you so much for all you’ve done today. Will I see you and Evelyn tomorrow night at Bartholomew’s party?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’ll get started on those discharge orders now. Ivy, you keep him in line, okay? You’ve got to keep your eye on him at all times,” he says, gesturing from his eyes to me. “He’s been known to sneak away to work, even when he’s been advised against it.”
Ivy smiles and gives Dr. Stone a salute. “You got it, Doc.”
Roman goes into a story about the time I came to work with the flu and got the whole executive team sick, and my parents jump in, adding their own details. I watch Ivy wipe a tear from her eye in laughter, asking questions that only prompt my family to reveal more embarrassing stories.
She looks so natural, standing there with them, like she isn’t someone I found wandering alone in the woods less than twenty-four hours ago.
Not only is she not scared off by my mother’s inappropriate questions, but she also actually looks like she’s enjoying herself.
Where did this woman come from, and why am I finding myself growing more curious about her by the minute?
A reckless, negligent, idiotic idea starts to churn in my mind …
Maybe this could work?
It’s a dangerous plan, one that could backfire in my face if anyone found out … but it just might be worth a shot.
“Hey, uh … do you guys think you could give us a moment alone?”
“Sure, honey. Your dad and I still have some errands to run to get ready for the party anyway.” My mom kisses her two fingers and touches my cheek. “Feel better and please let me know when you’re home and settled.”
“We’ll talk more about lightening your workload tomorrow,” Dad warns, then whispers something to Ivy before leaving.
Roman, Luka, and Guy wave silent goodbyes, but as soon as they’re through the doorway, I hear them whooping and hollering like idiots over how hot their future sister-in-law is.
When it’s finally just the two of us, Ivy crosses her arms over her chest and tilts her head. “Care to explain why your family knew my name and thinks we’re engaged?”
Suddenly, I’m keenly aware that I’m in nothing but a hospital gown, which only makes this conversation more embarrassing. “I, uh … I might have told Roman a little white lie this morning that was completely blown out of proportion.” I point to the silver ring on her left hand. “But the engagement? That’s all on you.”
I push my hair back from my face, realizing how little I actually know about this woman. “I’m sorry … I … I didn’t think to ask you before, but … are you married? Because if you are, I didn’t mean to?—”
“No. Don’t worry about that. I’m as single as a Pringle. I don’t really do relationships, much less marriage.” Her smile falls a little, and she spins her ring again like she’s nervous. “It’s my sister’s ring. It only fits on this finger …” Her words trail off, and I don’t pry further even though that explanation seemed to bring up more questions than it answered.
The important thing is that she isn’t attached, so I won’t have some angry husband to worry about.
She props her hand on her hip, but doesn’t say anything, so I pick back up with my explanation.
“My mom was trying to set me up on this blind date … like she always does … and Rome was giving me a hard time about working too much … and I just found out my dad’s naming Carl as his replacement when he retires.”
“I missed the part where this has anything to do with me.”
I massage my aching temples and sigh. “My mom’s throwing this party tomorrow?—”
“Bartholomew’s twenty-first birthday party,” she clarifies.
“Yes, that. And I mentioned to Roman that I’d secretly been seeing someone and it was pretty serious. Then, he asked me on the spot what her name was, and yours was the first name to pop in my head.” I point at my still-swollen eye. “Probably because this was still fresh. Anyway, that’s how it happened. I never in a million years dreamed I’d see you again, much less that you’d drive me to the hospital and still be waiting hours later. Why were you still here again?” The last part comes out a little more accusatory than I intended.
She adjusts her arms around herself a little tighter. “Don’t you dare act like I’m the creepy one in this scenario! I didn’t have anywhere else to be, so I thought I’d wait to make sure you were okay. Then, I saw your mom holding my sister’s favorite book—it’s not a book you see every day—and I felt like I needed to tell her—never mind why—but we got to talking, and I introduced myself, and suddenly, it was like they all knew me. Like they were expecting me …”
“I’m really sorry about that. Like I said, it wasn’t the smartest thing on my end, but how was I supposed to know that I’d run into you again? I thought you said you were just passing through?”
She shrugs. “Well, maybe I told you that so you wouldn’t try to stalk me. It’s not exactly smart to tell some grumpy stranger all your plans just because he’s cute and helps you.”
The word cute hangs in the air between us, and I really wish my heart didn’t skip a beat from her admitting that, but I try to ignore it.
I pick at the thin, scratchy blanket in my lap. “Listen, I understand if you’re freaked out by everything. And I understand if you want to run out of here and never speak to me again … but at the risk of already sounding insane … I was wondering if maybe you’d be willing to keep this going with me for a little while longer?”
She sucks in a small breath, and just when I think she’s about to call me a psycho, proving all her suspicions right, she asks, “What do you have in mind?”
I perk up at the question, feeling relieved that she isn’t running for the hills. “I, uh … I don’t really know. I haven’t given it much thought, but do you think you could stick around until the Phantom Festival at the end of the summer? That’s when my dad will officially step down as CEO. I think this might be the only shot I have at changing his mind and convincing him I should be the one leading the company.”
“So, what is that, thirty days?”
“Yeah, unless you have somewhere to get back to?” I can’t help but ask, feeling like I need to know everything there is to know about what’s she’s doing here and why. But I know it’s not my business.
Rather than answering my question, she responds with one of her own. “So, you think if you have a fake fiancée, your dad will make you CEO?”
“No, maybe not. It’s dumb, but I have this thing about letting people down. It started out as an innocent lie to dodge another setup attempt from my mother, but after seeing their faces this evening, how happy they were to meet you … I don’t want to crush them. And selfishly, I know I could kiss any hope of my dad reconsidering goodbye.”
“So, you do want him to change his mind?”
“Well, yes.” I flatten my lips. “But that’s just because I want what’s best for the company, and right now, I believe that’s me.”
She looks down, biting her lip. “I don’t know, Leo. Your family is so nice. I don’t know if I could lie to them?—”
“I just need your help convincing my dad that I’m capable of handling more responsibility, that I’m not as stressed out as I seem to be. That’s all I’m asking.”
“This job must be a really big deal if you’re willing to lie to your family because of it. So, what is it anyway? Anything I’ve heard of?”
I tell her all about our brand, how my dad founded the company with the mission to change the world, starting with our patented one-hundred percent biodegradable plastic, and things quickly grew from there. But it doesn’t take much explaining for her to catch on.
“Wait. You’re Leo Kingsley? Of Kingsley Industries? As in the billionaire family who owns this town?”
“Yes … did you not know that? I thought that’s why you stuck around.”
“How would I have known that? Everyone knew you by your first name when we got here. Are you telling me that I’ve been shooting the shit with a roomful of billionaires for the last half hour?”
I let out a laugh. “Yes. Technically.”
“Huh. No wonder you just handed over five hundred dollars like it was nothing. Do you use dollar bills as toilet paper? I’ve always wondered …”
“Seriously? That’s what you’re worried about right now?” I quirk a brow.
She holds up her hands defensively. “You’re right; it wouldn’t be very environmentally friendly. Bidet?”
I sigh and roll my eyes. Clearly, she’s not going to drop this. “Yes. I have a bidet in every bathroom. Now, can we please get back on track here?”
“You really seem to care about this stuff, don’t you?”
“It’s all I care about.”
She pops her lips and rocks back on her feet like she’s deliberating.
“Look, I’m not asking for charity. I’m happy to compensate you for your time. You seemed eager for the opportunity to do that Siegfried and Roy gig … no one wants to do something like that unless they need money.”
She twists her lips to the side and looks up as she thinks. “So … like a sugar daddy/sugar baby arrangement?”
I jerk my head back and blink several times. “What? No. Nothing like that.”
“I’m just saying, that’s what it sounds like. Paying someone younger to hang out with you or pretend to be engaged with you or whatever.”
She rolls her eyes and picks at her yellow fingernail polish, complete with smiley faces drawn on top. It’s such a small detail, but it only reinforces all the assumptions I’ve already made about her. This girl is all sunshine and adventure while I’m more like storm clouds and canceled plans.
I shake my head. “That’s not what this is. Anyway, what do you think?”
She narrows her eyes. “What’s in it for me?”
“Name your price.”
“Do you expect me to have sex with you?”
“Would you?” The question rolls off my lips before I can stop it, and I quickly correct myself. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. Of course not. I just need you to show up to family dinners and sometimes a work event with me. Stuff like that.”
“So, no sex. Do you want me to do anything weird while you watch?”
“What? No. Will you get your head out of the gutter? What do you think I am?”
“It would behoove me to know exactly what I’m agreeing to.”
“Behoove you?”
“What? I’m just practicing for mingling with rich people.”
“Nobody says behoove. Is that a yes?”
“Fifty thousand dollars.”
“Done. Anything else?”
She blinks several times like she can’t believe it. “Seriously? I was just fucking with you. That’s too much?—”
I hold up a hand to stop her. “Ivy, I’m asking you to help me lie to my family … and I’m rich. I have no intentions of taking advantage of you. You’re doing me the favor, remember?” I pull out my phone and type out a quick email to my assistant. “Why don’t we make it an even hundred just to be safe?”
Her mouth drops, and she lets out a little gasp, then snaps it shut, nodding her head vigorously.
I can’t help but smile at how cute she looks.
I don’t know her story or what she’s running from—because she’s no doubt running from something—but it’s hard to ignore the warm, tingling sensation that spreads through my chest at the thought of helping her.
Down boy.
This is not anything like that.
“So, now what? What do we do next?”
I blow out a sigh. “It would probably be more believable if you stayed at my place. You’ll have your own room, of course. Is that something you’re comfortable with?”
A slow, mischievous smile spreads across her face, and I already know by the way my heart skips a beat that I’m going to regret this.
“Looks like you’ve got yourself a sugar baby.”
I bury my face in my hands. “Please stop saying that.”