Devin sighs. “But there’s a promotion coming up, and usually they would do that from inside the company. I want to prove to Jim that I’m stable, and ready to take the next step up the corporate ladder.”
A stranger is about to be my husband. A stranger whose voice reverberates up my inner thighs and whose gaze makes me sit up straighter, breathlessly hanging on every word.
If my choice is to spend the weekend with that guy Megan keeps trying to set me up with versus this divine hunk of a stockbroker? The choice is easy.
Well…not easy. I'll have to force myself through some shyness. But I already know it will be easier with him than in themiddle of Megan's swarm of friends with whom I have nothing in common.
My palm rests gently in his, the combined warmth of them making my heart speed up. I’ll be moving out soon and doing everything alone. This is a chance to try new things.
Suddenly I feel flushed, and the words tumble out with no input from my brain. “I don’t know how to be a wife or even how to be close with someone. But this getaway would save me a lot of awkwardness since I know I’m going to explode at Megan if she shoves me at her friend one more time. I’m sure it will be less awkward to be with your coworkers…well, it’ll still be awkward, but I promise I’ll try my best…and since I don’t know them, they’ll think my jitters are just my usual shyness and it’s more forgivable, and?—”
Devin’s gorgeous eyes crinkle very slightly at the corners as he smiles, unbothered by my babbling. “Is that a yes?”
"Sure. What time do we leave tomorrow, and what should I pack?”
2
DEVIN
After two months of feeling progressively worse about my new job, I finally have a sense of hope. This is going to be an opportunity to really spend some time with the top brass and get to know what they expect. What they’re looking for.
I moved my whole life to Kingsville for this job. If it goes south, there aren’t many other top brokerages in the area that I could bounce to.
When I pull up in front of Laila's house, she’s already on the porch with a small suitcase and a shoulder bag. Her driveway is crowded with six cars, so I begin to park on the street. Laila is already running toward me. I barely have time to jump out and help her throw her things in the back seat before she hisses, "Quick – let’s get out of here!"
I take off immediately, driving several blocks before pulling in at a gas station to refuel. "Are you…okay?" I ask carefully.
She turns to me with a dazzling smile. Honestly, everything about this girl is dazzling. Her long, nearly black hair. Her light blue eyes. Her slight air of… I'm not sure if it's shyness orshe's just very particular and careful, but I'm looking forward to figuring it out.
"Argh! I told Mom and Megan three times last night that I wouldn't be back until Sunday or Monday. They refuse to listen. They've been trying to rope me into helping with some handmade paper decoration thing that's all over Instagram."
Laila sighs. "Honestly, thank you for rescuing me. I still don't know if I can do a good job playing your wife, but I'm really going to try."
"Don’t worry, we have several hours to figure out how to make this as easy as possible for both of us." I unfasten my seatbelt. "But first, I gas up the car and we hit the convenience store for snacks."
An hour later, I've been converted to hazelnut coffee for road trips, and am stuffed to the gills with a possibly toxic mix of gummy candy, pretzels, and barbeque corn chips. We've been chatting about music, podcasts, and movies, carefully noting anywhere our tastes overlap so that that can be "our thing" as a couple.
After a rest stop that thankfully includes some real food in the form of a roast beef sandwich, we get back in the car and continue on our way. "Okay, so before we get to the serious stuff, I have to ask. What's the deal with Megan? Why does she drive you nuts?"
Laila looks down at her hands. Last night her nails were bare, but I notice that this morning they're painted an elegant pale pink.
"I want to be careful how I say this. I don’t want to come across as childish or petty."
I reach out and give her hands a gentle squeeze. "How about this weekend we promise each other we’ll always be brutally honest? We won't allow ourselves to be offended or freaked out.We'll just keep everything out in the open. It’ll make things easier."
She nods as I retract my hand. "Deal." Then she flashes me a tentative smile as she rolls her eyes. "I'm twenty-three. Megan just turned twenty-one. Even though we're so close in age, our parents have always treated us completely differently."
"How so?"
"It was obvious from the start that I love learning and books. So my entire life went in that direction. I studied hard, went to university, and got a fantastic job as an editor for a sci-fi and fantasy website." Laila grins. "I'm even a judge for their annual literary awards. All this is to say, I have a ton of reading to do this weekend."
"I will do everything I can to make sure you get it done."
She laughs. "It'll certainly be easier to focus than if I was at home. Anyway, back to Megan. Every moment of her life has been lived for maximum attention. Which is weird, because she alwayshadmy parents' full attention. I was always off in my room reading a book, meanwhile she was prancing around the living room putting on fashion shows and pretending she was a TV star. She took one media course in college and now thinks she's going to be an influencer. She's actually using her engagement parties and wedding to…how did she put it…establish a fun but elevated tone in my initial content to set up my entire career."
I snort. "I'm sorry. Total honesty? That sounds like utter bullshit."
Laila laughs. "Oh, it is! There's nowayshe could ever make a living at this! There are so many other people out there who are more driven, who have put in the hours to actually research the finer points of each platform and its algorithm."
