Page 20 of A Chance for Us
Oliver leans against the doorjamb. “I said no because I really couldn’t wrap my head around it, and to some extent, I still can’t. But after you left, I felt really shitty for saying no.” He steps inside. “I think it’s fucking insane, but if you need me, I’ll do it. I’ll pretend so that your dad won’t be crushed.”
My heart begins to pound, and I don’t know what to say. For the first time since the breakup happened, I feel hope. I let out a huge squeal and bounce into his arms. Oliver laughs as he catches me and falls back against the wall.
“Jesus. I take it you want to do this?”
I lean back, staring at my friend. “You have no idea how much this means to me. I know it’s crazy and is a lot to ask, but yes I absolutely still want to do this. I will never be able to repay you, Oliver. Never.”
“You’re really sure? You want to lie to everyone you know?”
I bite my lower lip but nod. “It’s not ideal, but it isn’t as if I concocted this whole thing from the start. I’m just subbing out the man to make my father rest easier.”
He raises one brow. “And if he figures it out?”
“I think we’ll be okay. He’s not well and . . . we don’t have that long to lie.”
I go into a little detail about how this will work. Being that my father has never met Oliver one-point-oh, there’s no chance of him finding out unless we tell him. We just have to sell him on the fact that we love each other, which should be easy enough. Oliver is a great guy, and Devney has sung his praises about being an amazing person.
“I hope not because I really don’t want that on my conscience.”
“I think it’ll be fine. I’ll start coming up with a very in-depth plan. The only other small thing is that . . . well, my aunt gave me her beach house in Myrtle Beach for my—our honeymoon. I have to go or she’ll think something is up. Well, we have to go. It’s important that I stay there for at least one night, but we have it for five days. And you can have it after that one night.”
Oliver sighs deeply. “We’ll figure all that out. I’m not sure taking off before the opening is a good idea, but we can do at least one night.”
I hate to look a gift horse in the mouth and all, but something about this is bothering me slightly. I open my mouth, hesitate, and then decide to ask anyway. “Why are you doing this, Ollie? I know you said you felt bad, but . . . is there something more?”
“I don’t know what it’s like to love one of my parents so much I’d be willing to ask someone I haven’t seen in almost a decade to pretend to marry me. I figure that must be pretty special and rare.” He smiles, and I do as well. “Also, you booked the whole resort and we spent a lot of money to get it ready in time. Therefore, my family threatened to kill me and bury my body somewhere in the woods. Considering my brother-in-law is a wilderness guide, it seemed like a high probability that I would never be found.”
At that, I burst out laughing. “Well, either way, I appreciate it.”
“You say that now, but you’re stuck with me through this.”
I extend my hand to him. “We’re in this together, right?”
He shakes my hand. “God help us both.”
* * *
Oliver’s sister wasted little time telling the rest of his family, and two hours after he showed up at Dev’s rental house, I’m sitting at his brother Grayson’s house with the entire clan going over what should happen next.
“How exactly is this going to work?” Grayson asks, tucking his daughter into some swing thing.
I clear my throat. “Well, my family has never met Oliver one-point-oh, and the only thing they really know about him is that he works with me in Virginia Beach.”
“I clearly don’t do that,” Oliver says.
“I know, but I think it’s easy enough to explain. I can say that you are still with the company, but you also help with your family business. The only person who will give us any pushback is Linda, but I’ve gotten good at managing her.”
“You don’t think your dad will be suspicious?” Josh, his oldest brother, asks.
I shrug one shoulder. “He might, but I don’t know that he fully absorbs everything all the time. Sometimes we’ll have a conversation about something, but the next time we speak, he has no recollection of it. It’s horrible, but it just may save us a lot of questions.”
Oliver shakes his head. “I can’t believe I agreed to this. I think your dad is going to figure it out quickly.”
Josh turns to him. “Then you better get busy selling it to everyone, including yourself, that you’re in love with her because we have to pay the chef, kitchen staff, wait staff”—he lifts his hand when Oliver goes to interject something—“which we wouldn’t have hired for this weekend if you hadn’t booked the wedding. The plus side is that this family could use a bit of time together, and a wedding is a good reason to do that. We’ll stay in the vacant rooms and get a firsthand view of the staff.”
Stella speaks next. “And the more you act like this is crazy, the sooner someone will figure it out. So, you should stop.”
Oliver looks to Stella’s husband. “We truly have no money? You didn’t squirrel some of it away?”
