Chapter 16
Magnolia
Four days. Four more days of pretending. It’s become a routine. Nash picks me up, takes me to his grandpa’s house, we talk, then he brings me home. So far I’ve met four second cousins, one great aunt, and several people I’m not quite sure are even related.
For the most part, Nash has tried to keep me away from the family. In his words, ‘They’re not that great.’
I can’t believe I haven’t been able to find a job yet, though. I need to find something quickly. Being a hired fake fiancée has a time limit. And while Nash has been overly generous, it’s not like I can continue to rely on that.
And I have to stop stress baking. Our house has turned into a cinnamon roll factory. Thank goodness I’ve been able to share the goodies with the guys that hang out in front of the building. They’ve all gushed over how good my treats are. It’s the kind of affirmation I need at the moment.
Nash didn’t say anything about his plans for today, so I assume he’s not coming by to pick me up. Usually, he’s clear about his plans.
So, I sent out my resume to more businesses, then I started running on the treadmill we found at a yard sale.
It’s beat up but it still works. And unfortunately, I feel safer running in our apartment than down the road.
The treadmill is crammed in our small hallway, and it’s been the culprit of a lot of stubbed toes, but since all three of us use it, we can’t complain too much.
“Someone’s here for you!” Piper yells.
I turn off the treadmill and hurry into the living room. Nash is standing there, looking mildly amused. Piper isn’t wearing pants still, and her makeup is smeared everywhere, per usual. I catch Nash’s attention over her head.
His eyes widen, and he pushes past Piper.
“Are you okay?” He places the back of his hand on my forehead. “Your face is bright red, and you’re flushed and clammy. You should be in bed.”
I smack his hand away and scowl. “I’ve been running—that’s all. It’s not the flu!”
“That’s all?” He looks stunned momentarily, though he quickly schools his features. “You look great. So healthy.”
I poke his arm. “Liar.”
He holds his hands out in an I surrender motion. “I’m going to shut my mouth and never speak again.”
“Probably a good idea,” Piper interjects.
My cheeks would be bright red from embarrassment if they weren’t from exercise.
I walk to the kitchen and turn the faucet on.
I almost stick my head under it, but I scrape up a smidgen of dignity that won’t allow me to.
Genetics are not kind to me during exercise. It’s truly unfortunate, because running is when I do my best thinking.
I can solve any problem while running. I actually feel a million times better right now.
Which is why it’s too bad that my face doesn’t match my mood.
I very carefully lift a glass from the cupboard and then fill it from the faucet, as a charming woman would.
“Can I get you anything?” I ask Nash, but he’s busy staring at the sweat soaking through my shirt. There’s a lot of it to look at.
“I’m good. I just stopped by to see if you could come to dinner tonight. Grandpa wants to see you.”
“You could have just texted!” Piper calls from the back of the apartment. She’s a big help.
“I have to admit, I wanted to see you too.”
“How about now, after seeing her running face?” Piper yells again with a cackle.
“Have you ever considered finding a soundproof apartment?” Nash asks.
“Hey, I heard that!” Piper shoots back.
I hear the water turn on, and I know she’s about to use all the hot water. My post-run shower will be ice cold.
“I meant for you to hear that!” Nash says a little louder.
“I have my shower cap on. Can’t hear you!”
Thank goodness for that.
“What time should I show up tonight?” I ask.
Nash smiles slowly. “Oh, no. I’ll come pick you up. Will you be here at six?”
“Let me check my social calendar.” I take a long sip of the water. “Oops. What do you know? It’s all clear.”
Nash shakes his head, but I can see him fighting a smile.
“In that case, do you want to come with me now? I have a couple of errands to run, but then we could head straight to Grandpa’s.
I’m not sure if the rest of the family will be there tonight or not.
We’ve managed to avoid them until now, but our luck might not hold. Grandpa invited everyone for dinner.”
I run a hand through my sweaty hair. “Let me charm them with my looks.”
Nash shakes his head. “There’s no charming some of them unless you have piles of money.”
“Pennies don’t count, do they?”
Nash throws back his head and laughs. “You know what? I think Grandpa is right. You’re exactly what this family needs.”
I follow Nash down the stairs in my apartment building.
There’s no such thing as a lobby in this building, just a narrow hallway and a glass front door.
He holds it open for me, and I step out onto the sidewalk, blinking in the bright sunlight for a moment.
All three of the usual men are standing in front of their bikes twenty feet down the sidewalk.
I open my mouth to call hello, but jump in surprise as Nash rests his hand on mine and maneuvers me to the side, keeping himself between me and all three of them.
We don’t do our usual chitchat. They’re too busy staring down Nash, and he seems to be doing the same. He tightens his hand around mine, gives me two quick squeezes, and ushers me down the sidewalk. He glances over his shoulder one more time before we turn the corner, onto the side street.
He parked his car behind mine and quickly unlocks it. He opens the passenger door for me, then hurries to the driver’s side and climbs in.
“Do those guys hang around your building often?” he asks as he starts up the car.
“Yeah, they do. Pretty frequently.”
He presses his lips into a firm line and shakes his head but doesn’t say anything. There’s no music playing as he starts forward.
I break the silence. “So, what errands do you need to run?”
“Oh, I need something from the office, and then I was gonna grab Grandpa’s favorite kind of soda from the store.”
My stomach drops at the thought of stopping by his office. But what are the odds that I’d see my former boss? That would require being on the same floor as her.
I reach for the display and turn it to a top hits station.
It’s a smooth, quick ride to the building. He parks in the front lot again, like he owns the place. I wish I had an ounce of his confidence. I guess it is a little strange that he’s in maintenance when his grandfather is obviously a multimillionaire. But everybody needs to find a job they like.
Although he did say infrastructure, so maybe he’s into some kind of construction and I just made assumptions.
He climbs out of the car and walks around to my side, opening the door.
“You don’t want me to just wait right here?” I ask.
“No. I’d worry about you in the parking lot by yourself.”
“This is a nice, safe area of town.”
He shakes his head and holds out his hand. He wins the staring contest, and when I put my hand in his, he pulls me out of the car, closing the door and locking it behind me.
“I’m driving you, so that makes me responsible for you. I wouldn’t leave my child out in the car, so I’m not gonna leave you in it either.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about being compared to a child,” I say as I follow him toward the building entrance.
He flashes a grin over his shoulder. “You can take it however you want to, but you’re gonna take it.”
I have an overwhelming urge to flick the back of his ear. I barely manage that desire, but I do walk past him and through the front entrance before he can. Not easy to do in these purple shoes, but they’re too cute. I had to wear them.
I wait and hold the door open for him.
“I’m learning that you have a temper,” he says with a chuckle.
“I’m beginning to learn that I don’t like overbearing men.”
“You just figured this out?” he teases.
I do my best to ignore him, but I notice that when he’s grinning, he’s got the same dimple as Alexander—and that is an unfair advantage.
“What exactly are we doing here?” I ask, trying to distract myself more than him.
“I need to run up to the office and take care of something.”
He doesn’t even flash a badge or anything at the security officer. The guy just buzzes us in. I look at the stairs and down at my heels and sincerely hope he decides to take the elevator. He does.
He presses the button, standing with his arms folded in front of him. I notice that the light-blue shirt he’s wearing matches his eyes in an unnerving way.
“So, do you think we can tell your grandpa the truth soon, or do you think we’ll have to pretend for a while longer?” I ask him.
The elevator doors slide open, and Nash rests his hand on my back as we step in. He hits number eight. My heart sinks as the doors slide closed. That’s the same floor I worked on.
“The doctor wanted us to wait a little bit,” he says. “But I guess we’ll see how he’s doing tonight, and we’ll consult Dr. Charles before we tell him everything. He said not to worry him or give him any shocks.”
“Of course,” I quickly agree. “Your Grandpa seems really kind. You’ve got a good one.”
“I’m still paying you for your time though,” he says. “I’m keeping track, I promise. How do you like being a salaried employee?”
I laugh tensely. “Can I list you as a previous job experience?”
“Do you need good job references?”
This elevator is extremely slow, I think to myself.
“Piper and I are trying to start our own business, but we need an operating loan for the equipment. Banks tend to look more favorably on someone who’s currently employed, and I just got fired.”
He looks contemplative. “I have some connections with bankers who work strictly in business loans. I’d be happy to make an introduction so that you don’t have to worry about it, because, honestly, I feel like it’s my fault that you lost your job.”