Page 21 of His Weekend Wife

“Sit down, bella. You have to hear me out.” He waved her down. Once she was seated again, he continued, “I have a business deal that requires companionship. I can explain the details later, if you agree, but my offer is that you spend the month with me, as my wife, and after thirty days I will grant you a divorce and we’ll call the thirty grand a settlement.”

She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth and nibbled, several expressions flitting across her face. “And what if I say no?”

“Then I’m filing for divorce and I’m keeping the thirty grand.”

“I thought you weren’t one to buy himself a wife?”

“Desperate measures call for desperate moves.”

“I need time to think this over.”

“You have five minutes to make a decision. Time is of utmost importance.” Hannigan was coming into town in a matter of days.

“Are you doing this to teach me a lesson?” Her soft voice made the hairs on his neck stand.

“I told you, I have a business deal that requires matrimony.”

“Should I believe you?”

“Ahh, and I should just hand over a wad of cash, no questions asked?” He snapped up a brow.

“I asked for a loan and I said I’ll pay interest.”

“And my offer makes much more sense.”

“Because it suits you.”

“It doesn’t suit you to act as my wife, as you already are, and walk away thirty grand richer?”

Her tongue came out and swept across her bottom lip. “Only thirty days?”

****

Ash’s initial thought was to kick his ass out, but then she’d be back to square one and her sister’s life would be in danger. What Declan offered wasn’t exactly a grueling situation. Spending time with him—her husband—wouldn’t be a nightmare. As far as looks went, he was pleasing to the eye. They used to have fun together, before she walked away. The biggest danger involved her emotions. She’d never quite gotten over him, and how would it feel to lose him again? How would she recover a second time? The first time had been pure hell.

Yet, this was the answer to her problem, or rather, her sister’s problem. And in a sliver of a way, it solved Ash’s problem too. They would divorce and she’d finally be free of the past. Capable of moving forward.

In the end, did she have any other choice?

“Okay, Declan, I agree to your terms.”

Something flashed in his eyes. Relief? Surprise? Maybe a mixture of both. Whatever it was, he blinked and it was gone, exchanged for a blank expression. He stood up, reached inside of his jacket and withdrew a large stack of cash. “We don’t want to forget this, do we?” He placed it on the table. “I’d suggest not keeping that here at the apartment. I’ll expect you at my place at three o’clock tomorrow. Don’t worry about bringing much. I’ll see to it that you have everything you need.”

And then he left. She sat for a long time, staring at the closed door, uncertainty and confusion whipping through her. She had just made a bargain that could easily leave her stripped of all self-preservation. Although he didn’t go over the details of their arrangement, she was curious what he’d expect from her. When he wanted her as his ‘wife’ would he also expect her to share his bed?

She dropped her gaze to the stack of cash that seemed out of place sitting atop her rickety, old coffee table. She almost found it pompous that he could gather that much cash in less than an hour. Of course, he probably kept that much cash in his safe as chump-change. Truth was, she’d probably never see this much all at once ever again in her lifetime.

Closing her eyes, she laid her head back and sighed. She’d just signed her soul over to save her sister. Would she learn her lesson? Would she finally leave Phillipe? If only Ash could be confident that Abby would make better choices.

Opening her eyes, she got up, grabbed the cash from the table and dropped it into a large vase for safekeeping. Now she had thirty grand stashed in her apartment that wasn’t hers to keep. She’d gotten fired from the diner. And she would be playing her husband’s wife for the next month.

With her dismal thoughts weighing on her shoulders, she went to take a shower, hoping a good hot spray on her muscles would ease the tension. She was barely dried off when she heard noise coming from the other room. Panic took hold. It would be her luck for the money to come up missing. Wrapping the towel around her, she tiptoed down the hallway and stopped at the threshold into the living room. Relief spread through her. “Abby. What are you doing here?”

Her sister, who had been fumbling through a stack of mail on the counter, brought her head up. “You told me to come by.”

“No, I told you I’d call when and if I got the money.” Ash tightened her towel around her chest. Abby looked like she was more put together. Her hair was brushed, she had on her usual designer clothes and heels, and her makeup was in place, but the bruise looked worse.

“Oops, I must have misunderstood. Well, did the ex cough up the cash?”

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