13. Hayden
Chapter thirteen
Hayden
“Oh, wait.” I stop her just before she gets out of the car. “I have a present for you.”
Her arm is already on the door handle, but she looks over at me with a scowl. “A present?”
“Think of it more like a piece of a costume, if that makes you more comfortable.” I then produce a small box out of the interior pocket of my jacket.
“Oh, wow.” She accepts it and opens it before snickering at the contents inside. “Wow.” The gold chain cross necklace intertwines in her fingers, and she brings it up to inspect. “That—that sure is something.”
“Here.”
She hands it over, and I unclasp it.
Next, she lifts her hair up, I drape it around her next, and secure it.
“Well?”
Her eyes peer down at it. “Perfect. Although, I feel like a bit of an imposter.”
I shrug with one shoulder. “Hey, you are Catholic after all, aren’t you?”
“True.” Turning her attention to outside the window, she asks, “Where are we anyway?”
“Just a mom-and-pop restaurant Randall likes.”
“Oh, okay.”
I get out first and swing over to her side and open her door.
“Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.” To sell the charade, I bring her hand, which is already in mine, up to my lips and plant a kiss on it.
I swear she blushes.
But then I follow her eyes as they settle on the small, arcade-looking hole in the wall.
“Shut up!”
Oh, no. After Randall mentioned Roasted Duck by Pa Ord, I was afraid it might be below her standards.
“I love this place!” she exclaims with glee while wringing her hands together. “Abuelo and I came here a bunch whenever I was in town.”
And then I’m reminded again that she isn’t anything like the girls I’ve dated in the past, who probably would’ve hated it here.
“Oh, my gosh. I feel like a kid in a candy store.”
Now, something I’ve always admired about her is coming back to me. She’s easily impressed and almost always down for a good time.
“Abuelo always said it was such a shame that Americans didn’t seem to cherish and revere duck meat like they do in Nicaragua,” she tells me.
“Is that so?” It isn’t exactly my meal of choice, but I won’t mention that.
But before we pass through the small door, I hold her back for a second.
“What?”
“Remember, you’re a good Christian woman.”
She yanks her sleeve away from me. “I know.”
I sigh. “Okay. But if he brings it up, neither one of us eats red nor white meat during lent.”
“Oh.” She brings her fingers up to her mouth and nods. “That’s right. Except that’s months away.”
“I—I know. I’m just saying. That would blow our cover pretty quickly if we acted clueless about that main practice.”
“Alright. Got it.”
“Good. Wait.” I stop her again.
She rolls her eyes now. “What?”
With a shy smile, I kiss her on the cheek. “Just in case anyone was watching,” I whisper into her ear. I then grab her hand in mine. It feels simultaneously strange and right at the same time.
When we finally walk inside, we’re greeted by a man I recognize from his professional profile online.
“Randall O’Brien,” I initiate the introductions. “Hayden Cohen.” He stands, and we shake hands.
“Very nice to meet you and put a face to the name.”
I turn to Addie, “And this is Addie Flo—Cohen.” I curse myself. This whole time, I was making sure she was up-to-date with trivial things he may or may not bring up. But I went ahead and blow her last name right away.
“Flo-Cohen?” Randall asks, puzzled.
“Just Cohen,” she corrects with a smile as she grabs his extended hand. Then, she slaps my chest. “This silly husband of mine.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “I guess I still can’t believe she’s mine.”
“Ah!” Randall acknowledges with a nod before bending over, feeling for his chair, and then taking a seat.
Before we do the same, Addie and I exchange a relieved look.
“I understand that. My sweet Claire and I have been married for almost twenty-seven years.”
“Twenty-seven years? Oh, my gosh! You don’t look old enough to be married for that long,” Addie butters him up.
Good girl. In fact, he looks much older than forty-five. With his gray hair that’s combed over onto his forehead, patchy facial hair, and sunken cheeks? I would’ve guessed he was closer to fifty-five if I didn’t know any better.
The small talk is then cut short after we order. Addie goes for the spicy basil duck, our new friend Randall requests the green curry sans duck, and I keep things light with a papaya salad.
“Are you on a diet?” he asks, presumably after the server walks away.
“Oh, no.”
Addie jumps in for me. “He’s just practicing in preparation for lent. That’s how great of a Christian he is.”
She’s laying it on a bit thick, but Randall, nevertheless, seems entertained by the whole fa?ade.
“Ah, you’re a superior man than I,” he comments with a chuckle, raising his cloth napkin up to his thin lips and wiping them.
I wiggle in my chair. “Oh, no, I wouldn’t say that. If anything, my wife,” that sounds so weird to say, “is just being too kind. I actually just had a big breakfast.”
“I see.”
Shortly after that, our food is delivered to the table.
It all smells heavenly, and I almost make the mistake of just digging in.
But the sound of Addie clearing her throat made me put my utensils down again.
“Randall, would you please do us the honors?”
She’s really impressing me with all of this.
“Absolutely.”
From there, we all bow our heads, close our eyes, and join our hands together.
“Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the food we are about to receive. We also pray that you’ll watch over our children and keep them safe. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.”
“Amen,” Addie and I say at the same time.
His words reminded me once more about her daughter.
“That was beautiful, Randall. Thank you,” she compliments and totally distracts me.
He smiles. “Thank you. I just let the Lord’s word pour through me. But I’m sure you know what that’s like.”
When I fail to answer, she discreetly kicks me under the table.
“Ah, right! Yes. Of course.”
After that, I watch as they tear into their meat, while I fork around at the fruits and veggies on my plate.
I wasn’t being honest about the big breakfast, but I’m actually not very hungry. I assume it’s because of all the weight that rests on this sale.
“So, about this land,” Addie starts.
“Right. Of course. If I understand correctly, Errol says you two want to build some fancy hotel on it. Is that right?”
“A fancy hotel honoring my Catholic grandfather’s heritage,” Addie adds.
Randall’s eyebrows raise. “Oooh, I didn’t hear that part. Is there a way in which you hope to incorporate the religious aspect?”
“Well . . .”
She looks over at me in a panic, but I’ve got nothing. I probably should’ve thought about this in advance. However, the plans are already so tight and carefully calculated.
“There’s going to be a chapel,” she finally blurts out.
Now, I want to deliver a punt to one of her shins.
Randall sits back in amusement. “Is that right?”
“Yeah,” I echo. “Is it?”
“Oh, yeah. Abuelo was adamant about that. Don’t get me wrong, it won’t be anything fancy. Just an altar with a few rows of pews for guests to come if they want to pray or otherwise just seek solace under God’s watchful eye.”
He gestures with the fork in his hand. “I can’t say I’ve ever heard of a hotel having such an amenity in it before.”
Addie shrugs. “What can I say? We’re revolutionary.” Then, she gasps. “Just like Jesus.”
All three of us laugh, but one of us seems genuine while she and I are forcing it.
Suddenly, Randall’s phone rings, and he rests his hand where I assume it is in his pocket.
“Oh, shoot,” he says after picking it up and reading the name across the screen. “I have to take this. Do you mind?”
I look at Addie, as I assume that’s what a gentleman and good husband do, and she answers that it’s fine.
With her approval, I also condone it.
“Business, you know?” Randall murmurs before picking it up.
I watch as he walks out, and once he’s out of earshot, my head swivels back in my fake wife’s direction.
“A chapel?!”
“I’m sorry! I panicked. What was I supposed to say?”
“I don’t know. But not that.” My elbows are now on the table, and my pointer finger is resting against my mouth.
“We can always reduce the size of the pool and include a little room in the corner there.”
“Wha—” I want to rebuke her suggestion, but after thinking about it for a second, I think that actually might work.
“See?” she says with a cocky grin after I fail to make a comeback.
“Yeah, yeah.” I look out at her in the corner of my eyes.
But when I see Randall start to approach again, I sit up straight and wrap my arm around the back of her chair.
“So sorry about that.”
“It’s really no trouble. Everything okay?”
He flicks his wrist. “Oh, yeah. But I have to apologize again because I do need to get going. Duty calls.”
“Right.” I hope to God if he’s actually listening to me, that it doesn’t have to do with our land.
When the server makes her way over again, Randall asks for a box.
“Although, I would love to continue this conversation.”
That’s a good sign.
“If you and your lovely wife are free, there’s going to be a casual get-together at our family’s cabin this Sunday afternoon. We’d love for you to join us.”
“Oh, no,” Addie protests. “My abuelo always said that business and family shouldn’t mix.”
Zip it!
Randall smiles and shakes his head. “Well, it’s too late for that, I’m afraid. Several of my associates and their families are already going to be there. So, no worries. You won’t stick out or anything. Come on, it’ll be the perfect way for us to get to know each other better.”
“Wonderful. We’ll be there,” I agree, but soon feel the pressing of long fingernails into my arm.
“Actually, we’ll have to check our plans first.”
“Oh. Well, no problem. Hayden, you have my number.”
“That I do.” With a salute, I see him off, and then my attention focuses back on Addie. “What the hell was that?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “I have a child, Hayden. And with it being a weekend, I don’t have anyone to watch her.”
“Can’t you get a babysitter?” I ask, perhaps somewhat naively.
Through clenched teeth, she responds, “I don’t know anyone in the area.”
“Well, you can bring her.”
She laughs out loud. “And tell her what? Hey baby, this is going to be your pretend daddy for the day. ” After she says that, her eyes dart between my own.
“I don’t know. I mean, no. Of course, not that. But we’ll figure something else out. I promise. We’re partners in this, remember?”
She winces. “Don’t remind me. Anyway, I need to go. I can just order an Uber.”
I lift my hand and put it over her phone’s screen.
“No, no. I told you I’d get you back to the subsidiary, and I’m going to hold my word—just like a model husband would.”
Her vision narrows, and she makes a funny face. “How chivalrous of you.”