Page 56 of Boss's Baby: A Fake Fiance Romance

I wondered how keen they’d be on that once the wedding was called off. But that was something to worry about for another day.

“I’ll have to find something to wear,” I said. “Didn’t pack anything more formal than what I wore last night.”

“Joshua will get you sorted out,” said Walter. “Don’t you worry about that.”

“Oh, it’s not a money thing.” There I went again. “I can handle that myself.”

“Nonsense,” said Walter. “No son of mine is going to let his fiancée worry about paying for her own wardrobe. It’s actually one of the pleasures of being married, being able to make sure your wife has everything she needs. Maybe even more.”

“It’s OK. My family may be working-class, but I’ve got a pretty good job in the city.”

“That’s right,” said Walter. “You’re part of the company that we’re picking up for our marketing department—MacLand-Glass. Almost forgot about that.”

“Yep—junior marketing exec. Been with the company since I graduated.”

Walter looked impressed. “Excellent. Like to hear about that kind of loyalty. Hard to come by these days, it seems.”

Sure, my big thing right then was being honest, but somehow the comment about loyalty made me feel uneasy. It was like I was becoming totally uncertain about any trait I had. No choice but to press on, though.

Walter went on. “And are you looking forward to being a part of our happy little family?” He chuckled, realizing what he was saying and who he was saying it to. “The less literal family, that is.”

And here was another opportunity for a lie. “Yes, of course. Might be a little tricky being married to the boss, but I think we’ll be able to make it work.”

Josh reached over and took my hand and gave it a squeeze. All smiles all around.

“The boys’ mother and I met at my work, actually. One of our secretaries—couldn’t take my eyes off her from the moment I saw her. I had to have her, and so I got her.” A faraway expression appeared on his face, and it was easy to see that the thought of his late wife, Josh’s mother, still had a profound effect on him.

His eyes flashed, and he came back to the moment. Walter threw back the rest of his drink and set it aside.

“Anyway, you’ve only just arrived, and I want you to feel as comfortable as possible. Relax, let Joshua show you around the house. Happy to have you here.”

Relaxing was what I needed. What better way to recover from a solid day of lying? Hell, I’d have to get used to the feeling.

Chapter 25

JOSH

I dropped into one of the open chairs on the back patio, the nearby heater making the spot a small oasis among the rest of the winter chill. Cass did the same, letting out a sigh of relief as she did. The sky above was a flat gray—looked like snow might pour down at any moment.

“OK, I think that about wraps up the tour. Any other questions?”

Cass smiled. “Yeah, wondering where I can get some bread crumbs to leave a trail to get back to the room when I’m lost.”

I laughed. “I know, I get it. House is a little much. Believe it or not, Dad’s not that big on being ostentatious. He mainly bought this place because he was convinced my mom deserved the best of the best. This was the fanciest house in Pine Shades, so he didn’t waste a second getting it when it went on the market.”

“Is that right? And did your mom like it?”

“She loved it. She was like you…” He trailed off, as if he’d realized he’d misspoken.

But I wasn’t about to let that slide—too curious for that. “She was like me?”

Josh seemed uneasy. “Don’t think that was the best way to put it. Mom was—she came from a very poor household. Like dirt-poor poor. I know that’s not the same as you.”

“I suppose everyone’s poor compared to you guys.”

“Don’t know if I’d put it like that. But Dad worked his ass off for all of this. He’s earned it.”

This reminded me of the conversation with Sam. I had a quick internal debate on whether or not this was the right time to tell Josh, eventually deciding that it was.

“OK, you’ve got something on your mind. Let’s hear it.”

“I spoke with Sam.”

That got his attention. “You did? And?”

After taking a quick look around to make sure there weren’t any prying eyes or listening-in ears, I went into it, telling him about Sam’s suspicions that I was marrying him for his money.

“That’s what he thinks?” Josh seemed perplexed. “I don’t know whether to be relieved or not.”

“Same here. I think I’m falling on the side of ‘worried,’ though. Regardless of the reason, he thinks that there’s something up with the marriage, and that probably means he’s going to be looking at this whole thing with extra scrutiny.”

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