Page 19 of Love Beyond the Illusion
“Hungry?” I ask, circling the small sitting area to stand in front of her.
She looks up at me with her beautiful hazel-green eyes. “Starving.”
Piper and I leave the suite and walk down the long hallway toward the elevator. The intensity between us is so thick that I can almost feel it suffocating me between the four walls of this confined space. I shift a couple of times in place, then shove my hands into the front pockets of my jeans. Based on how Piper is fidgeting with the strings of her hoodie, she’s also unsure how to act around me.
A few uncomfortable minutes later, we’re seated at a small cafe on the lobby floor of the resort and casino.
“After all the fun we had last night, I now fully understand why there are no windows in casinos,” she tells me after placing her order.
I hand my menu to the server and smile at Piper, anxiously waiting for another off-the-wall comment about something completely random.
“And why is that?”
“Because it causes people to lose track of time. The lack of awareness from the light of day to the darkness of night confuses people, making them think that the night can never end, and it will simply keep going,” she shares with me in a single breath.
I laugh. “That’s exactly what got us into this mess in the first place. We didn’t want the night to end, and by what we did last night, it technically didn’t.” I take a sip of my hot cup of coffee.
“That’s right.” She smiles, tucking her loose hair behind her ear.
When our food arrives, Piper and I sit silently, trying to put the pieces together from the last twelve hours. But then, unexpectedly, an idea forms in my head. She’ll think I’m crazy as hell, or she’ll be interested. I straighten my shoulders and suck in a deep breath. “What if this little situation we got ourselves into could benefit us both?”
Piper stops mid-bite, her fork suspended in the air. “What do you mean?”
Resting my elbows on the table, I clasp my hands under my chin. “Remember last night when I told you about how I’m being ousted from my family’s winery by my dad’s long-time friend and business partner?”
Piper’s expression quickly changes from interest to confusion. “Um, I don’t think so. Sorry,” she says, glancing down at the rolled paper straw around her ring finger. “Clearly, I don’t remember much.”
Holding back a smile, I rub my lips together because she’s still wearing the paper ring. It’s unbelievable what we did, but based on ourlove document, it did, in fact, happen. “I understand. Everything is a bit fuzzy. It is for me, too, but I vaguely remember discussing this with you.” I pause, watching as her expression changes.
Piper nods. “A little bit, I do.”
“Okay, awesome. What if we pretended to be together to make me look more stable? I’m also in the process of putting an offer on a house, and this would make it so much better.”
“You want to stay married to me so it can help you look better while taking over your family’s winery?”
My eyes grow wide. “Yes. That’s exactly right.”
“I’m sorry, but that sounds ridiculous. You’re a good-looking, successful guy. Don’t you have any female friends that would love to be yourfake girlfriend?”
I have other options, but Piper and I are already married. We’ll have to be together until we get this figured out anyway, and I’m sure it will take at least a few weeks to get our marriage annulled. Our family lawyer could easily handle it with discretion when the time comes, so why not see if we could use it to our advantage?
I set my cup of coffee down on the table before answering. “Thank you—and yes, I do, but I think this could only work if it’s strictly professional.A business deal. I don’t want any headaches or confusion about feelings to be involved. As long as we go into it knowing that this agreement is only for business, then we’ll both be able to go our separate ways when it’s over.”
“You’reactuallyserious?” She stares at me from across the table with her eyes the size of saucers.
“I know it sounds insane, but I think this could work for me. Look at it from a marketing standpoint,” I continue, “People love families and young couples, and without getting you pregnant, I think this is the next best thing.”
She coughs and blinks a few times. “Did you say getting me pregnant like it was an actual thought?”
Oops. “Okay, maybe that was a bad example, and I’m not actually meaning us, like you and I—I’m only stating the obvious, and this small community is all about families.”
“You are a special guy, you know that?” She sneers.
I return with an exaggerated smile. “I am, aren’t I?”
“Let’s say hypothetically, I consider what you’re proposing—how long would this last, and how would we make it work? I live in Phoenix, and you said you’re moving back to Northern California.” She points out valid concerns, but she’s considering my offer.Yes.
“I would only need one to two months max. I think that should be enough time to re-establish myself in the community and around the winery before we can simply break up. We can get a divorce, and I’ll even pay for it. We have a family lawyer that would take care of it for us.” Piper still has a look of disbelief on her face, but I continue hoping she doesn’t change her mind. “As far as our living arrangement, you can be long distance, but I will need you to be around for big events like harvest season that’s coming up. Then we’ll go from there,” I explain, trying my best to close this deal. Maybe not the ideal approach.
