Page 19 of Misguided Vows

I have more money than I know what to do with. I’m the best of the best. I really could retire at any moment, but it’s the business of this role that keeps me distracted from things I’d rather leave in the past.

Maybe that’s why I find Alina a delightful new distraction.

CHAPTER 11

Alina

Ipresent Dawson and Honey the drawings and sit down with them for over an hour, explaining what I have in mind. I want to give their clients an experience, make them feel something special as they come in. Create a connection. As I go through all the details with them, even the ones that include their line of sex toys, Dawson looks impressed and Honey stares at me in shock.

“When Will said you were good, I didn’t fully believe him. Then I saw your videos, and thought,she has talent. But this”—Dawson waves a hand at the sketches on my iPad—“is amazing.”

“Thank you. I was nervous with this one,” I admit.

“Okay, you have done amazing, and we need to celebrate,” Honey chirps as she stands.

“You can’t, you’re pregnant,” Dawson says to her.

She blushes, and I look down to her belly.

“We only found out a few weeks ago. It seems I wasn’t paying attention,” she says.

“Congrats. How far along are you?”

“Almost twenty weeks.” She presses her shirt to her belly, and I can see a small bump. It’s so tiny, but I guess she is too.“My sister has been dying for a night out, and while I can’t drink, I can watch.”

“Honey,” Dawson warns.

“You have, what, three nights left here?” Honey ignores him, looking at me expectantly, and I nod.

“Okay, good. Give me a second while I call her. She has a six-month-old and hasn’t left the house in a while. Crue—that’s her big, scary husband—hasn’t been able to get her to leave either.” She laughs as she steps away with the phone to her ear.

I turn to Dawson.

“I should say I have plans,” I tell him. He smirks and shakes his head.

“No, it’s fine. I trust her. It’s just I hate being away from her.” He looks over his shoulder to where she’s pacing before he turns back to me. “I’ll email you all my contractors’ contacts and you can start as soon as possible?”

“You want to hire me? For real?”

“Yes, and I will pay you double the original offer.”

I gasp. “You don’t have to, honestly. I’ve enjoyed creating it.”

“I’ll pay you double to stay,” he says. “To handle it all from start to finish. This is not my expertise. I handle other things.” He doesn’t say what, but I get the feeling it’s not legal. “And Honey has her own business. So we need someone to oversee it all. Can you do that?”

“Of course. I’ll find somewhere to stay while the work is being done.”

“Good. My contractors will know to take orders from you.”

Honey comes back over and says, “Okay, so girls’ night. Do you need clothes? I know you only came with a small bag.”

“It’s fine. I’m staying for the duration of the project, so I’ll run out to grab a few things and some new outfits,” I tell her.

“Oh, you accepted!” She beams at me, then turns to her husband. “You offered her double, right?” He rolls his eyes andlooks to me. It’s not a sign of annoyance; you can see he loves her.

“He did,” I answer. “And I’m excited to get started.”

I managed to get a few things to hold me over in the short term, but I’ll have to look for somewhere else to stay soon, as I don’t think they’ll want to cover a hotel for the whole time I’ll be here.

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