Page 21 of Love Beyond the Illusion
I suck in a breath and throw out the first number that comes to mind. “Ten thousand dollars.”
“That’s peanuts. No way,” she responds.
“You asked for plants?”
She pouts.
“Fifteen thousand dollars.”
I feel her leg bouncing underneath the table. She’s nervous but not letting on that she is. “Higher.”
My hands fly up. “Seriously?”
“How bad do you want it?” Piper challenges, but it sounds like she’s taunting me rather than negotiating. And I fucking love it.
“Twenty thousand dollars and not a penny more,” I playfully say, folding my arms at my chest.
She is gorgeous, and there’s an obvious attraction between us, but I need to remain focused on the future of my family’s winery. This is an entirely ridiculous idea, but something inside tells me to trust it.
“It’s not like I’m doing anything else at the moment.” Her face lights up. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
Chapter Nine
Piper
HowthehelldidI end up marrying someone that I had just met?
I fall to my bed and glance over at the luggage that needs unpacking, then drag my eyes across the hall and into the kitchen, where the remainder of my groceries still need to be put away. They’re both going to have to wait. I’m exhausted, hung over, and still in shock.
Waking up in his hotel room this morning was a surreal experience. Not only did we not have sex, but he was a perfect gentleman about it. I can’t say that it didn’t sting when both his body language and actions made it clear that he wasn’t at all interested in me—a stark contrast from the vibes I was getting the night before. Maybe he was nervous? Perhaps he wasn’t sure how to act around me. I know I felt that way.
The thought of Jack makes my stomach flip. I can’t believe he’s going to pay me to be his fake girlfriend for the next two months. When he brought it up this morning at breakfast, my initial thought wasabsolutely not. The whole idea sounded completely strange and wild. But the more I saw the color of his eyes change and the way his mouth quirked up when he spoke, the more his idea didn’t sound all that bad—getting paid to be some rich, gorgeous guy’s fake girlfriend with some added time in Wine Country? I could make it work.
There’s a buzzing sound next to my ear.
Jack: Hello, Piper, this is your husband.
My husband? What the fuck.A blush at his cheeky comment.
Me: Hi, how are you?
Jack: Just checking in to make sure you made it home safely.
Me: I did. I just got back not too long ago. I’m assuming you made it home safely as well?
I roll over onto my stomach and let my feet float.
Jack: Yeah. I sent you an email with the dates you’ll need to be in Northern California. Did you get it?
Me: I haven’t yet. I’ll take a look later.
I fire off that text, thinking he will continue his flirty small talk.
Jack: Let me know, and we can lock it down. The important events of the harvest season start as early as the end of next week. I’d like you to accompany me to most of them.
Maybe he is the same stiff Jack from this morning? His tone is dry. Or maybe mine is dry?Who the hell knows at this point?
Me: Let me look at my work schedule, and I’ll get back to you.
