Page 54 of Just (Fake) Married
“There’re fresh towels in the cupboard there and I managed to find some toiletries that weren’t for men,” Mrs. Walker said.
“This is an amazing room,” I said. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure. I’m heading home now, but if you get hungry there’s plenty of food in the kitchen.” She started to pull the door closed, but I turned and she stopped, blinking her big eyes at me.
“Whose room is this?” I asked, fearing the worst.
“It was Mrs. McGraw’s before she passed away.” Mrs. Walker said. “But it honestly hasn’t been used in ages. I’m glad you’re here. It’s too pretty to sit empty.”
I thanked her again and Mrs. Walker closed the door behind her with a soft click.
I looked around, feeling like Alice in Wonderland.
On her wedding night.
The bath was amazing.I ran enough hot water for two baths. I turned on the jets. I turned them off. Remembered some book I read where a woman masturbated using the jets of a hot tub, and I gave that a shot, but all it did was kind of hurt and felt like the ghost of Leroy McGraw might be watching – so I gave up on it.
The toiletries were fancy, and smelled like lemongrass and tea. So I used all of them on all parts of my body. I shaved my legs all the way up to my hips, and, because of the tub, I did someminor contortions to try to get the spots on the back of my knee I always missed.
All in all, it was an A+ experience.
Sleeping in this bed, however…not so good. The sheets were both soft and crisp at the same time. The pillows the perfect amount of squishy and firm. The mattress could only be described as perfection.
But as I lay there, staring at the ceiling, my brain refused to shut off.
Ethan’s parents had separate rooms. That seemed sad, and the room felt haunted by the ghost of their unhappy marriage. And then I thought about my parents and wondered if their marriage was as happy as it had seemed.
Which made me think about my marriage –because I was married.
I’d told my mom, but I hadn’t told Amity and Bliss yet. I would call them tomorrow.
Also Sunshine…she could wait. She was not a fan of this entire plan.
And with everything my baby brother Boone had on his plate, on whatever military assignment he was on, it was doubtful he would even care about hometown drama. By the time I saw him again, I would most likely already be divorced.
My stomach growled, and Jenny, curled up on the rug beside my bed, woofed a low, quiet bark, a dog version of “are you all right?”
“I’m good, honey,” I told her, reaching down to pat her head and getting Bruce instead, who woke up with an unhappy squawk. Which made Jenny bark.
“Shhh,” I said, painfully aware of how loud my entourage was. “It’s okay. I’m okay. You guys hungry?”
They made noises that sounded like yes and that was good enough for me.
Finally, I threw the blankets off, immediately realized how cold it was in the room. I hustled into a sweatshirt over the tank top I slept in and pulled on some thick socks. Quiet as a mouse being followed by a blind dog and a goose, I crept down the hallway to the staircase. The fire was still burning in the fireplace in the big living room downstairs and it wasn’t until I was halfway down the stairs that I realized Ethan was there.
I stopped and thought about creeping right back up to bed before he saw me.
“Hello, Harmony,” he said.
He didn’t turn to look at me and I noticed the drink in his hand.
“You can go back and hide in your bedroom if you want. I won’t blame you,” he said. “Or, I’ve got some food if you’re hungry.”
My stomach growled in answer.
I shot Jenny and Bruce behave glances and came the rest of the way downstairs and over to the couch to see what kind of midnight snack he was offering up.
Cheese and crackers. Some grapes and apples.
