Another Mazzy Monday (4 page)

“Okay,” I agree.

“Don’t forget the ring.” Drew points to the ring box on his desk.

I always imagined what it would be like when a man asked me to marry him. I had visions of rose petals and fragrant candles completely filling our bedroom. He’d get down on one knee and tell me that I’m the only woman he’d ever want. The only woman he’d ever need. He’d ask me to marry him then wait hopefully for my response. And when I tell him that I accept his proposal he’d slip the ring on my finger and tell me how much he loves me. Then he’d kiss me. A deep, passionate kiss. And he’d whisper in my ear how much he loves me and always will.

As I take the ring box from the desk I can’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment. I’m going to be engaged to a man I barely know and he didn’t even ask me to marry him.

There’s absolutely nothing romantic about his deal.

It’s a business arrangement
, I remind myself. And it’s not like I have to marry him. We’re just going pretend to be engaged for two months until he can win the election. How hard can that be?

I place the ring on my finger and slip the velvet box into my bag.

“George will help you with all of the details. I’ll tell him that we’ll be staying at the lake house until the election. Let him know if you need help packing. He’ll send a car to get you whenever you’re ready to move in.”

“Thanks.” I still feel a little dizzy and I don’t think the enormity of the agreement I’ve just made has sunk in yet.

***

“You’re going to do what?” Suzie practically screams at me.

While I was at the interview she spent the entire morning baking cinnamon sugar cookies and two cherry pies. There’s little doubt she’s been “testing” the cookies because she’s on a major sugar high.

“Please sit down so we can have a rational discussion about this.”

She throws her hands up in the air instead. “There is absolutely nothing rational about pretending to be Drew Graham’s fiancée.”

When she finally notices the diamond ring on my finger she grabs my hand and pulls it closer to her face so she can inspect the ring. “I guess this means you’ve already said yes.”

Suzie looks like she may start to cry. “We won’t be working together anymore. You’ll probably have to do all kinds of political events, fund raisers and stuff, and I’ll be alone.”

When she snivels I feel like she’s just stabbed me in the heart. I knew this part would be hard, but I didn’t realize how hard. I remind myself that the sacrifice will be for the greater good. The money will help us build our dream.

I remove the two checks from my bag and hand her the one made out to her. Her jaw drops so far I think it might hit the floor. “What is this ten thousand dollar check for?”

“Here’s the thing. In order for the whole fiancée thing to seem real I’m going to have to live with Drew until the election. So this payment is for rent and utilities while I’m staying with him. And it’s only the first half. You’ll get another ten thousand after the election.”

Her eyes are still planted firmly on the check. Then she looks up and notices I have one too. “How much are you getting paid?”

“Enough for us to think about our own business. A hundred thousand dollars.”

“Oh my God!” she shouts. “When do you have to leave? I’ll help you pack.”

I guess she’s not as upset about me leaving now that she knows how much it’s worth.

“Do you think Penny will be willing to give me a leave of absence? I don’t want to lose my job quite yet.”

She shrugs. “It doesn’t hurt to ask. I’m sure we could get jobs at Haymakers again if we really needed to.”

“While I’m gone maybe you can meet with Jake and Harley Wilde. They know a lot about business and maybe they can advise us about starting our breakfast place. And they could give us a better idea about how much it will cost.”

“I’m on it.” My sister takes my hand and looks at the ring again. “I really am going to miss you. But a hundred thousand dollars? That’s impossible to pass up.”

“A hundred and twenty thousand,” I correct. “I think we should put everything into a savings account and just use what we need for expenses. The rest we’ll save for the restaurant.”

“Now we really have to decide on a name for the place.”

***

Penny does not look happy when Suzie and I approach. Of course she rarely looks happy, but she seems a little grumpier than usual.

“Twins?” She seems genuinely surprised to see us. “You’re not on the schedule until tomorrow.”

I don’t want to delay the inevitable and I’m not one for small talk so I just lay it on the line for her. “I need to take a leave of absence.”

She frowns. “What does that mean?”

I gulp. I didn’t want to get into too much detail, but now it seems unavoidable. “I just got engaged.” I hold up the ring as proof. I’m not sure why I feel the need to prove anything. Maybe it’s because Suzie and I don’t really date all that much.

Penny eyes me suspiciously. “To whom?”

I figure now is as good a time as any to begin my charade. “I met someone at the fundraiser. We fell in love instantly. A love at first sight kind of thing.”

She still looks wary. “Please don’t tell me he’s your soul mate. I just ate and I’d like to keep the contents of my meal in my stomach.”

“Things just clicked between us and we decided to take things to the next level. So I’m moving in with him while he campaigns.”

“Campaigns?”

“He’s running for governor.” 

It takes all of three seconds for what I just said to register and for her jaw to hit the floor. “You’re engaged to Drew Graham. The Drew Graham. The man who was here for the fund raising event.”

“That’s how we met.”

She’s shaking her head so hard I swear she’s going to shake something loose. “I can’t believe it. You lucky girl. How in the world did you manage to snag that one?” She looks me up and down. “Never mind. I don’t need to know the details. You must be one fantastic lay.”

I manage to quell my surprise at her comment. I really have no idea what being a fantastic lay entails, but then I wonder if I’ll have to find out.

I wonder if Drew Graham will actually want me to have sex with him. Is that part of the bargain? I have to admit that I didn’t read the fine print before I signed our contract, but just glancing at it I don’t recall seeing anything about having sex with him.

I get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I really hope he doesn’t expect
that
for his hundred thousand dollars. I’m definitely not a whore. I’ve technically never even had sex. I say technically because Suzie and I dated twins when we were in high school. Timmy and Tommy. We fooled around a lot in the backseat of their car, but neither of us actually went all the way with them.

“I won’t be able to hold your job while you’re gone. We’re already short staffed. It’s a bitch trying to find decent help out here in the middle of nowhere. I’m going to have to replace you.” She narrows her eyes at me. “I doubt you’ll need the job anyway. Once you marry Mr. Right-in-Every-Way, you’ll be on easy street.”

Of course I can’t tell her the engagement is a ruse and only a short term thing until the election is over. I just smile and nod. But when I glance over at Suzie she looks like someone just slapped her.

As we walk back to our car she whispers, “I’m not sure I’ll be able to work here without you. I’ll have to deal with our awful boss and the even more awful activities director, Sam Elliot. There will be no one here for me to make fun of them with.”

“You can always text me. We can make fun of them via text.”

She shakes her head. “It just won’t be the same without you.”

I embrace her in a hug. “I know. But it’s a short term sacrifice that will get us several steps closer to our dream.”

***

When Drew mentioned we’d be staying at his family’s lake house I imagined it would be more like a cabin than the mansion in front of me. The place is so large it takes up almost an entire side of the lake with its own private beach. I’m utterly amazed.

“What do you think?” George asks as he removes my bags from his car. He was kind enough to pick me and my stuff up at my apartment and drive me here.

“It’s wonderful,” I say, still in awe of the magnificent architecture and spectacular views. I can hardly wait to see what the lake views will be like from the second floor balconies.

“Follow me,” George instructs.

“Do you want me to take one of those bags?” I ask. He looks like a pack mule weighed down with all of my stuff.

“I’ve got it,” he assures me as I follow him towards the front entrance of the house.

I’m a little surprised that he has a key to the place. “I only use the key when Drew gives the okay. Like now. He’s tied up with clients until late tonight. But he wants you to make yourself at home.”

George holds the door open for me to enter. The place is even more spectacular on the inside, if that’s possible. From the huge chandelier to the Italian marble floors I feel like I’ve just stepped onto a movie set rather than someone’s actual home.

“This is just the family’s vacation house,” he says as he sets my bags down in the foyer. “The house Drew usually occupies is in Bridgewater and his parents’ house is in Princeton.”

I can only imagine what those places must look like if this is their vacation home. My dad’s idea of a vacation home was a pup tent in the backyard.

“Bedrooms are upstairs. Pick any one you’d like. There’s plenty of food in the refrigerator, if you’re hungry.” He hands me a business card. “This is my cellphone number. If you have any problems just give me a call. I’m available 24-7.”

“Thanks,” I say as I try to take in my surroundings. It’s a bit intimidating and overwhelming.

As soon as George closes the front door behind him I pull my cellphone from my bag and dial my sister.

“You’re never going to believe what this place looks like,” I practically scream into the phone.

“You made it to the lake house?”

“It’s beyond amazing. You have to come out here.”

“Now?” she sounds a little hesitant.

“Right now.”

“Okay…”

“He’s not here,” I assure her. “His assistant told me he’s not going to be here until late tonight.”

“I’m on my way.”

It doesn’t take Suzie more than fifteen minutes to make her way over. With her wide eyes and slack jaw I can tell she’s in just as much awe as I am.

Then she looks down at my bags that are still sitting in the foyer. “Why haven’t you put that stuff away?” She’s now eying me suspiciously.

I gulp. “I’m not really sure what the sleeping arrangements are going to be.”

It takes a moment for it to register then she asks, “Do you really think he’s going to want you to sleep with him?”

The way she says
sleep
I know she really doesn’t mean
sleeping
.

We both stare at each other for a long moment. I’m sure she’s thinking the same thing I am but she vocalizes it anyway. “Have you wondered why a guy like Drew Graham has to hire you to be his fake fiancée? I mean he’s extremely wealthy. He’s gorgeous. He seems to be quite charming. He could probably have any woman he wanted. What’s the catch?”

I shrug. “I’ve had all of the same questions, but then I remind myself that this is just a business arrangement and that he’s paying me big bucks to be here and not question it.”

“You’re right,” my sister agrees finally. “You may as well enjoy it while you have it.”

To our surprise the front door opens and Drew walks in as if on cue. I can’t help the look of shock on my face and when I glance at my sister I see she’s just as surprised as I am.

Drew looks surprised too as he glances back and forth between the two of us.

“George told me that you wouldn’t be here until late tonight,” I explain quickly. “I hope you don’t mind that I invited my sister over.”

He’s still looking back and forth between the two of us, but I can’t gage whether he’s mad or not.

“It’s fine. I guess I just didn’t realize when you said you had a sister that you’re identical twins. And that you look so much alike.”

“We get that a lot,” Suzie says.

Then Drew focuses his attention on me. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I’m going to get changed. My meeting this evening is casual. Did George tell you not to wait up? I’ll be quite late.”

I nod. “He did mention that.”

Drew frowns when he sees my bags sitting in the foyer. “Didn’t George take these upstairs for you?”

“It’s not his fault. I wasn’t sure…um…what the sleeping arrangements were going to be.” I can feel my face grow hot with embarrassment and I’m sure my cheeks are bright red, but it’s something we need to get out in the open. I need to know if he expects me to sleep in the same room as him.

Drew looks at the bags again and then looks at me and realization seems to cross over his face.

“Pick any room you’d like. I don’t expect you to sleep in my room. I hope I didn’t give you that impression.” Now he sounds as embarrassed as I feel.