Chapter 12
Opal indicated and pulled over, waiting for a rare parking spot in the CBD. "What's going on?"
Ruby had asked herself the same question many times over the last week. Sadly, she was no closer to an answer, other than being responsible for the future of Seaborn sucked.
"When I said we were heading into town for an afternoon cocktail party, I lied."
"Thought so." Opal reverse parked, cut the engine, and cast a critical glance at Ruby’s alabaster silk sheath and the luminous pearls at her ears and neck. "You're never this nervous about attending a party, so I knew it had to be more."
Ruby smoothed her dress for the hundredth time. "You could say that."
"You're scaring me." Opal's eyes widened. "It's not Sapphire, is it? Is something wrong and you're not telling me?"
Ruby shook her head, hating that she'd made her cousin worry for nothing. "Saph's fine."
But I'm not. I'm about to marry a stranger.
"Then what is it?"
"There's no party today." She pointed at the beautiful stone building at the end of the block. "We're headed to the registry office."
Confusion creased Opal's brow. "Is someone we know getting married?"
Wishing the butterflies practising the bridal waltz in her belly would stop, she nodded. "Me," she blurted, watching her cousin's confusion turn to horror.
"What? Who…? Why…?"
Opal rubbed her temples, as if staving off a headache. Ruby knew the feeling.
"I'm marrying Jax Maroney in half an hour."
It sounded more ludicrous out loud and she was glad they hadn't left the car because, by her pallor, her cousin would've keeled over in shock if she hadn’t been sitting.
Opal opened and closed her mouth several times before speaking. "I don't understand."
This would be the hardest part, lying to her cousin. But Ruby had agreed with Jax: no one, not even their closest relatives, could know the truth. Less likelihood of their fake marriage leaking to those who could use it against them.
Ruby took a deep breath, hoping her high school drama classes were good for something.
"We met in Broome when I popped over for that pearl expo, and have been doing the long-distance thing ever since."
Opal didn’t buy it, if her narrowed eyes and compressed lips were any indication. "Why the heck didn't you say something?"
Luckily, she'd prepared this answer too. "Because his mine is driving us out of business, and Sapphire would kill me if she knew."
Understanding flared in Opal's eyes. "That's why you're doing this. For the business," she said, so softly Ruby had to lean forward to hear.
The truth lodged in her throat, dying to spill out, but she'd agreed to keep this need-to-know, namely between her pretend groom and her.
"It seemed the right time to take our relationship to the next level."
Not a bald lie, just a twisting of the truth. Time to take her relationship with Jax to the next level to get him to back off on his takeover bid and give Seaborn a chance to shine again.
Tears glistened in Opal's uncertain gaze. "I think you're amazing, and if you ever need me, I'm here."
"Thanks, sweetie."
They hugged, and Ruby sent a silent prayer heavenward that she’d completed the first tough task for the day.
When they eased apart Ruby braced for the next. "There's one more thing—"
Opal's eyes flew to her belly. "You're not pregnant?"
Hell no. As if this bizarre situation wasn’t complicated enough, she'd make sure if she slept with Jax they were well protected.
That one little word taunted her.
If…
Maybe she'd been so caught up in lying to everyone, she’d started lying to herself?
Considering the underlying buzz of attraction between them, that if looked mighty shaky.
Jax had made it perfectly clear he wouldn't mind sex as part of their arrangement.
She'd refused. Easy in theory. But could she hold out once that ring slipped on her finger and they had to act cosy?
That if could be in serious danger of morphing into when.
"No, not I’m not pregnant, but it's something almost as serious."
Opal grabbed hold of her hand. "What?"
"You can't tell Sapphire about this."
Opal released her hand as if she'd asked her to lie to the pope.
“Until after I'm married," she amended, and Opal sagged in relief. "I'm going to visit her and tell her the good news in person as soon as the ceremony's over."
Opal searched her face for answers she had no intention of giving. “Are you sure about this?"
Ruby nodded. "I'm getting married in thirty minutes." And nothing, not even those butterflies trading a waltz for a stomping hoedown in her stomach, would stop her. "Let's go."
Opal sighed, but wisely kept the rest of her far too astute observations to herself as Ruby checked her makeup and hair in the rear-view mirror.
In reality, she didn't care how she looked.
The tonged curls carelessly arranged in a loose bun on top of her head leaving tendrils loose, the cosmetic-counter department store makeup job, the classic sheath and matching shoes, were nothing but props for the performance of her life.
Adjuncts to a sham she had to perpetuate to benefit them all: Sapphire, Opal, and all the employees and their families that had worked at the Seaborn mine for decades.
She could do this.
Channelling a rapidly dwindling supply of courage, she reached up to swivel the rear-view mirror back into place. As she did so, she caught sight of her one concession to emotion on this surreal day.
Her mum's pearls.
The baroque pearls Mathilda had worn on her own wedding day, the pearls her dad's great-grandfather, the founder of Seaborn, had bestowed to be passed down to every Seaborn girl getting married.
She'd always wanted her mum to be a part of her wedding, whenever that was, and wearing the pearls made her feel close to her.
And vindicated her decision to marry for convenience rather than love.
Sapphire had promised their mother to cherish Seaborn and make it flourish, and Ruby had done the same when she insisted Sapphire take an enforced absence or risk losing her health as well as their livelihood.
She'd be damned if she failed a month after Sapphire's collapse, and only a year after their mum's death.
Swallowing the lump of emotion lodged in her throat, she swivelled the mirror away. She may have skipped the chapel but all too soon she’d be getting married.