Page 26 of A Chance for Us
“Don’t remind me.”
“I could always use the one I had—”
“No.” It might be easier, but we both already agreed it was better not to. She took it off and plans to give it back once she’s back in Virginia Beach.
“I agree, but I don’t want people to say anything.”
“Will your family?”
Maren shakes her head. “No, I don’t think so. They know I’m not really traditional, so it won’t come as a surprise. They know we rushed everything, so we can just say we plan to get one later.”
That’ll work for me. “Then we’ll just go forward not using your ex’s ring.”
She nods once. “Perfect. So, Oliver Parkerson, silver-tongued charmer that you are, tell me what you’ve been up to for the last ten years.”
I lean back in my seat. “You know up until I left Sugarloaf, right?”
“I do.”
I figured Devney told her everything, and I would rather not rehash being dumped. “After we ended things, I went to Wyoming to open a new inn for my father. It was . . . a damn mess. While I was there, my family kind of went crazy. Dad was cheating on Mom—as always—and we were all sick of cleaning up his messes.”
“I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
I plaster on my smile and shrug. “Could’ve been worse. I could’ve been Grayson and had my dad sleep with my ex—who is Amelia’s biological mother.” Her eyes widen. “Yeah, he’s a winner, and that is reason number 794849 that I will never get married. My blood is tainted.”
“I very much doubt that. You can’t be all that bad, you’re fake marrying me to make someone you never met happy.”
“Oh, buckle up for the stories . . .”
Talking to her is easy, and I fill her in on all the drama my father created. She needs to know why we left the company we built with our dad and went out on our own. She listens, dipping a fry into the ketchup and swirling it around.
Once I finish, she sits back. “Wow.”
“Yeah.”
“But, wow in a good way, Oliver. You could have stayed under your dad’s thumb because . . . why not? You were making great money and you liked the job. But you took a chance and did something amazing. No matter what, you have this really special family who came together. I wish I had that.”
No, she doesn’t. She has no idea what she’s wishing for. Nothing I’ve done in my life has been heroic or great. I deal with one shitstorm after another, and the cycle never ends.
“So, tell me about your supersecret job,” I suggest.
She reaches down and grabs a folder. “Okay, so I work for Cole Security Forces and in order for me to disclose anything beyond that, you have to sign this.”
I take the folder from her and read over the single document inside. “You need me to sign an NDA?”
“Yes.”
“Because what you’re about to tell me is supersecret spy stuff?”
Maren jerks her head at the paper. “Go ahead and sign.”
Now I’m really intrigued. I grab the pen and scrawl my name on the line. “Signed.”
“Okay. I work as an analyst for a clandestine division of Cole Security Forces, and a large part of my job is acting as a liaison between my team and various alphabet agencies in the government.”
“But the truth is . . .” I prod.
“The truth is a lie. Do you understand?”
