Susan Crosby - Husband for Hire

“Our flights will arrive within an hour of each other. Sam and I will hook up in Chicago then fly to Sacramento together. Trent and Jeff will do the same in Dallas. So, only two flights to contend with in the end. We should get to your place around noon.”

“I’ll have lunch ready.” Or catered or something, she thought.

“Are you cooking these days? Have you become the little wife?”

She didn’t know why that stung, but it did. “Chauvinist. I think I can manage sandwiches.”

“Sounds good. We’ll take the newlyweds out to dinner Saturday night, though.”

“Thank you. I’ll let Gavin make reservations for us all.”

“Oh, he has a name finally.”

She’d referred to her mystery boyfriend as Doc whenever she spoke of him to her brothers. It had become a joke, although she knew they were annoyed at not knowing the real name of her fantasy man.

“And his last name?” Eric prompted.

“I’m not telling. You can meet him and form your own opinion, not whatever information you might dig up on him in the meantime.”

“Spoilsport. And you’ll share pictures from your wedding with us, too, since we haven’t received any either by mail or email.”

A statement, not a question, she realized. “Of course.”

There was a moment of silence. Then Eric spoke again. “Are you happy, Bec?”

“I am.” Except for lying and deceiving and being attracted to a man without any potential for a future relationship. “Don’t be too hard on Gavin, okay? Eloping was my idea.”

“He went along with it.”

She heard condemnation in his voice. “He’d do anything for me, Eric. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”

He sighed. “Of course it is.”

“Then just be happy for me.”

She hung up the phone a minute later feeling lower than low. What a sincerely stupid thing she’d done, even if for what she thought were the right reasons.

After a minute of remorse, she sat up tall in her chair. She would get through the weekend and the lie somehow, because it mattered. She’d made her decision for good reasons, solid reasons. She couldn’t backpedal.

Except … now she had another tricky situation to deal with. She drummed her fingers on her desk, debating, and then finally called Gavin’s cell phone.

“We have a new complication,” she said.

“The first of many, I imagine,” he said drily. “What’s up?”

“I just talked to Eric. He’s looking forward to seeing pictures of our wedding.”

There was a long moment of pause. “Okay. You find the right dress to wear. I’ll take care of everything else. I’ll pick you up around noon on Sunday.”

For a woman used to making decisions herself, she gave in easily to his taking charge. “Thank you, Gavin. Thank you so much.”

“It’s something any good husband would do.”

She heard the smile in his voice. “What about your weekend plans?”

“I can be done by then. See you on Sunday.”

“Gavin,” she said in a hurry before he hung up—and before she lost her nerve.

“What?”

“If your plans include getting a haircut, please don’t.” She wanted to run her fingers through it, had been hoping for a chance while they were “married.”

She could almost hear him frown.

“I should look my best for our wedding photos,” he said. “They last a lifetime, you know.”

“I think it adds to your philanthropic, selfless-doctor look,” she said.

He laughed, soft and low, a sound that registered in her as if their bodies had been touching. She liked him too much. Way too much.

“I guess I can make that sacrifice for my wife.”

“Thank you,” she said, the phrase becoming all too common. “If there’s something you think of that I can do, you’ll let me know, right?”

“Look like a bride. I’ll handle the rest. And relax, okay? It’ll be fine.”

“Giving up control is hard for me,” she admitted.

“No kidding. Let go of the wheel, Becca. Control’s an illusion, anyway, so you might as well just have fun.”

Was that his philosophy? Was that why he was happy working temp jobs, not having a particular career? She wished she could be more like him. Well, a little more like him. She couldn’t give up the career she’d worked so hard for.

“You win,” she said. “Please keep track of your expenses.”

“See you later.” Then he hung up, without waiting for her to even say goodbye.

Becca looked around her office. If she had a window, she would’ve taken advantage of it to stare outside while she considered their conversation.

Look like a bride , he’d said. She took a mental tour of her closet, but nothing appropriate came to mind. She needed to shop. Normally she would ask Suki to go with her, but she didn’t want to involve anyone else, if possible. As it was, Eric would wonder why Suki hadn’t attended her best friend’s wedding.

A wedding without a honeymoon.

Somehow that didn’t seem quite fair.

She laughed, let herself relax as Gavin had pretty much ordered her to and then got down to work. After all, someone had to bring home the bacon in this marriage.

“How did you find this place?” Becca asked as they pulled into a Lake Tahoe–area parking lot Sunday afternoon after a two-hour drive.

“On the internet,” Gavin answered, grateful that the outside of the Hearts Entwined Wedding Chapel matched the picture on the web. It was the newest chapel in the region, so he hoped it would be the nicest—and that the owners were discreet.

“So, they’re letting us just take pictures?” she asked. “How did you manage that?”

“Money always talks. For a couple hundred dollars I bought the ceremony, minus the legalities. Not expensive at all.” He turned off the ignition and faced her. She looked stunning in her off-white silk suit with the above-the-knee skirt and super-high heels, a fascinating contrast of sweet and sexy.

“I’ll reimburse you, of course.” She reached over and combed his hair with her fingers, startling him with the action. “There.” She let her hand drift away, but her gaze stayed locked with his. “You look very groomlike in your dark suit and white shirt. Very handsome.”

The moment turned too serious, or maybe too tense. It was hard to tell. To change the mood he reached into the backseat and pulled out a box. “Your bouquet.”

“For me?” Her eyes lit up, and her cheeks turned pink.

He’d genuinely surprised her, which made him happy he’d taken the time to do things right.

“Oh! It’s gorgeous!” She pressed her face into the pink-and-white rose bouquet and inhaled the fragrance. “You thought of everything. Thank you!”

Her happiness pleased him like nothing else had in so long. Because she was tempting enough to kiss, he had her pin a white-rose boutonniere on his lapel, her look of concentration making him smile.

When she was done she patted his chest then pulled back in a hurry, as if she’d overstepped.

“We need to look married,” he said, capturing her hands in his. “That means touching.”

“In front of other people, maybe. Not when it’s just us.”

“We need to get used to it so it’s normal for us, don’t you think?” He acknowledged it was just an excuse to touch her, but it still made sense for their purposes.

“You’re very sensible, Gavin.”

No, I’m actually all stirred up . He wondered what she would say to that. “Ready?” he asked.

She looked at the building and took a deep breath. “Ready.”

He held her hand as they went inside, the interior dark, with rich wood walls and silk-upholstered guest chairs. A floor-to-ceiling oil painting of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevadas held center stage, a beautiful backdrop for photographs to be taken during and after the ceremony.