Page 32 of Maid For Each Other

“Okay, well, I appreciate the thought,” I said, knowing I should probably take advantage of his money-centric nature, but I was too exhausted to think. “But taking more than the already bonkers forty would be obscenely bonkers. Just don’t get in my way or be a jerk and we’re good.”

“Really?” He cleared his throat and said, “Well, thank you, Abi.”

“So…are we good? Can we hang up?” I didn’t know how todeal with him being nice. “I need to get a good night’s rest if I’m going to become a dreamboat girlfriend in the morning.”

“Well I can’t mess with that possibility, now can I?”

“No, you cannot. Good night, Powell.”

“Good night, Mariano.”

After I hung up, I had trouble falling asleep, which was shocking when I was so exhausted.

But Declan Powell, a stranger who was paying me thousands of dollars to pretend to be his girlfriend, was coming over to sleep under the same roof I was sleeping under.

Was this a fever dream?

Was I high?

Nothing made sense about this, and only time would tell if I’d scored the jackpot of a lifetime, or if I’d just made my biggest mistake.

12

Wake-Up Call

Declan

I tiptoed out of the bedroom, slowly opening the door so I didn’t wake Abi. I’d set my alarm for 4 a.m., a godforsaken hour, but I wanted to make good on my promise to be out of her way when I wasn’t sleeping.

I had my shoes in my hand, creeping in the dark toward the kitchen where I could quickly grab a coffee before disappearing from the premises, when she flew out of the bedroom and nearly ran me down in the hallway.

“Oh, my God!” she squeaked, putting a hand over her chest as I grabbed her upper arms and caught her before she fell. “You scared the crap out of me.”

“Same,” I said, my heart pounding. “What are you doing up this early?”

“Ialwaysget up this early,” she said, still wearing the frazzled expression as she looked up at me. “What areyoudoing up this early?”

“I wanted to get out of here so I wasn’t in your way,” I said, letting go of her arms as I got a good look at her.

Her hair was sticking up everywhere, and she was wearing black pajamas that had pictures of her face all over them. I knew I should let it go because something told me she’d be pissed if I laughed at her, but I said, “I like your narcissistic pajamas.”

She rolled her eyes. “Save it, I bought them for my ex.”

That explains why they look huge on you.“He didn’t like them?”

“We broke up the very day I gifted them.”

“Because he hated them?”

“Yes,” she said dryly. “We broke up because he hated the pajamas.”

Was I being an asshole? I felt like an asshole. Something about the look on her face made me feel like I’d touched a nerve somehow, so I said, “It’s a better story for you to wear your own face, anyway.”

“I agree.” She tucked her hair behind her ears and said, “And you don’t have to leave this early; it’syourhouse.”

“I usually go to the gym around now, so it’s fine,” I lied, still shocked she’d been so understanding about my situation.

Although to be honest, I was pretty sure it was only a matter of time before she came up with a price for my stay. I suspected it was the surprise of my request that was responsible for her generosity, not a kind heart, because if she’d felt comfortable asking for forty thousand dollars to spend a weekend playing house, she was definitely going to come up with a fee for this request.

---