I ate the cool ice cream and enjoyed the last rays of the summer, but my stomach twisted with guilt. The longer I spent getting to know Mari, the more I fell for her. How could a woman who came from such high beginnings and then fell into such a low return to the states and continue her sunny outlook? It was a genuine test of a person’s grit that she hadn’t let life get the best of her.
I had friends in school who had lost a day’s earnings in the stock market, and they wouldn’t quit moaning for a month. Mari lost everything—her job, her inheritance, and most importantly her family—but she found a way to continue and give back to others.
If the circumstances were different, I’d have followed her anywhere. Like a puppy I’d do anything to get her to agree to share a simple dinner with me. But it wouldn’t happen. Mari belonged to my cousin. Their agreement might be strictly business, but I couldn’t swoop in and steal my cousin’s fake fiancée.
Could I?
17
Mari
Pierce and I sat across from one another at the kitchen table he preferred over the formal dining room. The feeling was mutual. In this part of his home, I could see the ocean outside his large windows. Pierce sat with his back to the view, his attention consumed by a stack of papers he’d brought with him from his office. He never looked at the ocean.
The only place I saw Pierce anymore was the breakfast table. Nothing changed between us as time ticked away each second. Nothing but losing his housekeeper slash sometimes cook. I would’ve taken the task up myself, but I was a guest in Pierce’s home, and even though he tried to tell me on multiple occasions to make myself at home, this wasn’t a long-term arrangement. I needed to remind myself not to get too comfortable.
It wasn’t right to walk into his kitchen and take it over for my whims. So instead of being useful I stuck to my pulp-filled orange juice and stared out at the waves as they crashed against the shore. The sky was overcast with gray clouds lining each area as if a sheet had tucked around the city. Fall was coming to Pelican Bay quickly.
The twisty, windy, atmosphere outside was creeping in and I looked for a way to keep the depressive atmosphere at bay. Months were left in our agreement, and I needed to figure out how to have a fake relationship with Pierce while secretly lusting over his cousin. Unfortunately, I seemed to be the only one worried about it.
Pierce spread out the papers on the table and I tried to read them upside down, but they were too far away and the fonts too small.
“Anything I can help you with?” Yes, I’d spent the better part of two years digging wells in Guatemala, but I still had an intense business mind. Not that long ago I ran a company. Surely I could do more favors for Pierce than just appearing as eye candy and nitpicking the bed-and-breakfast.
He shook his head not removing his eyes from the paper. “No, this is the contract for Oliver’s factory in Clearwater. I figured we’d wait on more town introductions until I have a final purchase agreement for the property. Until then stay comfortable and enjoy the hospitality.”
His words sounded sincere, but I wasn’t used to taking handouts from people. It wasn’t the Chambers way.
“I’m sure there’s something I could do. I don’t enjoy feeling as if I haven’t accomplished anything.” Boredom gnawed at my subconscious. I could only watch TV for so many hours a day.
Pierce made this weird sound from his throat, which mimicked a tsk, and one side of his lips tipped up into a lopsided smile. “Trust me. You’ve already done so much.”
I had no idea what he thought I’d done because besides eating more ice cream than I had in ten years, I hadn’t accomplished much since I arrived in Pelican Bay. Pierce planned to pay me a lot of money and I wanted to make sure I did everything he asked. We had an agreement, and I planned to uphold my end in every way possible.
Plus knowing I helped him reach his business goals made me feel less like a prostitute. Well, high-end escort since we’d been clear there would be no exchange of sex.
Regardless of what he said, my lack of work for Pierce and my feelings for his cousin had that achy feeling in my stomach growing.
I didn’t understand how he said I’d been useful, let alone something helpful.
The conversation faded between us and even though I’d never had a problem sitting in silence before, I rushed to fill the emptiness. “Did Oliver tell you about Melissa’s visit?”
Pierce’s smile dropped, and he lowered the piece of paper an inch or two. “Yes, and if she comes around again, I’m going to take Ridge up on his offer of a bodyguard and a better security system.”
It didn’t sound as if Oliver talked Pierce into being more forgiving.
“You already have an alarm,” I said. Although, the alarm would be more effective if anyone ever set it. And I hadn’t outed Katy when she snuck in the other day, but I still hadn’t decided if there was more to that story than what she told me.
He didn’t answer my alarm comment, so I asked another question. “Do all your renters hand-deliver checks to you each month?” The story sounded off, but it was a small town. Who knew how they did things in this part of the world.
That question got a reaction from Pierce. He scrunched up his face and set the paper on the table. “No, that’s highly unusual. Did someone?”
“Katy, the other day.”
Pierce smirked. “Oh her. She stops by once a month to deliver a check. She likes to leave messages in the note section or, if she’s feeling wordy, on a post-it note. Other than that, most residents mail them to my accountant or use direct deposit.”
Weird. If she hated him so much, why come to see him once a month? And if Pierce found her to be such a nuisance, why let her invade his life so regularly? Why leave the doors unlocked, making it easy for her to walk in?
“You could force her to mail a check.” We were years into a new millennium. How did she even have checks to be writing in the first place?
