Page 50 of The Marriage Deal
I glanced up at him. There was a small smile on his face. "I didn't know you were a romantic?"
"There's a lot you don't know about me."
"From one to ten. What do you give it?"
"Hair and costume department aside—there's no way a nineteenth-century English gentleman is walking in the field with his shirt unbuttoned—I give it a nine."
"Impressive."
"It might be a—"
There was a knock on the door. We both jerked our heads toward the sound.
"Expecting someone?" I asked.
Levi shook his head. "No deliveries either."
We disentangled, already missing his warmth as he got off the couch. I got up, following him as he went to answer the door. When he opened, I don't know who I expected, but it was not my sister.
When she saw me standing behind Levi, she pointed at him, not at all looking happy, and said, "So is that your husband?"
22
Levi
ELLE AND I SAT on the loveseat next to each other while her sister chose the single chair. Her face accusatory as she glared at us like a principal upset at rowdy school kids. She looked like an older version of Elle. But where Elle was short, she was tall. And where Elle was curvy, she was slim. Effie cut her hair short and did not dye the white spot appearing in front of her hair. The look gave her a commanding, no-nonsense demeanor. She reminded me of my eldest brother, Nolan, who sometimes felt like a father figure to me. And it was apparent in the way they behaved in my presence that Elle must have seen her much older sister as a parental figure as well. And she did not look happy at all.
She had refused the water and food I offered her with a polite no. Choosing to glower at her sister any chance she took.
"I was in the neighborhood and thought to visit you only to find out you moved," she said in a too-nice tone.
"My place is under repair. The water pipe burst, and the landlord said it's practically unlivable until he fixes it." She twiddled her thumbs. A thing I've only seen her do when she was nervous.
"She had nowhere else to go, and the landlord wanted to put her up in a cheap motel, so she opted to stay with me for the time being," I added.
"Of course she did." Effie let out a strained laugh. "Why wouldn't she? She is your wife after all. You two are supposed to be staying together. Or at least that's how I heard marriage works."
I glanced at Elle, who had her head down. Did she not tell her sister the truth? Or maybe they had a different relationship than the one I had in mind.
"How did you know we got married?" Elle asked.
She didn't tell her sister. My gaze darted between the two siblings, unsure what to do or say.
"I had to find out!" Effie took a deep breath, calming herself down. "I had to find out that you married your boss in a college newspaper."
Elle and I glanced at each other. "What newspaper?" Elle said.
Effie took out her phone, shaking her head, and flashed a screenshot at us. Elle grabbed the phone. "Oh, my god! We're in the deaths, births and weddings section of the Northride Clarion."
"A friend of mine, who used to teach here, told me that my sister got married to some rich as fuck, hotshot professor. And I was like, that's no way that's my sister.The Elly I know has a long-term boyfriend by the name of Wyatt Carrington. So imagine my surprise when she sent me that."
Elle handed me the phone. It was a screenshot not of the college newspaper, but of the town newspaper, the Northride Clarion. Thompson must have put it there. I didn't think to tell him not to, and even if I didn't care if he did, I didn't think the news would travel this fast.
"So, is that why you came?"
"I came here on other business. I wanted to—" She glanced at me and gave me a tight smile. "Can I speak to my sister in private?"
"Sure." I rubbed Elle's thigh and left the room. I went to my bedroom, but I still could not resist hearing what they were saying. But when I stood by the banister at the top of the stairs, few words filtered up. Elle's voice especially was so low I could barely make out what she was saying, but her sister would occasionally shout, "He cheated!" "Billy! That little slut!" And then later on she screamed, "He paid you!" Oh, oh. Sounds like she didn't tell her sister about the money I gave her. I leaned in to hear more.
