Chapter 2
DEVIN
After two months of feeling progressively worse about my new job, I finally have a sense of hope. This is going to be an opportunity to really spend some time with the top brass and get to know what they expect. What they’re looking for.
I moved my whole life to Kingsville for this job. If it goes south, there aren’t many other top brokerages in the area that I could bounce to.
When I pull up in front of Laila's house, she’s already on the porch with a small suitcase and a shoulder bag.
Her driveway is crowded with six cars, so I begin to park on the street.
Laila is already running toward me. I barely have time to jump out and help her throw her things in the back seat before she hisses, "Quick – let’s get out of here! "
I take off immediately, driving several blocks before pulling in at a gas station to refuel. "Are you…okay?" I ask carefully.
She turns to me with a dazzling smile. Honestly, everything about this girl is dazzling. Her long, nearly black hair. Her light blue eyes. Her slight air of… I'm not sure if it's shyness or she's just very particular and careful, but I'm looking forward to figuring it out.
"Argh! I told Mom and Megan three times last night that I wouldn't be back until Sunday or Monday. They refuse to listen. They've been trying to rope me into helping with some handmade paper decoration thing that's all over Instagram."
Laila sighs. "Honestly, thank you for rescuing me. I still don't know if I can do a good job playing your wife, but I'm really going to try."
"Don’t worry, we have several hours to figure out how to make this as easy as possible for both of us." I unfasten my seatbelt. "But first, I gas up the car and we hit the convenience store for snacks."
An hour later, I've been converted to hazelnut coffee for road trips, and am stuffed to the gills with a possibly toxic mix of gummy candy, pretzels, and barbeque corn chips.
We've been chatting about music, podcasts, and movies, carefully noting anywhere our tastes overlap so that that can be "our thing" as a couple.
After a rest stop that thankfully includes some real food in the form of a roast beef sandwich, we get back in the car and continue on our way. "Okay, so before we get to the serious stuff, I have to ask. What's the deal with Megan? Why does she drive you nuts?"
Laila looks down at her hands. Last night her nails were bare, but I notice that this morning they're painted an elegant pale pink.
"I want to be careful how I say this. I don’t want to come across as childish or petty."
I reach out and give her hands a gentle squeeze. "How about this weekend we promise each other we’ll always be brutally honest? We won't allow ourselves to be offended or freaked out. We'll just keep everything out in the open. It’ll make things easier."
She nods as I retract my hand. "Deal." Then she flashes me a tentative smile as she rolls her eyes. "I'm twenty-three. Megan just turned twenty-one. Even though we're so close in age, our parents have always treated us completely differently."
"How so?"
"It was obvious from the start that I love learning and books.
So my entire life went in that direction.
I studied hard, went to university, and got a fantastic job as an editor for a sci-fi and fantasy website.
" Laila grins. "I'm even a judge for their annual literary awards.
All this is to say, I have a ton of reading to do this weekend. "
"I will do everything I can to make sure you get it done."
She laughs. "It'll certainly be easier to focus than if I was at home.
Anyway, back to Megan. Every moment of her life has been lived for maximum attention.
Which is weird, because she always had my parents' full attention.
I was always off in my room reading a book, meanwhile she was prancing around the living room putting on fashion shows and pretending she was a TV star.
She took one media course in college and now thinks she's going to be an influencer.
She's actually using her engagement parties and wedding to…
how did she put it…establish a fun but elevated tone in my initial content to set up my entire career. "
I snort. "I'm sorry. Total honesty? That sounds like utter bullshit."
Laila laughs. "Oh, it is! There's no way she could ever make a living at this! There are so many other people out there who are more driven, who have put in the hours to actually research the finer points of each platform and its algorithm."
I glance over to see her biting her lip.
“Also… Megan isn't taking care of herself," she almost whispers. "I hate to say it, but she wears too much makeup, and she doesn’t even take it off at night so she’s wrecking her skin.
She's also fried her hair through overprocessing and cycling through so many colors.
And yet most of the female influencers right now are going for a natural look. "
Natural beauty, I think to myself. Like yours.
“Well, you’ve escaped her circus for the weekend. We’ll tell the team you have to get a lot of reading done this weekend for work, which will give you an excuse to curl up in a corner alone as much as possible."
"I appreciate it." She looks over. "What exactly have you told them about your wife?"
I sigh, shoulders sagging. "This is going to make me sound like an asshole…"
"Tell me anyway."
"This is the best brokerage around. I really wanted to get in with them. So I mentioned my quiet home life, but glossed over the fact that I have a wife, a house with a garden, and we’re thinking about getting a dog—"
"You mean cat," she interjects quickly.
"Of course." I smack my palm against my forehead. "What was I thinking?"
"You were distracted, thinking about all the gardening you're going to have to do this spring after we get the cat," Laila laughs.
"I've always implied that I like to keep my private life private. So I've never really mentioned my wife…I mean you…again. Everyone is so busy at the office that we really don't socialize very much. This is the first big company event where I would be expected to bring my wife."
"You didn't have a Christmas party?"
“Oh, of course, but that was the weekend I…" I keep my left hand on the steering wheel and make half a set of air quotes with the right. "Got the flu."
She laughs again. "Wow. We are terrible people with all these lies. I told my family I was taking off to a winter library retreat."
"What the hell is that?"
"I don't know! I often babble when I’m flustered and it just popped out. Fortunately they didn't ask."
"You're right," I chuckle. “We’re awful.”
I turn onto the highway that leads up to Wolfe Mountain. "So…time to make up some more lies about how we met, our home, and that lovely quiet life together."
"Can there be aliens? Or dragons?"
I shoot Laila a strange look. "Why?"
"I just thought we could borrow from the books I'm currently looking at."
“Uhh, how about we start with something normal-ish, then see if it needs to be jazzed up later?”
Her luscious bottom lip sticks out as she pouts, her eyes sparkling. “Fine.”
I love that this beautiful, clever girl wants to play this game with me. Well, to her it’s a game. For me, it’s my career.
Although I’m not even so sure I’m focused on that anymore. All I want is to get to know Laila inside and out. Her needs, her goals, her hopes for the future…
And if I could fit into that future.