The Temporary Wife - By Jeannie Moon Page 0,17

to get married? The man crossed his legs as he accepted a drink from Josh. He took a sip of the amber liquid, and his lip curled as he gave Meg a once-over.

Everyone had a talent, Meg thought, and Will Campbell’s talent was making her feel like she had no worth whatsoever.

That’s when Jason launched into their cover story like a practiced con man.

“We’ve been seeing each other since about a month after Grace died, and things developed.” He looked at Meg and smiled, and she was amazed, and a little nervous, at what a skilled actor he was. She almost believed him. “When you started worrying about Molly, I decided I’d ask Meg to marry me.”

One of his mother’s eyebrows shot up. “How convenient. You couldn’t have told us this?”

“I could have,” he said. “But I didn’t want to say anything until I asked Meg. She has good reason to be cautious of me.”

Feeling the need to play along, Meg squeezed his hand and looked up. It was certainly no hardship to look at him. “Not anymore.”

Aunt Nancy headed for the doorway. “I can’t listen to any more of this.”

“Jason, this is so sudden,” his mother said. “What’s the rush?”

“We just don’t see any reason to wait. Do you?”

Meg glanced toward the sitting area where Jason’s father and brother were adjacent to each other, conferring. Josh looked up occasionally, and Meg couldn’t help feeling cornered. They knew something was up. Both of them were smart, and no matter how convincing Jason was being, they didn’t buy the story.

His mother approached and looked her up and down. “I don’t like it, not one bit. I always thought you were trying to get your hooks into my son, Megan, and now you’ve succeeded with him and with my granddaughter.”

“Oh, I—”

“There’s nothing you can say to make me believe you aren’t after Jason’s or Molly’s money. You’re a tramp, and I won’t be caught dead at your wedding.”

Sham or not, the comment made Meg bristle, and while it was tempting to tell Jason’s mother exactly what she thought, Meg forced a smile instead. “That’s a shame, Mrs. Campbell. You’ll miss all the fun.”

She looked up at Jason and smiled, and the look she drew from Alicia Campbell was pure contempt. And Meg didn’t care. Jason’s parents were toxic. They weren’t a married couple as much as a couple of parasites sucking the life from those around them as well as each other.

Maybe she should be thankful they didn’t like her. The more she looked at these people and the way they lived their lives, the more she realized that not being liked by Will and Alicia Campbell was a compliment.

Chapter 6

“It’s a beautiful ring.”

She’d heard the same thing all day, but not once did anyone offer Meg congratulations. It was like everyone knew that she was nothing but a big phony. Which she was, although the kiss she and Jason shared in the car a few nights ago was pretty damn real. So real she could still feel it.

But what she was seeing now was the confusion on her friend Jill Wyatt’s face. This was a woman she’d worked with for seven years, one of her closest friends. They were hired together and had been through boyfriends and breakups. Jill was the one who’d finally gotten Grant to stop playing the friend card and ask her out for real.

“I just don’t understand, Meg. What the hell happened?”

“We’ve known each other forever, and when Grace died . . . well, you know. Things developed.”

God, she hated lying.

“But you were dating Grant. I know the two of you were taking it slow, but everyone knew you were together.” Jill paced around the classroom like a nervous cat. “Where has Jason been? And isn’t he the guy you affectionately referred to as Satan on more than one occasion?”

“Okay, so maybe ‘Satan’ wasn’t fair.” Meg was sitting in a tiny chair at one of the small student tables, picking at M&M’s. “Things changed. It may not be a perfect arrangement, but he loves Molly, and we won’t have to be alone.”

Jill sat down across from her and glared. “Sweetie, you were never alone.” Jill leaned in and laid her hand over Meg’s. “I was always there for you, but people are worried that you’re not thinking this through. We know losing Grace was like losing a sister.”

That was painfully true, but what people didn’t understand was that having Jason around did help in some ways. Grace