Page 21 of Marrying Off My Husband

I crept down the hall and peered around the corner, spotting a slight brunette peering out my living room window at the ocean. My forehead creased as I realized she wasn’t at all what I’d expected.

“Wow, what a view,” she said, grinning at Louise over her shoulder. Her smile seemed genuine, and she had a natural beauty that didn’t need much enhancement. Her dress didn’t look pretentious, but simple and sweet.

“Uh-huh,” Louise said with a bob of her head. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll grab the earrings.”

She headed right for me. I glanced around, trying to find a place to hide but came up empty. Instead, I was caught in an instant.

Louise offered me an amused grin, lowering her voice to a whisper. “There you are. Go say hello.”

I wrinkled my nose, shaking my head. Somehow this would have been easier if the woman had been completely uninteresting to me. “No.”

“Spencer, be nice. She’s a sweet girl. Go, go.”

After a swat on my rear, she hurried down the hall. I swallowed hard, peering around the corner again. My stomach twisted into a knot. I wasn’t great in social situations, and I had fully expected some glamorous woman to try to worm her wayinto my life. I could have easily rejected her, but this woman seemed like exactly what Louise had described.

My knees wobbled a little as I forced myself into the living room, trying my best to feign surprise as she set her brown eyes on me. “Oh, hi. I didn’t realize anyone was in here.”

She smiled at me, a demure, genuine smile that was so difficult to find in my circle. “Hi, sorry. I’m Eve, a friend of Louise’s.”

“Spencer,” I answered.

Before I could go any further, Louise’s voice shouted from somewhere above us. “Oh, I’ve got the earrings right here.”

Eve glanced up to the railing that overlooked our living room before she glanced back to me. “Louise has a pair of earrings she thinks will be a perfect match for a dress I bought…well, she bought. I didn’t buy it…that’s…sorry, sometimes I babble.”

I chuckled at her, not because I found it silly, but because I found it comforting. I didn’t find very many people not adept at schmoozing each other. “It’s okay. I…do the same thing…when I’m not clamming up.”

A flush rose into her cheeks as she giggled.

Louise’s heels pounded back into the living room. “Oh! You two have met. That’s perfect.”

I wondered for a moment if Louise had already told Eve the plan. Maybe that’s why she was nice to me. Maybe my wife had even told her how to play up to me.

I gave Louise a nervous grin, my mind racing with conspiracy theories.

She sauntered closer and passed Eve a set of pink gemstones. “Here you go, darlin’. These should complete your ensemble.”

Eve offered her a shy smile, her eyes going from me to the earrings. “Thank you, Lou. They’re beautiful.”

She seemed to tolerate Louise very well. Many women found her to be too much or a threat. Eve didn’t seem to feel either of those.

Louise grinned, her eyes sliding between the two of us. “Like you two. You look so adorable together.”

Eve’s smile faltered, her forehead creasing.

“Just as I suspected,” Louise said as she leaned back, eyeing us.

“I’m not sure I follow,” Eve answered.

Had Louisenottold her the plan? I shifted my weight, suddenly feeling like I was standing on the train tracks with a freight train barreling toward me.

Louise threw her head back with a teasing laugh. “Oh, Eve, don’t be so modest. Seeing you two together just confirms what I knew in my heart. You’re just perfect for each other.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Eve glance at me, but I was busy silently pleading with Louise to stop.

Of course, she ignored me.

“Since you’re both here and getting along so famously, may I suggest something a little bold?”

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