Page 14 of Reckless Chance
“Forgive me. Mr. Cartwright informed me that you are now his wife. I apologize if I misunderstood.” He smirks.
“It’s temporary, and regardless, I’m keeping my maiden name.”
“As you wish then, Ms. Upton. Please follow me.”
Walter waves me onto the patio where Sean is leaning on the balcony. At the sound of my heels clicking on the tile, he turns and his eyes light up, making me feel warm and tingly.
Meeting me by the sofa, smiling broadly, Sean leans forward, kissing me on the cheek. “You look fantastic as always. Have a seat. I’ll pour you a glass of prosecco.”
“Thanks, I could use one. Why the hell did Walter call me Mrs. Cartwright?”
“Sorry about that. I had to share the news about our marriage with him. He can be trusted not to mention it to anyone. Isuspect he was having fun with you. I’ll talk with him. It won’t happen again.”
“It’s not funny. It’s … it’s horrifying.” I’m not ready to share the details. But after what my mom went through with my dad, marriage is not for me. I can take care of myself.
“I know that I’m not husband material, but that’s a little harsh, don’t you think?” He laughs.
“I didn’t meanyouare horrifying. I was referring to the idea of marriage.”
“We can agree on that,” he says, handing me a glass of sparkling liquid. “Help yourself to the bruschetta. In case you have allergies, the chef insisted I tell you that the ones on the left have crispy prosciutto, ricotta, and a balsamic glaze, and the others have a mixture of shrimp, tomatoes, and basil.”
“No allergies, but that was thoughtful of your chef. It looks delicious. After last evening, my plan is to eat more and drink less tonight to ensure my judgment is better.”
“We’ve already done one outrageous thing. I’m not sure we could top it.”
“Let’s not find out. Speaking of our misadventure last night, it’s annoying the heck out of me that I can’t handle the annulment myself. I can work for a company here, at least temporarily, but as a California attorney, I cannot go to court in Nevada without teaming up with a local attorney.”
“I’d be frustrated too, but my lawyer will fix it.”
“What’s the status? Do you have annulment papers ready for me to sign?
“Not yet. I left a message for him and sent over copies of the marriage license. We should hear something within a day or two.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t hear back today. Didn’t you tell him how urgent this is?” I ask, trying to mask my annoyance.
“I made it extremely clear that we want this resolved quickly. Don’t worry. He’ll take care of it. In the meantime, let’s enjoy tonight. How did the party planning go today? Did you meet with Amy?”
If he’s not worried, I can let it go—or at least try—for one night. It’s not a complicated legal process given that we didn’t intend to marry, and both want it annulled. It should be straightened out in a couple of weeks.
Returning to Sean’s questions about the party, I answer, “Amy is terrific. She had everything organized. We finalized the orders for food, beverages, décor, and setup. The party will be fantastic. Did you confirm the magician?”
“The magician will be there. Now we wait for Evan and Cassie’s arrival.”
“How are we going to hide our accidental marriage from them? I don’t want them to know about ourmistake. It’s embarrassing.”
“Excellent point. There’s no real reason to hide our connection though. Let’s admit to hanging out together when you were here before and say we’re catching up again now. We enjoy each other’s company. What’s the harm in them knowing we’re hooking up? It’s no big deal. We just won’t mention the marriage.”
“That could work, assuming your staff doesn’t let anything slip about the wedding. Who else knows we tied the knot?”
“The ones working the event plus Walter and Emily. Emily has already contacted the staff from last night and instructed them not to mention it to anyone. She also made sure all our photos were pulled from the digital monitors around the casino.”
“A lot of people saw us on the stage though.”
“The majority of those people wouldn’t recognize me from that distance. Don’t worry about them. We’ve done all we cando. In the end, it may come out. Hopefully, the annulment will happen first. No one will care then, and we won’t comment on it.”
“You’re probably right.” I shrug, reaching for an appetizer.
“To keep the party a surprise, you should come up with a reason for why you’re here earlier than Cassie expects you. Have you given that any thought?”
