6. Lauren
LAUREN
Now James was the one staring at her with an open mouth.
Lauren felt a moment of victory. In an evening when she’d been constantly caught off guard, she’d finally caught him.
That buoyant feeling fled as soon as it arrived, though, because Lauren had just agreed to marry a man she hated more than anyone.
Already, she was certain she’d made a mistake.
What was she thinking? James had to have some ulterior motive, some gain he was looking for.
Maybe he hoped to spy on Lauren’s company.
Maybe this was all some strategy to humiliate her.
Maybe it was a big practical joke. Maybe he thought the marriage would give him an avenue to take over Sunflower PR and all her clients.
But, as she’d headed for the elevators, Lauren had realized that none of that mattered.
She’d often beaten James. No matter what he was planning, she could beat him now, too.
Even a temporary marriage would give her a little time to find better clients and get her immigration status under control.
If James planned to spy on her, she could spy back.
If he planned to humiliate her, she could do the same.
And if this was all a big practical joke, she could call him on it here and now.
Lauren half expected James to laugh at her or to retract the offer. He didn’t. He just nodded.
“Good. I think it’s the right call.”
Lauren stepped the rest of the way back into her office and shut the door behind her. “If we’re doing this, we need ground rules.”
“Agreed.”
“We stay married no longer than one year.”
James nodded. “As I suggested.”
Lauren fought the urge to roll her eyes. “We have a wedding at the courthouse. No public ceremony.”
“Of course.”
“We make enough public appearances to convince people that this is real.”
“I would have said the same thing.”
Lauren did roll her eyes now. “Okay, Mr. Know-It-All. How about you say the conditions, then?” She strode to the desk, pulled her chair out, and sat. James sat across from her as she pulled her laptop closer and opened it.
“No getting involved with each other’s businesses,” James said. “We keep work completely separate.”
Lauren nodded as she added that to the list of conditions she was typing up. “Next.”
“You move into my penthouse.”
“What?” Lauren looked up from her computer. “No.”
“We can’t live separately. People would know we weren’t married.”
“But we could live at my place,” Lauren pointed out.
“I’m doing you a favor here, so I shouldn’t have to move. Plus, my place is better.”
“You’ve never seen my apartment. How would you know that?”
“First, it’s an apartment. Mine’s a penthouse. That’s clearly better. Second, I have more money than you do, meaning I can afford a better place. That’s just a fact.”
Lauren glared. “Next rule. You stop being so insufferably arrogant.”
“Only if you stop being so defensive all the time.” James narrowed his eyes. Lauren was tempted to slam her laptop shut and walk out on their agreement, but James did have a point. She could be defensive.
“Yeah. Fine. Next?”
“You trust me. At least a little.”
Lauren raised her gaze and stared at him. “What?”
“You said before that you couldn’t trust me. Well, in any business arrangement, a little trust is essential. So, you need to be able to do that.”
Lauren took a deep breath. She’d always struggled to trust people, ever since the first people who’d been meant to support her had left her all alone.
She was better on her own, relying on no one but herself.
That was why she worked so hard. And until now, she’d managed to avoid having to rely on anyone else for anything.
She could change the oil in her car herself.
She could cook. She’d taught herself everything she knew about her business. She didn’t need anyone.
But now, Lauren did need someone — and worse, she needed James. James Pembrook. A man who’d once told her she could never amount to anything in San Valentino.
“I trust that you’ll follow our agreement,” she said after a pause.
James nodded. “That’ll do for now. Finally, and I think this one should be obvious: no feelings.”
“Feelings?” Lauren scoffed. “You’re right. That is obvious. The only feelings I have for you are contempt and annoyance.”
To Lauren’s surprise, James grinned. “Technically, those are feelings.”
Lauren smiled slightly. “Okay. Let’s say no positive feelings, then.”
“Not even friendship?” James waggled his eyebrows, and suddenly, he wasn’t her rival or a man who was inexplicably doing something wonderful, but just a guy. Lauren blinked, and her rival was sitting across from her again.
“No. Not even friendship.”
“How about gratitude for this enormous favor I’m doing you?”
“It’s not too late for me to back out.” Lauren went to stand, and James’s hand shot out, catching her wrist. His hand was warm and dry. Their eyes met, and James quickly pulled his hand away, but not before a strange sensation gathered in Lauren’s chest.
“I was joking. I promise.”
“Fine.”
“Also, what did we say about being defensive?”
Lauren rolled her eyes. “I hate you.”
“Well, according to our document, that’s fine, since it isn’t a positive feeling. Please, sit back down. Let’s finish this.”
For the next half hour, they added more conditions until the document on Lauren’s computer was as detailed as any contract.
Lauren printed two copies, which they both signed.
The process calmed her down. Even though they were talking about marriage, this was starting to feel like any other business arrangement.
Once their signatures were done, James held out a hand.
“Nice working with you, fiancée.”
Lauren’s heart began to race with nerves, but she took his hand. “You, too.”
“Shall we set a date for the wedding?”
“Next Monday?” Lauren suggested. “I don’t have a lot of time before I’ll need to send in marriage paperwork.”
“Monday,” James agreed. “The most romantic day of the week.”
“I’ve always thought so.”
They were still holding hands. Lauren pulled away first, breaking their eye contact.
“I’ll book an appointment and figure out the marriage license process,” Lauren said with a nod.
“And I’ll see you on Monday.” He winked. “My beautiful bride-to-be.”
Even though he was teasing, Lauren didn’t like hearing him call her beautiful. It made her heart race in a strange way.
“See you then.”
Finally, James left, and Lauren was alone in her office. Now that James was gone, the worries she’d been fighting reappeared, far stronger than before. What was she thinking? Marrying James would let her stay in the country, but at what price?
“You can do this,” Lauren said aloud. “You can.” Even though she was alone, she didn’t add the last part — “you have to.”
This next year was going to be the biggest test she’d ever gone through. She’d be living with her biggest rival, trying to keep her company going, trying to keep her secrets safe. The thought of returning home to Ottawa as a failure almost sounded appealing.
Lauren couldn’t give up now, though. She and James were locked in the biggest wager they’d ever had: the unspoken wager of who would back out of this whole marriage sham first.
It wasn’t going to be Lauren.