Page 14 of The Wife Deception
"You did a great job," I said. "I like the place. I don't know why he wants me to change it."
"It's probably his way of giving you something to do. My brother is like that. He likes giving people projects, so they don't bother him. And no doubt, it's his way of keeping you out of trouble."
"Keeping me out of trouble? Let me guess. He sent you to make sure I don't step out of line?"
Tyler bellowed out a raucous laughter that made a few people inside the warehouse-like store glanced in our direction. "If you knew my brother and I, you'd know I'm the last person he would send to do that."
"Oh really? Why?"
"Nolan and I are more like cousins than brothers."
Nothing I saw between the two of them suggested Nolan and Tyler were not close. And besides, Tyler should hate me for what I, or rather Aelin, did, but he did not seem bothered. If anything, he was mildly interested.
"Do you want me to help you?" He glanced at the wallpaper samples. "I do this kinda thing for a living. You could pick my brain."
I frowned. "I never caught what you did."
"Nolan didn't tell you, did he?" He smirked. "See? I told you we're like cousins. I'm an architect. But I minored in interior design."
"Why help me? You could just let me sink and laugh at my horrendous decor decisions behind my back."
He gave me a cryptic smile. "I am curious about you. Want a coffee?"
Looking at furniture, paint colors and flooring was not as fun as I initially thought it would be, and my brain was tired from staring at fifteen variations of the same thing, so I nodded. And besides, Tyler's interest in me was bothering me and I wanted to know why. He chose a coffee shop that sold beverages at twice the market rate. Apparently, the coffee was supposed to taste twice as good. It didn't. But maybe my palate wasn't as sophisticated.
"So, why did you marry my brother?" Tyler asked as soon as we sat down. I was sipping my coffee, and I almost choked on it. The question was so abrupt and the last thing I expected him to say.
"Your brother didn't tell you?"
"Nolan is a robot who only thinks about The Company. He married you because he's always wanted your family's company and will do whatever to get it. I am asking you."
I shrugged and tried to sip my coffee once more without burning my tongue. "Same thing."
"You?" He leaned back in his chair and chuckled in disbelief. "Not the Aelin I know."
My heart raced. He knew Aelin. Fuck. Fuckity fuck. My first thought was to jump out of my chair and run, but I glued myself to the seat and tried to think of the most casual way to probe without exposing myself. "A lot of people think they know me, but they couldn't be further from the truth."
He raised his arms in surrender. "You're right. All I know about you is stuff from the press, and we all know how that gets twisted. But I thought we hit it off on Tocci's yacht. Or were you lying to my poor, wounded soul?"
Tread carefully, I thought. Very carefully. "You have to excuse my blank memory. I was high on a cocktail of drugs. I don't think I remember the conversation." Please Aelin. I hope you didn't sleep with Tyler.
He chuckled. "I get it. That was one wild weekend. You told me you'd never get married, and we both made a vow together not to do so. At least that's what I remember."
"Sorry. I am drawing a blank. But you wouldn't take for granted a vow I made on coke, would you?"
"I don't know. It wasn't just the drugs. Youwere adamant."
"Things change. People change." I drank my coffee to complete the act of nonchalance and hoped he bought it.
"You're right. You have changed. There's something different about you." He narrowed his eyes. "I can't put my finger on it."
I stayed silent. Too frozen to say anything in fear I might incriminate myself. But Tyler didn't seem like he knew he was talking to a different person and after he delved into another topic about interior decor, I relaxed a little. And before I knew it, I had reached the bottom of my coffee cup when Tyler mentioned he had to get back to work.
"I don't think Sebastian will appreciate me spending my lunch with you."
"Oh. I am sorry about that, by the way. I wasn't in the correct headspace when I did that. It was messed up." I was still thinking of Lynn and what she had to go through because of Aelin. Not only was I wearing her clothes and pretending to be her. I was wearing Aelin's crimes as well, and it left me with a sense of partial responsibility.
"Ha. Nolan is already on his way to fix that mistake. That's one advantage of marrying him. He loves rushing in and playing the hero. He's probably already called the judge working on Lynn's case. Oh!" His eyes brightened. "Would you like to come to my office? I can show you some of the alternative ideas I had for Nolan'splace. You could use them. Ditch them. Do whatever. We just have to make sure Sebastian doesn't see you."
