Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Faye
“More champagne?” Cassandra says with a big phony smile as she holds up the bottle.
“Definitely,” I say, smiling back as I raise my glass, pretending like I’m not completely pissed that this chick just tried to seduce my husband. Pretend or not, Owen is mine for the weekend and I’m feeling a little territorial.
“Perfect,” I say, flashing her the fakest of fake smiles as the bubbles in my glass fizzle down.
Those sharp green eyes check Owen out for a microsecond before she struts back across the boat. If my eyes could shoot lasers, there would be two smoking holes in her back.
I’m thinking it was Love Bot that lured her in since she came on so strong, but even still, I don’t care. She thinks we’re married. I’m staying in her house! Like, hello?! And what the hell is she doing on FirstSpark anyway? She’s married too!
“Look at the loons,” Edward says, pointing to the birds in the distance. “I just love their call. Lonesome and beautiful all at once. Nothing sounds more like Canada to me.”
The company may be a little suspect, but the scenery more than makes up for it.
We’re riding on their luxurious thirty-two-foot mahogany boat that effortlessly glides across Lake Rosseau.
Soft, cream-colored leather seats run along both sides of the rear where we’re all gathered with our drinks, except for Tristan, who’s driving up front with a Heineken in his hand, listening to Bobcaygeon by The Tragically Hip.
His other hand is draped on the wheel and he’s looking effortlessly beautiful as the wind plays with his hair.
This is definitely the most incredible boat I’ve ever been on, which isn't saying much since my previous boating experience consists entirely of a paddleboat rental with Willow when I was nine. We kept going in circles and it was covered in spiders.
Lake Rosseau is massive and completely breathtaking, lined with thick forest and luxurious cottages. Even the ducks floating on the water look rich with their emerald green heads. It’s absurdly beautiful.
However, I would be enjoying it more if Cassandra would stop eye-fucking my husband. She looks stunning tonight and that just adds to my aggravation.
She’s wearing gold jewelry and a cream dress that fits like a second skin and ends approximately halfway up her toned thighs.
Her shoes have no business being on a boat—thin gold straps with a heel that would send me straight into the lake.
I’m wearing flat sandals and I’ve nearly gone over twice, yet she moves across the deck like a sexy panther.
The wind is slowly dismantling her pinned-up black hair and somehow it’s looking better by the second.
I look down at my outfit—a sundress I got on sale four years ago at Old Navy—and then back at Cassandra, and take a very long sip of champagne.
At least I have Amber here to balance things out. She’s wearing jean shorts and an old Radiohead T-shirt, looking bored as she lies across the seat, lazily scrolling on her phone.
Cassandra slides the champagne bottle into the ice bucket and sits beside Edward. Her already short dress shrinks a little more when she crosses her legs. She makes no effort to pull it back down.
I look at Owen to see if he’s noticing any of this. This seductive show is for him after all. He’s oblivious to it as usual.
“So,” Cassandra says, taking a sip as she places her hand on Edward’s knee. “How did you two lovebirds meet?”
Owen looks at me. I can see the apprehension in his eyes.
I smile at him, letting him know I got this. This is why he brought me after all. It’s time to earn that stunning apartment.
“We met at my coffee shop,” I tell them, smiling and nodding my head.
“Oh,” Cassandra says. “Do you own a line of coffee shops?”
“No,” I say, feeling a little deflated. “I just… work at one.”
She gives me a fake smile that makes me want to push her overboard. “How nice.”
“I love the smell in a coffee shop,” Edward says. “I could live in one.”
“Get another divorce and you might have to,” Amber mutters.
Edward ignores her. “And those warm little pastries they always have. To die for.”
“Owen came in every morning,” I say, putting my hand on his thigh as I smile up at him. I feel his leg twitch, but I don’t move it. “He has a very complicated coffee order.”
“It’s not that complicated,” he says. “I’m sure it’s quite common, actually.”
“Common?” I laugh. “I have never had anyone order anything remotely close to that. It’s more of a chemistry recipe than a coffee order.”
“What’s the order?” Edward asks, smiling along as he leans in.
He has such nice green eyes and a captivating smile.
He has the kind of rich good looks that make you want to hand over your retirement account for him to manage without even doing a background check. “I like my coffee with a lot of cream.”
“I love cream,” Cassandra says.
“Too easy,” Amber mutters.
“Tell me if you think this would be common,” I say with a grin. “Double ristretto, oat milk, sixty degrees, stirred for consistency, no foam, and the espresso needs to sit for ten seconds before combining. Super simple, right?”
“I’d expect nothing more from a genius chemist,” Edward says with a boisterous laugh. He raises his glass of scotch to Owen and then takes a large sip.
Owen lifts the scotch he was given and gives it a sour look before he lowers it without taking a sip.
“What made you finally ask her out?” Cassandra asks Owen directly, those brown eyes slathering all over him.
Owen is quiet for a moment.
I start to panic inside because we never rehearsed this answer. Should I say something? Create a diversion?
“She drew a four-leaf clover on my cup,” he says before I can react. “I had an important meeting and she drew it on my cup for good luck.” He pauses and then looks at me with those deep blue eyes. “I thought it was so thoughtful and sweet, so I asked her out.”
“Awww,” Cassandra and Edward say at the same time. I almost say it too.
I melt a little inside as I look up at him, touched that he remembered.
I slide my hand into his and he doesn’t flinch or leap off the side of the boat. He just holds it back like holding my hand is the most natural thing in the world. Maybe he’s not so bad at this pretending thing.
“He took me to a little Italian restaurant and we talked all night,” I say, resting my head on his shoulder. “It was so romantic.”
“And that was… three weeks ago?” Cassandra says with a judgey little tone that I don’t quite care for.
I straighten back up, trying not to narrow my eyes too much. “Four.”
“Oh,” she says with a little smirk. “I’ve heard of fast marriages before, but that was lightning quick.”
“Well,” I say, threading our fingers, “when you know, you know.”
“You must have known right away,” Edward says.
Owen slides his hand out. “Actually, nobody can possibly know long-term compatibility. The decision to marry was the result of a comprehensive evaluation of suitability variables, which resulted in data that was compelling enough to proceed.”
Everyone stares at him.
“He means it was love at first sight,” I say with an awkward little laugh.
“That’s not what I said,” Owen answers.
I take his hand and squeeze it hard. “That’s what he said,” I tell Cassandra.
Owen exhales, but doesn’t say anything more. Smart man.
“I can see why it was so fast,” Cassandra says with a carefree laugh. “I wouldn’t have lasted ten minutes before marrying him.”
“Yeah,” Amber says with a scoff. “We know.”
I take a long sip of my champagne.
“Are there going to be children in your future?” Edward asks.
Cassandra lightly smacks his arm. “Don’t ask them that!”
“Yeah, Dad,” Amber adds. “None of your business.”
“I want kids,” Owen says.
That shocks me more than anyone else. “You do?”
He looks at me and shrugs. “It’s our duty to repopulate the Earth.”
“That’s one reason for it,” Cassandra says with a laugh.
“I think that’s wonderful,” Edward says. “Children have been an absolute blessing in my life.”
“Since when?” Amber says, rolling her eyes.
The boat slows to a stop in the middle of the lake, rocking back and forth as the engines quiet.
Tristan parks in a beautiful spot where we get a front row seat to the sun setting over Lake Rosseau.
It’s already low in the sky, casting rays of pink and purple over our heads, and it’s all reflecting on the calm lake around us.
“Did we run out of gas?” Edward asks with a carefree laugh.
“No, I can go for days,” Tristan says while looking directly at me. I drop my eyes, my cheeks burning. What does that mean?
“Then, I guess it’s dinnertime,” Edward says, standing. Cassandra helps him empty the coolers, pulling out containers of gourmet sandwiches and delicious-looking salads.
“You should have taken me shopping,” I whisper to Owen while they’re distracted.
“Why?”
“Look at her dress and look at mine. She’s all high-end Paris runway and I’m all… bargain bin garage sale.”
He looks at her and then back at me. “I like your dress much better. You look beautiful.”
“Oh,” I say, stunned. “Thanks.”
I wasn’t looking for a compliment, but I’ll take it. Especially from a guy I know who never lies and will say it as shamelessly blunt and unnecessarily harsh as he can.
Tristan walks right up to me, those smoldering brown eyes fixed on me again. “Can you take this for a sec?” he asks, holding out his Heineken bottle.
“Sure,” I say as I take it from him. Our hands brush as I grab the bottle.
He lifts one of the seats and pulls out a hidden table.
“Thanks,” he says, reaching for the bottle. But he’s too slow. Owen grabs it out of my hand and shoves it into his.
I give him a curious look, but he doesn’t look at me.
“Who’s hungry?” Edward asks, pulling off the tops to the containers. There’s so much food and it all looks amazing. These people seem a little dysfunctional, but they know how to do a sunset cruise right. The boat and the lake and the view and the food… It’s all so perfect.