bite my lower lip and squeeze my eyes, waiting for her lecture. “It’s kept me a little … occupied.”
“You said you were going to quit.” Isabelle sighs into the receiver. “That asshole doesn’t deserve you. You do way too much for him and for what? A laughable salary? Underhanded insults? And you said you caught him staring at your ass once. What a fucking unprofessional douche. Never even met the guy and I hate him.”
“He wants me to marry him,” I whisper.
Isabelle is quiet on the other end. That’s never a good sign.
“It’s a business arrangement,” I say. “He’s basically paying me to take him off the market.”
“Um, why?” Her voice is laced with irritation. She’s not going to understand, so I’m going to have to make this crystal clear.
“His parents are pressuring him to marry some girl and he doesn’t want to. So he’s marrying me instead. I’m spending the summer with him and his family and then we’re going our separate ways. At least physically. Legally we’ll be married for a while. Not sure how long. It’s all kind of complicated and it’s all happening so fast.”
“Mari, you can’t do this.”
“I thought so too, but he sweetened the pot pretty damn good, and I’m not exactly in a position to walk away from what he was offering.”
“Fine. Sell your soul.”
“Izzy.” My heart sinks. This isn’t like her. I know she means well, and I know I’ve filled her head with hundreds of Hudson Rutherford horror stories, but I need her support now more than ever. “Please understand. I’m doing this for my future—for the baby’s future. I’m not selling my soul. He’s not forcing me to do this. It’s really not that big of a deal at the end of the day. It’s just acting. I’m playing a part. Everything’s going to work out.”
“And what if it doesn’t?” she asks.
“I … I don’t know?”
“What are you going to do if someone discovers that you’re not really in love, that you’re faking this relationship? What if it blows up in your faces? And oh, my God, Mari. Does he know you’re pregnant?!”
I exhale. “No.”
“Mari! Why didn’t you tell him? Holy shit. This is bad. This is really, really bad.”
“Izzy, stop. It’ll be fine. I’m five-foot-nine. I doubt I’ll be showing much by the end of the summer, and I’ll just wear billowy tops and flowy dresses. It’s not like he’s going to see me naked. We’re not taking it that far.”
“You’re being wayyyy too optimistic about this.”
“For five million dollars, wouldn’t you be optimistic about this?!” I ask, my voice quick and hushed.
She’s quiet once more.
“He’s paying you five million dollars to be his fake wife?” Isabelle asks.
“Yep.”
“There’s got to be a catch,” she says.
“Nope. No catch. He’s just a desperate man with deep pockets.”
“Well. Shit. Um. Okay. Yeah. Do your thing. I hope it all works out for you. And if you need me, I’ll be here.”
“Really? I have your support?” I ask.
“Do you even have to ask that, Mar? You’re my best friend. You could do a lot worse than fake-marrying your asshole boss and I’d still have your back.”
“For a minute it sounded like you were trying to talk me out of this.”
“Of course I was trying to talk you out of this. I think it’s insane. I think it’s a terrible idea. And I think it could potentially end very badly for you. But for five million dollars, I guess you have to do what you have to do.”
“It’s definitely a gamble,” I say. “But we’re doing it. I’ve signed the contract. It’s happening.”
“There’s a contract?”
“Of course.” I pull my phone from my ear and check the time. “Anyway, he’s expecting me in his room right now, so I’m going to let you go. Call me tomorrow?”
“In his room?” She ignores me. “I thought you said you weren’t going to have sex with him?”
“I’m not. We’re going to watch Netflix,” I say.
“A week ago you hated this guy. Hated him. And now you’re going to chill in his bed and watch TV.” Isabelle exhales. “This is just … weird.”
“Wait ‘til you see the engagement ring. I’ll send you a picture later,” I laugh. “It’s so over the top and so not me and you’re going to die.”
“I can only imagine.”
Six
Hudson
* * *
“You look uncomfortable.” Mari pulls her legs up to her chest, her body covered in satin pajamas with white trim. “Can you do me a favor and not make this any more awkward than