Page 18 of The Marriage Mistake

“We’ve been having some instances of vandalism lately. Apparently another one of our cameras got smashed.”

“Is property damage common here?”

He shook his head. “No.” It seemed like he wanted to say more, but he was distracted by another message landing on his phone. His fingers flew over the screen, and his brows jumped.

Curiosity bit me. “What is it?” I asked.

“Doris called half the town after we left the medical center,” Jack replied. “It was very romantic of you to throw yourself in the way of danger to save me from falling flat on my face, apparently.” The smile he gave me was sharp. “Good work, wifey.”

“No,” I immediately replied. “We’re not doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“You’re not calling me wifey.”

“Darling? Sweetheart? Honey bunch?”

“I’ll stab you with my dirty fork right in the middle of that raccoon bite if you don’t stop.”

Jack leaned back in his chair, his grin spreading. His body seemed to take up so much space at the table, his blue eyes glittering with interest. I wanted to look away from him, to stop myself from being ensnared by the magnetic charisma that seemed to tug at my gut every time we made eye contact, but I had the irrational, ridiculous fear that if I looked away, I would break something between us.

Why didn’t I want to break anything between us?

“I like it when you get violent with me, Ember. Your eyes get all glittery and mean.”

“Right in the middle of the raccoon bite,” I warned, lifting the fork another inch.

His smile widened, and a pulsing started between my legs. Oh, no.

“Regardless of your murderous desires,” he said, picking his wine glass up and watching me as he took a sip, “this is good news. It means we can keep riding this momentum and continue with our plan. We’ll go buy some wedding rings tomorrow morning, and I’ll show you around town.”

JACK

It had been a day I would never forget. Ember’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as she watched me from across the kitchen table, and I wondered when I’d last felt so alive.

Once I’d spoken to Darby and smoothed things over, my panic had eased and I’d been able to think about what had really happened today.

Ember, terrified of a rabid raccoon, had gone out with nothing but a broomstick to defend herself so she could get a first-aid kit to patch me up. She’d taken care of Darby. She’d insisted on coming with us to get treatment. She’d thrown herself in the way when I’d passed out after the shot, then quietly cleaned the kitchen and cooked so we could all have a meal together. She’d spoken to Darby like a real person—no baby talk, no placating, nothing remotely fake.

A remarkable woman. Unlike anyone I’d ever met.

She was prickly, closed off, and difficult.

She was brave, beautiful, and stubborn in the best way.

And she was only here to fulfill the conditions of a dead man’s will. She’d be gone within a couple of months.

I wasn’t worried about getting attached—that wasn’t a problem I’d ever had. Women were fun, but they weren’t part of my life in a meaningful way.

Ember was enticing, and our relationship had a built-in end date. It should’ve been the perfect setup for a bit of fun and an easy goodbye.

So why did my gut twist uncomfortably when I thought about our eventual divorce?

FIVE

EMBER

The school drop-off was my first hint that I’d been right about Jack’s popularity with the opposite sex. As soon as we parked in the long line of cars outside the school, heads turned toward us. Darby called out a goodbye and got out, shouldering her backpack as she slammed the back door. A woman who looked to be in her late thirties or early forties wiggled her fingers at Darby, then turned her gaze toward the car. Jack tensed slightly, throwing me an undecipherable glance. His jaw clenched and relaxed. The woman detached herself from the clump of moms to come knock on the driver’s side door.