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He flashes me a quick smile. “Peace. I’ll be in tomorrow.”
Groaning, I turn back to the window. Two older women, decked out in expensive yoga gear, walk down the street toward Tranquility Yoga. Maybe I should go get Zen with them.
Or I could finally fuck my beautiful fake fiancée. That would go a long way toward relieving some of my stress. My lips turn up at the corners as I ponder the possibilities.
“Yo! River!” My brother Rex calls to me from the front office.
I’m not expecting to see him today. This is an unexpected, but not unwelcome, visit.
I walk out into the lush, couch-lined waiting area. Wesley’s desk sits to my right with the chair pushed in, the PC turned off, and the desktop as neat as a pin.
Rex and Cole are just sitting down on the plush leather couches. Rex is dressed in a dark Atlanta Kings hoodie and black track pants. Cole is wearing jeans and a white button-down.
“I didn’t expect to see y’all until the Kings game next weekend!” I say. I grab a seat in the matching leather chair. “Rex, you look like you’re slumming it, as usual. Cole, I’m surprised to see you in jeans.”
Cole cuts me a droll look. “Savannah won’t come into the office unless I wear jeans to work. It’s a whole thing, that I can’t really get into.”
“Sounds like you let your woman run your whole life.” I reach out, grinning, and tap his knee. “I’m kidding. I like Savannah.”
“You’re such a little kid.” He shakes his head at me.
“Which is why I was so surprised to hear the news,” Rex cuts in with a sneaky smile. “Dude, you picked a very splashy way to announce that you have a girlfriend.”
“Ah.” I’m not going to pretend that lying to my brothers doesn’t feel a little weird. I shift in my seat and wrinkle my brow. “Y’all heard about that, huh?”
“Uh, yeah. We heard. Not only is your relationship the only gossip the whole town's talking about,” Cole smirks and pulls out his phone, showing me the screen, “but your little public announcement is up on Cape Simon Around Town. It already has three thousand likes.”
I snatch the phone from his hand and hit play. It’s a shaky video, but Pearl and I are in front of a crowd of people. I’m talking to her. She looks like she’s about to shit a brick. Which is not exactly my memory of how it went down.
“Fuuuck,” I sigh. “Everybody knows, huh?”
I make it sound like I’m against it, even though it was my plan all along.
“Oh yeah. You two are all anyone is talking about. Savannah is driving me up the wall, demanding to know if I knew you were a couple.” Cole cocks a brow. “I was under the impression that you were staunchly opposed to being monogamous. You were a total prick about the whole ‘marriage’ thing when I got engaged to Savannah.”
Wincing, I nod. “Yeah. I’m sorry. I have no defense. Pearl’s the one that changed my mind.”
“Two years into your secret relationship?” Rex asks, his tone skeptical. “Yeah right. What are you getting out of this?”
I lick my teeth. “Nothing,” I insist. “I’m just taking the next step. Right? Isn’t that what y’all keep parroting back to me? First you find a girl. Then you ask her to marry you. Then you have a baby. Those are the steps.”
I really need to convince Rex and Cole. Together with Rhett, they are the three brothers that the rest of the family follows. Once I get them on board, my parents will be much easier to ensnare.
“Whoa. First you introduce this girl out of nowhere. Now you’re talking about marriage? You are moving with lightning speed, little brother.”
“Mom says that when you know, you know,” I say. Yeah, I feel a twinge in my chest for misleading my brothers. But they will understand. I think when I explain that I faked my engagement for money, they will roll their eyes and mutter about how that is something I would do.
“I love her,” I say, finishing strong.
The words feel strange in my mouth. But I try to tell myself that my brothers would do the same thing in my position. At least Rex would; I have no doubt that in my shoes, my brothers would do the same thing. It’s just Cole that is too truthful for his own good.
Rex slaps his knees. “Can we continue this argument over lunch? I’m starving.”
Saved by the bell. Or Rex’s rumbling stomach, I guess.
I spring to my feet, eager to change the subject. “Where should we eat? Mari Macs? The Cape Bistro?”
Cole rises and looks at Rex. “You’re the one on a strict diet.”
