I sighed. “I’m already pretending to be Jesse. Under protest. What could be more radical than that?”
“Take Eliza to Miami, pretend to be Jesse there, on his home turf, and tell her he consults for us but is transitioning into sales.”
“I’m not doing that. You and Dad have already put me in this difficult position and now you’re overcomplicating it even more.”
“Fine. How do you think we should handle it, then?”
“For starters, we’ve already got Chicago and England in the mix. I’d really rather not add another location. So, we’ll just stay here and I’ll tell her I, as Jesse, sometimes step in for Will when Will is away on business or pleasure. She’ll think that Will is away right now and that’s that. That explains it without having to drag her to Florida for no good reason.”
Alex sat back again, glancing toward the windows as he thought it over. “That could work.”
“Sure, but Jesse hasn’t accepted any of this yet at all,” I reminded him. “He hasn’t even been?—”
“Jesse has been sent everything, including the terms,” he said, speaking over me. “He’s got the contract and he’s well aware of what’s going on. That’s why I’m not worried about the legalities. By the time the actual wedding comes around, it will be him at the end of the aisle.”
“Great. So I just have to do the heavy lifting and hope he shows up on the day?” I frowned, the insanity of this situation crashing into me all over again. “That’s one hell of a gamble, Alex. Why do you not seem to think so?”
If anything, he was overly confident about this, completely unconcerned about the fact that their groom of choice was still living it up in Florida, definitely not getting fitted for his tuxedo or shopping for a ring.
“Dad is willing to sweeten the deal with cold, hard cash,” Alex said, triumph ringing from his tone. “Jesse still trades stocks, right? He loves cash. He won’t say no once Dad tells him how much he’s willing to offer.”
As I stared at him, stunned, I realized that he’d covered every base except one. We were still lying to Eliza and Ihatedthat.
“Fair enough,” I finally agreed once the shock had subsided a little. “Jesse will probably go for it, but Eliza?—”
Alex sighed. “I know you have your reservations about this, Will. You’re a good guy and you’re worried about how it’s going to play out. I get that, but I’m sure I can work out a deal with you as well for your troubles. Hell, we might even be able to keep Dad out of your business when it comes to your own marriage timeline.”
I mulled over the entire asinine situation in my mind, just nodding even though Alex’s plan didn’t address my actual reservations at all. “Okay.”
What else could I say?
“When would Eliza like to meet?” I asked. “Do you happen to know if she’s had a chance to let their lawyers look over the contracts? They do have lawyers at their disposal, right? Because?—”
“That’s already been worked out. Relax, Will. All is well, but she does have some terms.”
“Such as?”
He finally hesitated for a beat, his eyes moving from one of mine to the other like he wasn’t sure how to break this news. My stomach tightened into knots. “She’s asked that you travel England to sign the contract at their family’s estate.”
So taken aback that I nearly dropped my coffee, I blinked at him a few times before I finally just asked. “Why?”
Alex shrugged. “I don’t know her at all, so I have no idea, but she was firm. Their flight took off this morning, but after she signs, she’ll come back here with you.”
“So my fate is sealed,” I mused out loud, not adding that I truly only had myself to blame for agreeing to this. “Fuck.”
A brief flicker of sympathy appeared in Alex’s eyes, but true to form, that didn’t slow him down. “Are you available to fly out on Sunday and stay the week?”
I groaned. “No, but I can make myself available. It’s not really like I can say no at this point, is it?”
As things stood right now, I was in too deep and no matter how I felt about it, there was no getting out now. Not until they could convince my brother to take his rightful place at the end of that aisle—and marry the girl I only wanted to protect.
CHAPTER 10
ELIZA
Sunday evening settled over the castle as I paced the length of my bedroom for what had to be the hundredth time, the hem of my dress brushing softly against my legs with every turn.Back and forth. Back and forth.
My suite had never felt this small before. Normally, it was my sanctuary, the high ceilings, deep windows overlooking the lawns, and the faint scent of old wood and lavender polish lingering in the air comforting, but tonight, it felt like a cage.
