Page 25 of Marrying Off My Husband

She sashayed through my door, lowering her chin to peer over her sunglasses. “Well, isn’t this cute.”

She twisted and thrust an iced coffee my way.

“Thanks,” I said as I accepted it and took a sip, its sweetness a sharp contrast to the bitter tea I’d been drinking.

She pushed her sunglasses on top of her head. “Which way to your closet?”

“Lou,” I said, my voice more hesitant than I hoped, “can we talk?”

Her eyes lit up as she plopped onto my couch and patted the cushion next to her. “Of course, darlin’. What do you want to talk about? Spencer? Ohhhhh…do you think he’s cute? I think he’s a doll. And those blue eyes…”

She grinned at me as I eased onto the seat next to her, setting my coffee down on the coffee table so the ice didn’t rattle around when my hands shook. “Lou…I…I really think this date might be a bad idea.”

The smile slid from her features, replaced with concern. “Why, sugar?”

“Well…Spencer…is married.”

She giggled. “Of course, he is. To me. And you have my blessing. I told you we’re getting divorced. And don’t worry, we’re not…involved or anything. There’s nothing untoward between us.”

I shifted in my seat, desperately trying to win this argument.

“Darlin’? Something wrong?”

“I just…you said you married for legal reasons?”

“Uh-huh,” she said before a sip of her coffee.

“Was there…a crime involved?”

Louise threw herself back against my throw pillows, slapping her thigh. After a moment, she wiped a tear from her eye. “Oh, I do like you. No. There was a snafu with my inheritance. My mama had control of everything, and she was just spending it all after she blew through what my daddy left her. I needed a closernext-of-kin. Spence and I are old friends. He agreed to help me out.”

I scrunched my eyebrows as I processed the information. At least neither of them had killed anyone or done something else horrible. “Oh.”

She leaned closer, rubbing my arm. “See? It’s just a simple matter. And after he did me that solid, I just…I want to make sure he’s happy. It’s my gift to him.”

I tried to force a smile, my gut reaction screaming to tell her I was the wrong person for the job.

“Now, where is your closet?”

“Oh, uh…” I licked my lips, still seeking a path away from this ridiculous gambit.

Louise clicked her tongue at me. “Please don’t tell me you’re still concerned. Now, I just know you and Spencer are going to have a great time. There’s nothing to worry about. I could tell just by looking at you two yesterday. Now, come on. We need to find the perfect outfit.”

I bobbed my head as I collected my coffee and rose. “Okay.”

Louise grinned at me, sliding her arm through mine. “Just trust your big sister, Lou-Lou. She’s got everything under control.”

The tension in my shoulders eased a little, though I didn’t know why. I still didn’t trust this plan, but Louise had this way of setting people around her at ease.

I led her into my tiny bedroom and tugged open the closet door before I tugged the chain to toggle on the bare light bulb that lit the tiny space.

Louise edged me out, hovering in the door as she quickly sorted through the few clothing items I had. She twisted to face me. “Where’s the rest?”

“Uhh…” I began.

Her expression went blank. “That’s it? Well, this just won’t do.”

“I’m sure I have something that’ll work.” I skirted around her, sipping the iced coffee nervously.

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