Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 30858 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30858 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
“Until your marriage is over in a few weeks?”
“Exactly.” He nodded. “Get me one of those by the end of the week.”
I stared at him.
“Do you have some problems, Miss Dawson?” he asked. “Never mind, don’t answer that. We’ll be here all day if you start listing them.”
“I could say the same for you.” I rolled my eyes. “If I decide to help you with this, I want a bonus.”
“You’d need to earn it first. And what the hell do you mean by ‘decide’?”
“This goes beyond my scope of job responsibilities,” I said. “It’s way beyond short notice, highly illegal, and you know that.”
He looked like he was about to deny any of those facts, but he sighed. “How much money do you want?”
“Half a million should do it.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
“You’re about to get a quarter of a billion, and you’re worried about such a small amount?”
“If I give you half a million, you might be tempted to quit working for me.”
Exactly. “That’s not what I’m thinking at all.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Well, that’s my price,” I said. “Take it or leave it. I’m sure there are plenty of other executives you can trust to get this done for you secretly and at the highest level.”
“There are. Hundreds.”
“Then go and harass one of them.”
Silence.
“Get a notary to sign off on a short note that you promise to give me at least six months’ notice if you ever decide to quit, and I’ll pay you the half million.”
“Six months?” I balked. “The industry standard is two weeks.”
“Take it or leave it.” He mocked me. “That’s my price.”
Don’t do it, Jenna. Hold the line. Hold the goddamn line.
“Okay, fine.” I held out my hand for a handshake, but he didn’t take it. Instead, he gently pushed it away and gently grabbed my waist, pulling me closer than necessary.
As if someone was in the room with us, listening, he lowered his voice.
“Assuming you’ll have that note to me in a matter of hours, what do I need to do next?”
“Send me a short—and I do mean short—wish list of all the qualities you want in a wife so we can make this as believable as possible.”
“How long do I have?”
“Two hours,” I said. “Not a minute more.”
5
NICHOLAS
Nicholas Saint’s (Wife) Wish List
Assuming that she’s intelligent enough to pretend to be mine, i.e., know that NOTHING serious will ever become of this…
Multilingual
Brunette with good fashion sense
Great sense of sarcasm (& humor)
At least three hobbies (reading must be one of them)
Capable of carrying on a conversation for HOURS
“So, according to your wish list, you want a literal clone of Jenna?” Marshall asked me that night.
“What?” I snatched my sheet away from him. “This list doesn’t even remotely resemble Jenna.”
He gave me a blank stare.
“I don’t see smart-ass mouth on here, Marshall,” I said. “Nor do I see prone to fight with me at any given chance. Do you see that?”
“I see everything else.”
“Jenna is a redhead.” I pointed at my list. “I’m clearly asking for a brunette.”
“Jenna has a few temporary red streaks in her hair for the holidays, Nicholas.” He tapped his fingers against his armrest. “She’s a brunette.”
“Is there anything productive you’d like to add to this conversation?”
“I think you should propose to Jenna and save yourself the time.”
“Do I need to pull out my dictionary to look up the word ‘productive’ for you?”
“No, but you can look up delusional.” He rolled his eyes. “Good luck finding someone like that—someone who is also beautiful—on such short notice.”
“I have full faith in Jenna’s abilities.”
“Me too, if she picks up a mirror and suggests herself.”
I ignored his comment and texted Jenna the list.
Her response was immediate.
Jenna
Delusional (n.): a false belief or judgment about external reality, held despite evidence to the contrary, as a symptom of serious mental illness
Immediate termination (n.): ending an employment, contract, or license instantly, without notice or severance.
Give me until the morning.
That’s what I thought.
5B
NICHOLAS
The Following Morning
Marshall
Good news! I just set up a follow-up appointment with the firm for marriage proof.
How is that “good” news? That’s a given in this situation…
His name is Gage Harrison, and he’s legally blind and uses a cane.
You’re a goddamn genius.
Thank you.
Ifound myself at Sunset Isles, a private brunch bar where executives handled deals away from the prying public.
Jenna had paid the owner to shut it down just for me and my “third best” option.
She’d told me this one was “iffy,” but I took that to mean perfect, so I decided to opt into seeing her first.
“Ahh! There you are!” a soft voice said from behind. “You’re Nicholas Saint, correct?”
“Yes, that’s…” I stopped talking as she moved around and plopped down in front of me.
This isn’t going to work…
“Good morning.” She sniffled, extending her hand. “I’m Katie Hughes.”
“Nice to meet you.” I wasn’t sure if I should shake her hand—if the tears falling down her face were from an advanced stage of the flu—so I gestured for a half hug.