Chapter 8
Zander eyed the small crowd gathered toward the front of the chapel. Everyone from Michael and Mom to the newlywed clan was mingling with the bride’s family, probably whispering about the bizarre nature of the social experiment.
Exactly three and a half seconds after they’d taken their trip down the aisle as Mr. and Mrs., the camera crew whisked Kat away for a private video interview.
Of course, the live filming was over. This footage, according to producer and business acquaintance, Marsha Langston, would be aired next week, along with other clips from the festivities.
Zander glanced down the hallway where they’d escorted his new bride. Marsha had asked him to stay close; he’d give his interview once Kat was through.
He thought back on the ceremony. In front of God and these witnesses…
Zander wondered if God himself would strike him down for making such a promise on his brother’s behalf.
The wedding is a test trial, he reminded himself.
Sure, it was legal and lawful, and if they decided to stay together it’d be as binding as any other.
But these nuptials weren’t necessarily the as-long-as-we-both-shall-live type.
Heck, the couple had a live sit-down planned with the network where they’d announce whether they planned to stay married or get divorced.
Zander imagined Duke passing that live filming commitment onto him as well. Just uh…tell her that I’d like to get divorced but stay friends and that it’s not her, it’s me.
A groan worked its way to his throat. What had he done? Zander knew that—out of any of the Bentons—Duke was most likely to change his mind about this type of commitment. Especially when he’d never met the woman.
But Zander had.
Oh, had he ever. And it wasn’t just any woman either. It was the sassy (not to mention gorgeous) chemist who’d caught his interest a few weeks back. Duke, you lucky dog. Zander would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about her a time or two since her heated visit to his office.
In fact, once the legalities for Milton and Brewster were in order, he planned to schedule a face-to-face meeting with Kat and explain how he intended to make the printing press an eco-friendly place.
Moreover, he’d been quietly hoping to ask her to dinner once business was through, so long as she wasn’t seeing anyone.
And now she was married to Duke.
A wry chuckle sounded low in his throat.
Without invitation, Zander’s mind shot back to the kiss at the altar. The soft press of her silky lips to his. The way she’d backed away shyly and blushed. In truth, his first kiss as an adolescent lasted longer, but it hadn’t been nearly as sweet.
Perhaps it was the triumph of it all. He’d seen two very different sides of this woman now. Gone from being chewed out by her during their first meeting and kissed by her in their next. And the sad truth was, Zander found himself wanting more.
A vision of her flawless face came to mind. The shock in her wide brown eyes as he lifted her veil. The relief evident as the pastor said Duke’s name, not his.
What were the chances?
Ms. Kat Morgan… Wait, it was Kat Benton now. A tiny flare of heat sparked low in his belly at the thought, until he reminded himself that she was Duke’s bride, not his.
The thought caused an old familiar sting. The sort that prodded at him each time Duke dated a girl Zander was interested in.
Jealousy.
After all, he wanted to get married one day too. Have a family. Start the life he intended to make for himself. Plus, Duke never chased brainiacs the way Zander did. Kat was way more his type than his twin’s.
“Duke,” came Grandma’s voice from behind.
The sound of his brother’s name made Zander straighten in a flash. Had Duke somehow made it after all? He spun around to see Grandma looking directly at him.
“Can I talk to you for a moment?”
His brow furrowed. “You were talking to me?”
She gave him a knowing look. “Of course. You’re Duke.”
He rolled his eyes. “Right.” That was, until Duke got there himself.
Grandma ushered Zander to a nearby corner. He glanced at the mingling guests before setting his gaze back on her.
“You did the right thing,” Grandma said. She wrapped an arm around him and pulled him in for a perfume-scented hug. “Her family is quite lovely. The bride is stunning too. I can’t help but think fate is at work in all of this.”
The comment spoke to a seed growing in Zander’s mind.
It wasn’t every day a woman had that kind of effect on Zander.
And then there was the fact that, despite getting hold of Duke in time for him to make it home, the weather had acted up.
The one thing that, as James pointed out, money couldn’t control.
Zander pulled back a bit to meet Grandma’s gaze. “Fate, huh? You think so?”
That mischievous smile came to the woman’s lips, reminding him of the many times she’d snuck candy to him during Mom’s anti-sugar push. Or taken him and Duke to that movie Mom had said no to.
“The bride’s dress,” she said in a whisper. “She came into my boutique for that. I helped her myself. She was vague about her groom, which happens when the bride is marrying a high-profile man and they’d like to keep things quiet.”
She nodded as her blue eyes grew thoughtful. “Funny thing is, while I was helping pick out the gown, I found out she was a chemist. Straight away I thought, too bad we didn’t meet sooner. I could’ve set her up with one of my handsome grandsons.”
Zander lifted a brow. “Kat got her dress from your boutique?” he hissed. “And you wished you could have set her up with one of us?”
His heart thudded out a new rhythm.
“Well, I thought about you specifically since she seemed more your type, but it looks like I wasn’t too far from the mark. I just love watching fate take control, don’t you?”
Wait, did that mean Grandma thought Kat was destined for Duke—not him?
She’s his bride, you idiot. Why did he keep forgetting that? Probably because he was the one who’d stood in his place and said I do. Zander forced a nod and ran a hand over his face, willing his expression to shift.
“What’s the matter, dear?” Grandma asked.
A small voice perked up inside him. Tell her. Tell her you think Kat’s a better match for you. Tell her that she’d already been on your mind.
He licked his lips, sucked in a breath, and dared himself to say it.
“Duke,” hollered a voice from down the hall. Randall, Marsha’s uptight assistant, motioned him with the frantic wave of one sweat-glistening arm. “They’re ready for your video interview.”
Zander fought back an irritated eye roll. “Be right there.”
“You go on, dear,” Grandma whispered. “You know Duke as well as anyone. You’ll do great.”
“Sure. Great.” He tucked his hands into his pockets and strode down the hallway, eyes set on the glossy hardwood beneath his black leather shoes.
“Good luck,” came a cheery voice, but it wasn’t Grandma’s.
Zander looked up in time to see Kat stepping through the doorway, a gathered portion of her gown in one fist.
“Thanks.” He slowed as she neared him. Holy heavens, why did she have to be so gorgeous?
That full color was back in her cheeks, warm and pink like her lips.
He’d heard some use the term glowing for women at prominent times in their lives.
Only now, as he took in the woman before him, did he appreciate the use.
High cheekbones that caught a reflection from overhead, lighting her up like an angel.
Her brown eyes held hints of gold, and something about her smile made him long to call it his.
Heat flared low in his belly as she delivered that smile right on cue. He cleared his throat. “How’d it go in there?”
“Good. They’re just going to ask what you were thinking during the ceremony.”
Zander lifted a brow. “What did you say?”
“Not telling.” She bit that plump bottom lip.
More warmth stirred in his belly. She was flirting with him, and he liked it way too much. The strangest impulse came to him then. The urge to lean in and press a small kiss to her cheek, as if they really were married. As if they’d been dating for years.
But he cleared his throat instead. “Well, then I’m not going to tell you what I say either.”
She giggled. “That’s sort of the idea. We’re not exactly supposed to.”
Zander furrowed his brow. “But we’re married now. Married couples tell each other everything.”
Kat held his gaze for a blink, disrupting the rhythm of his heart. And what was this? She was stepping even closer, one small shuffle after the next. Her satin gown nudged against his suit coat.
Zander inhaled the warm scent of her, sweet hints of that tropical fragrance. She slipped a hand over his shoulder and leaned in further still, bringing her face very close to his. He stood motionless as her silky lips grazed his cheek in a warm kiss.
“Maybe I’ll tell you later then,” she whispered. “If you promise to tell me too.”
Zander gulped.
Suddenly Kat perked up and backed away. “Bye, husband,” she said, and then moved on down the hall.
He glanced over his shoulder, liking that she’d called him husband and not Duke. Maybe he could make that a thing during his time with her.
“See you in a minute, my bride,” he said.
The angry sound of Grandma clearing her throat echoed clear down the hallway.
He looked back in time to catch a warning glare. Grandma was right to warn him, but that didn’t change Zander’s desire to get closer to Kat.
But what was so wrong with that? He was playing the part of her groom, wasn’t he? They’d asked him to. And Zander wasn’t the type to go halfway.
Yet as he stepped onto the improvised TV set in the back room—complete with lights, cameras, and a padded chair in the spotlight—Zander felt the guilt working its way in.
Not only was he an imposter, he was also developing feelings for a woman who wasn’t his. A woman who was—in part thanks to him—married to his twin brother.
Zander sank into the chair, eyed the cameras aimed in his direction, and set his gaze on Marsha, ready to take her questions.
He just needed to get through the evening. Hopefully by early morning—if not in the middle of the night— Duke would show up, take his place, and all would be well.
But that thought didn’t bring much relief. In truth, it sparked a fresh batch of jealousy instead.
Heaven help him. This could get dangerous.