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“That can be very expensive,” I observed plainly. I had not realized that Ann was a vet, and it was making me see her in a new light.
Ann nodded.
Vicky came in with coffee on a little tray. She set the tray down on Ann’s desk and started mixing in sugar and cream in the first cup. When she looked over at me, I shook my head. I like my coffee back.
“How do you know him?” Ann asked, taking the first cup from her sister-in-law.
“Carl and I did our first tour in Iraq together. He now works for me at my security firm,” I explained.
“First to get married, is he?” Vicky asked out of nowhere as Ann buzzed to have the paperwork brought in.
I looked at the smiling redhead and shrugged. “The last actually, except me, of course. I guess I can represent all that is odd.”
“And that might well be how people will see it,” Ann smirked. She had a smile on her face, so I knew she was joking, at least somewhat.
Vicky handed me my coffee. “I don’t mean to pry -” she started out.
“But she will. Give her time,” Ann joked.
Her sister-in-law stuck her tongue out in the most unprofessional manner then she turned back to me.
“You could try bringing a fake fiancée,” Vicky said, ignoring Ann’s eyeroll. I stared at them both blankly. “Like a cardboard cutout?” I asked.
“No,” Vicky said with a giggle and a shake of her bright ponytail.
“Good, because I think people might figure that out, and I don’t have the money for any holographic technology,” I grumped, unsure of what they were getting at.
“Remember Carina and Leo?” Vicky asked Ann with a sly smile.
Ann laughed. “Oh yeah. Our friend didn’t have a date for her high school reunion last year, so she hired an escort. They went and pretended to be an engaged couple,” she recalled and then took another sip of her coffee.
They couldn’t honestly be suggesting I pick up an escort. This was a legal firm!
“How did that turn out?” I asked skeptically.
Vicky grinned and bounced a little on her heels. “They realized that they were meant to be. Jim found Leo a job, and now they are getting married in a few months,” she said proudly like she had orchestrated the whole thing.
“Wow,” I said, really not expecting that and not sure what else to say. It sounded like a fairy tale. Certainly, it would take more that one night for two people to fall in love.
“It could work for you,” Vicky said with more excitement than was necessary.
“How?” I asked, giving both ladies a hard look like I thought they were crazy. Which I did. “How could that possibly work? How can I get someone to ever go along with it?” I clarified.
As if I put in an order to the heavens, one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen walked into the office with a thick folder of documents that still carried the smell of the photocopier. She couldn’t have been more than twenty-five with bright ivory skin, curves that grabbed my attention, long, thick blonde hair, and the face of an angel.
Ann and Vicky looked at each other briefly, shared a cunning smile, and then turned back to the assistant. “Hayley!” they exclaimed in unison, making the poor girl jump.
“Yes?” Hayley asked, holding the folder up against her full chest.
“Are you single?” Vicky asked, and I started to worry about what their plan was.
I wasn’t the type of guy to date. A commitment was not my style. After I got out of the army, I figured that no woman could handle the man I had become, so why try. It was best to just have a string of one-night stands and leave it at that. Pretending to be in a relationship even sounded dumb.
The woman, Hayley, seemed quite surprised and nervous at her boss’s inquiries. She tried to reply but started to choke on her own shock, managing to crumple the folder against her chest and creasing the pages inside.
There was something about her innocence that was really turning me on.
“Y-yes,” she stammered in a breathy voice that heightened my desire. The poor thing looked so flabbergasted that I thought she might faint. Part of me wanted her to fall right into my arms.
Maybe a fake fiancée wasn’t the craziest idea.
Vicky winked at me before leaving the office. I just looked at Haley for a moment, not sure if it was really a good time to ask her to go to the wedding.
Chapter Two
Hayley
It was my first real, grown-up job. Like so many of my friends, I had hidden in the halls of academia to keep from having to join the “real world.” While my twin brother was away in the army, I studied. Eight years and two degrees later, though, it was time to stop hanging around and start living. Or so said my parents, right before they kicked me out of their house. Well, that’s not quite accurate. They did set me up with a place in Silver Lake and an interview at the Howell and Howell Law Firm beforehand.
