Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
BLUE
I was spinning in circles in the old leather chair that once belonged to Jeff. It reeked of mold, stale beer, and I needed to drag the damn thing to the dump. But right now, it was giving me an anchor. Something to hold me steady as I tried to process what the hell I’d just agreed to.
Marry West Brooks.
For a month.
I tilted my head back, eyes on the stained ceiling tile above me, and let out a breath that sounded more like a whimper. What was I thinking? What would my dad think?
Would anyone actually believe that West rode into Harmony Haven, locked eyes with me, and just fell in love? That we got married overnight and I wasn’t somehow the villain in the story?
They might believe he was dramatic enough to do it, but me? They’d see the ring, the money, the headlines, and jump to one conclusion: I was a gold-digging whore. The kind of girl who cashed in on money and good looks.
Which is exactly why I agreed in the first place, my mind taunted and my stomach twisted.
My life hadn’t been easy since my mom and sister rode out of town for a new life without me, or my dad.
They opened credit cards in my name, took everything my dad had in his retirement plan, and I’d been working my ass off since I was old enough, just to pay off the debt that they created.
But I had to tell West no. I had to back out. Change my mind. Undo this mess before it got any deeper.
Grabbing the edge of the desk, I halted the spin, the rubber wheels giving a small screech on the floor. I reached for my phone, thumb hovering over the screen to check if West had texted.
Nothing.
Except… He didn’t need to text. Because he was already there. Leaning against the office door frame. He stood with his arms crossed, one ankle tucked over the other, a smile tugging at his mouth like he’d caught me doing something cute.
God, why did he have to look like that? Hair perfectly tousled, sleeves rolled up to show off forearms that could’ve sold tickets. If sin had a spokesperson, it was West Brooks in business casual.
“Having fun?” he asked, his smirk smug as hell.
“More like panicking,” I admitted, exhaling hard.
“Surely not because of me.”
“Absolutely because of you,” I laughed, then immediately clutched the arms of the chair as it tried to spin again. “I was just talking myself out of everything… again.”
“Too late,” he said, pushing off the doorframe and stalking into the room. He placed both fists on the desk and leaned over until his face was entirely too close to mine. “You’re mine.”
“For a month,” I reminded him, my voice a little breathless.
His grin deepened. He didn’t correct me, just tilted his head probably mentally counting the ways he could make thirty days feel like forever.
“Come to Atlanta with me tonight,” he said, like he was inviting me to dinner and not life-altering chaos. “We’ll go over everything including the ground rules and logistics. I’ll have you back here in time for your next shift on Tuesday”
I blinked at him. “I can’t just go. I take care of my dad.”
That gave him pause. He stood straight again, hands leaving the desk as he processed that speed bump. But instead of retreating or rolling his eyes the way most men would be, he nodded slowly.
You will have to be available to come with me when needed,” he said carefully. “What do we need to do to make that happen?”
“What?” I coughed, completely thrown.
“Where is he? Does he need a nurse? Does he need care?”
“He’s at home,” I seethed. “He’s everything to me. And while he is fairly independent, he’s in a wheelchair. I can’t just take off without notice.”
“What’s he do when you’re at work?”
“We have a part time nurse, but that is all I can afford. And she doesn’t fucking do much.”
“Perks of being married to me is you have access to everything I have. Money isn’t an obstacle right now, Blue.”
It should’ve sounded sweet. Helpful. Supportive. But it rubbed me the wrong way, as if he’d just put a bow on my life and called it his donation to the poor.
“I’ll take care of everything,” I said tightly. “I don’t need anything from you except your word that when this ends, I get to keep Fiddlers.”
“You will,” he nodded. “I’m having the contract written up now. You’ll need to come to my office in Atlanta to sign it. It’s basically a prenup, and it'll outline everything clearly.”
“I thought we weren’t telling anyone,” I shot back. “How can you be writing up a contract without tipping someone off?”
“My lawyer doesn’t count,” West said, shrugging. “He gets paid well enough to keep quiet.”
“Fine,” I said, standing abruptly and brushing off the front of my jeans. “Let me go home and tell my dad I’m going to the city with my new boss for the night. I’ll pretend it’s business related, so when I come back, it’s believable that I ‘fell in love along the way.’”
It wasn’t a lie. Not yet, anyway.
I already knew my neighbor would check on Dad in the morning before the nurse came to help him with lunch.
Our house may not have been big enough for Dad’s wheelchair to get around, but still living in our small house meant that we knew our neighbors well.
They cared about Dad as much as I did and I knew I could count on a couple of them to help me out if needed.
“I’ll follow you,” West said, jerking his chin toward the door.
“You’re not coming in my house,” I warned him, spinning to jab a finger at his chest. He didn’t need to see how I lived. Not that it was bad, but it was sacred. Mine. His presence would contaminate the spaces. Not to mention there was no way in hell I was letting him meet my dad.
Dad loved everyone, and he would fall under the charms of West Brooks immediately. Then when West broke my heart and ended our fake love story, Dad would be distraught. It would be better to let him ease into all of this.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” West said solemnly, dragging his fingers across his chest in some sort of Boy Scout meets heartthrob gesture. “I’ll wait patiently in the car. Marcus can drive us into the city for the night.”
I rolled my eyes, but walked quietly out to my car. My hands were shaking when I got in.
On the drive, the headlights of his fancy SUV lit up my rearview mirror. It was a constant reminder that he was right behind me, both literally, and in every choice I was about to make.
I gripped the steering wheel tighter and tried to breathe through the panic fluttering in my chest. My body knew I was making a mistake well before my brain caught up.
“What are you doing, Blue?” I muttered under my breath as I parked and got out. My legs felt like rubber, but I managed to maintain my composure as I gave him a slight wave.
True to his word, he stayed put in the car that was idling along the edge of my front yard. Thankfully it was late, because I could only imagine what my neighbors would think if they saw me sliding into West’s car so late.
Then again, those thoughts were exactly what I wanted them to think. Right?
This was supposed to look like a fairytale, but in reality, it was going to be a full-blown cautionary tale.
It spoke volumes for how much I wanted that bar, though.
Owning it would be financial freedom for Dad and me.
It would mean a bigger house, better care, and without having to rely on tips, I could have a schedule that allowed me to be with him more.
So even though I knew it had the potential to be an epic fail, I still kept going forward, hoping that in the end, it would be worth it.