“Ah, come on, you two. Have fun with your lovebird story. How about you, Mari? Kids? Dogs?”
Um. I used the filler only in my head rather than out loud just as my speech teacher taught at the fancy private school I attended for twelve years.
“No kids for me?” It was definitely a question—one I hadn’t worked out an answer for yet.
“No?” Oliver’s face fell, and I questioned his dedication over Pierce and my fake children.
“Well, I’d want to adopt one day.” So many kids needed families in every country of the world. I had little to no connection to the eggs in my body. They contained the same genetic material that allowed my parents to banish me with no concern for my whereabouts. We didn’t need more uncaring people running the place. A few less in the Chambers’ clan would do the Earth good.
“Adoption is good. You should run with that,” Oliver said.
I smiled while nodding my head. “I’m serious with the adoption part—a boy and a girl. Siblings if possible.”
The three of us wandered the little store for a few more minutes until we ended up back in the main hallway. Pierce’s phone dinged, and he brought his watch up to read the message, laughing as he did so.
“What?” Oliver asked, trying to steal a peek over his cousin’s shoulder.
Pierce shook his head and lowered his watch. “Another death threat.”
“What?” I asked more concerned. Those words weren’t supposed to sound so caviler. How much did the town hate him?
Rather than search for the nearest security guard or use his phone to call the police, Pierce and Oliver both picked up their pace, strolling through the mall as if we were having a pleasant afternoon.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s from Katy,” Pierce said nonchalantly.
“How do you know?” Did she sign her death threat? That didn’t sound like something a smart criminal did.
“It’s always Katy,” Pierce said with a shrug.
Who exactly was Katy besides the woman dropping cookies in the bakery? And why was she sending more than one death threat to Pierce? So many that he no longer found them concerning. It seemed I had yet to learn many things with my new fake fiancé , but I needed to do so pronto.
5
Mari
Pierce dropped the three bags he carried in from the car in the middle of his living room. From the outside, the Kensington family home held a traditional East Coast façade as a big white home with lots of windows, but inside someone took the time to update it over the years. Therefore, everything looked modern once you passed the front door.
Big columns broke up the space with tall ceilings and dark-colored hardwood floors ran the entire first floor. The living room, which boasted a TV the size of one wall, was framed by white couches that looked too pristine to sit on, but I knew from experience were comfortable.
The home was stately, expensive, yet somehow well-lived in at the same time. To be honest, it didn’t fit Pierce. It was more laid-back than many of my expectations of what an East Coast high society man would be. His house didn’t fit it, but Pierce himself did. He was stiff and stuffy compared to his cousin.
Oliver walked in after Pierce and dumped a few more bags on the floor. “Hey, be careful. Those contain shoes,” I said as a box slipped from one bag as it fell to its side.
They were a nice pair of shoes. I purchased considerably more clothing than I planned to when I agreed to a shopping trip, but every time I tried to put an item back, Oliver reminded me of my new position for the next six months and I couldn’t stop thinking of the price each item would fetch on eBay.
I was strictly back into the get-back-to-Guatemala-as-fast-as-possible plan I’d started this adventure with. Something warned me the longer I stayed and the more comfortable I became the harder it would be to leave. And I had to leave. I refused to fall back into my old Mari ways.
“It’s rough being a Kensington. Isn’t it?” Oliver asked as he flopped on one couch and tossed his legs up over the end.
Pierce narrowed his eyes at his cousin and used a hand to swipe his feet off the furniture.
I laughed for probably the millionth time that day at the two and their antics. They were more like brothers than cousins. As shameful as it was to admit, I’d never had such carefree relationships—at least not until I landed in Guatemala, but certainly never with someone in one of my social circles in America.
And to be honest I loved the clothing I’d been able to pick out from the mall. I refused to fall back into stuck up Mari, but I was more than ready to get back into wearing high heels again. I grew rather accustomed to the comfortable sneakers and flats I’d picked up wearing the last two years, but nothing beat a pair of heels.
Pierce twisted his arm, bringing his watch to his eyes to read it for longer than it took to figure out the time. He shook his head and met his cousin’s gaze. “Are you two okay here if I skip out on dinner?”
We grabbed lunch at a restaurant in Portland, but I could definitely eat again. I wanted to spend the next six months eating big juicy burgers, fries, and pizza. Thank god I wasn’t talking to my mother because it would give her a heart attack.
