Page 41 of Marrying Off My Husband

“Nonsense. That fake husband of yours wouldn’t have anything to do with this.”

I wanted to shout at her that we weren’t a fake marriage, but I didn’t want to upset Eve. “Yes, he does,” I said instead. “Now, I’m working on it, and I will let you know as soon as I can. But I’m busy now.”

I ended the call, my jaw clenched in frustration.

Eve shifted, her features apologetic, but she was polite enough not to pry.

“I’m so sorry,“ I said with a shake of my head, dumping my phone on the table next to me. “My mama drives me crazy. She is just insisting that I come home next weekend for some reason, and I don’t want to go.”

“Maybe you can say you can’t get away.”

I sucked in a deep breath and shook my head. “That’s not going to cut the mustard with my mama. I just…hate to go alone. She’s so devious. I don’t put it past her to try to pull something on me.”

“Well, I’m sure Spencer would go with you,” she suggested.

Sweet girl. She was volunteering her own boyfriend to travel with me. “Well, I’d hate to take him away from you. I just know you’re going to have another date coming up.”

“Oh,” she said with a dismissive wave, “don’t worry about that. We can postpone while you travel. It’s fine. You shouldn’t go alone.”

I gave her a grateful glance as an idea hatched in my head. “Well, aren’t you sweet? I have a wonderful idea that I think will solve all of this.”

“Stay home?” she asked with a chuckle.

“No. Would you come with me? We’ll take Spencer, too. You two can spend some time together, and I’d have both your support.”

She raised her eyebrows, her jaw falling open. For a second I thought I’d pushed her too far. “Don’t you think you should check with Spencer first?”

I chuckled at her. “No, darlin’, he’s only my pretend husband. I can invite whoever I’d like. Although, I will warn you ahead of time. My mama is a viper.”

“Well,” she said, raising her chin, “then I suppose you’ll need all the help you can get.”

I grinned at her and reached for her hand again. This little trip would be the perfect opportunity for me to encourage Spencer to open up a little more to Eve.

With any luck, this little trip to Savannah would help turn the tides for their relationship from tentative to irresistible.

CHAPTER 11

EVE

Istirred my tea, staring into the depths as if they might reveal some hidden truth. The date with Spencer had been unexpectedly pleasant, which only added layers to my confusion.

I was drawn into a situation so bizarre it could only have sprung from a romance novel.

A married man, his nearly ex-wife, and a plan concocted out of friendship–or maybe something deeper. The more I thought about it, the more my heart ached–a mixture of pity for their lost love and a selfish pang of longing for something equally profound.

I shifted in my desk chair, my mind spinning. Spencer had been friendly and easy to get along with, though nervous. The reason for that had become obvious when he explained that he needed to date to ensure Louise would accept his suggestions for romantic interests.

My lower lip ached from all the gnawing I’d done as I tried to figure out the bizarre situation. They’d married for Louise’s inheritance, were now divorcing and were insistent on finding the other one a new spouse.

I supposed it was a lovely gesture, but it just seemed odd. If they cared that much about each other…maybe they were in love.

For some reason, that made my heart ache. I couldn’t say why, maybe it was just because my bad luck with dating continued. Actually, it had gotten worse, I thought, setting my mug down on the desk and pulling up my working document.

I wrinkled my nose as I stared at the manuscript I’d been working on for the past few days. Plowing through the dialog fromMystic Realmswasn’t helping.

It constantly reminded me of the strange situation with Spencer and Louise. I typed a few French words before I rested my chin in my palm.

My spa day with Louise had unfolded in layers of surprise, each one peeling back more of my reservations. As we lay side by side, wrapped in the comforting warmth of mud wraps, Louise shared stories of her childhood escapades in Savannah. Each tale was infused with a wild sense of freedom I’d never known.

---