Page 54 of Boss's Baby: A Fake Fiance Romance

Josh and I sat down next to each other. Moments later Sam arrived, that same skeptical expression still on his face. It made me nervous as hell.

But the lunch itself went well. A member of the house staff—still couldn’t believe they had one—arrived with some simple but delicious chicken salad sandwiches. I ate like crazy, with a speed and hunger that I couldn’t believe.

During the meal Walter asked us questions about our history together, how we’d met, how we’d found each other after so long. I was surprised by my ability to spin up lies so quickly—turns out the trick to lying was to take the truth and sort of twist it around a little. Scary how easy it was.

When I was done with my meal, I pointed to my crumb-covered plate. “Any chance I could get another one?”

Walter’s eyebrows flicked up. “Of course you can. And I have to say, I love a woman with an appetite.”

“I was just telling her the same thing,” said Josh with a smile.

“But I’ve been meaning to speak with Joshua alone today. Nothing major, only some questions about the wedding.” He rose. “Please, be comfortable and enjoy yourself while you’re here. You’re going to be family soon, and I want you to feel all the welcome that comes with it.”

“Thank you so much. For everything.” Walter seemed hard, but I was surprised at how nice he was. Maybe it was the old-school style of treating women with an elevated level of respect. It was nice, but it also made me feel guiltier about lying to him.

Josh and Walter were soon off, leaving only Sam and I at the table. Dread set in immediately, and however comfortable I felt around Walter, it was the direct opposite with his other son.

Sam sat back in his seat and crossed his legs, regarding me carefully for a long moment. I didn’t like it one bit.

After a time, I felt like I needed to say something to break the tense silence. “Um, this is a nice place you’ve got here.”

“It is. It really is. My father worked very hard for it. Worked very hard, and very honestly.” He placed a special emphasis on the word “honestly” that made me instantly feel even more ill at ease.

“In fact, our family prides itself on our honesty. Despite the way my brother has conducted himself in the past, it’s important to both us and the company we’ve worked so hard to build into what it is today.”

“That’s great. Hard to come across in the business world.” There was a point he was getting to, and I wanted him to hurry up and arrive. I felt like he was toying with me.

“Indeed it is. And, needless to say, we expect the same from anyone we might bring into this family of ours.”

My heart began to race. Holy shit—did he know what was going on? Had he actually been listening in through the door? I hated the way he looked at me, all narrow eyes and sliver-smile.

“That makes sense,” I said, trying to stay cool. “Honesty is great.” Not the most eloquent thing to say in the world, but the tension at that moment was incredible. What did he know?

“And it’s why I’ve been wanting to talk to you one-on-one since we met.”

“Is that right?”

He nodded. “That’s right. I heard you and Josh’s story about how you two came into each other’s lives again. It’s very cute. And I also know what kind of background you and your family come from.”

“My family? What are you talking about?”

“Your family comes from the…other side of town.”

“Wait a minute. Is this about us being working-class?”

“Something like that. It’s about how someone like you so suddenly found my brother again, and how I can’t help but wonder if there’s more to this attraction of yours than him.”

It didn’t take more for me to put two and two together. “Hold on. Are you suggesting that I’m marrying your brother for his money?”

“I’m more than suggesting—I’m saying it. I get the distinct impression there’s more to your love than only being his wife. Or, more specifically, there’s more to being his wife than his love.”

“That’s ridiculous! You think I’m some kind of gold digger?”

“Not the words I’d use, but not too far off from what I’ve got in mind.” He leaned forward. “There’s something screwy about what’s going on. And you can be certain that as long as you’re in this house, I’m going to have my eye on you while I try to figure out what it is.”

He finished and rose, his eyes still locked onto me. “Anyway, that’s all I have for you. Enjoy your time here.”

And then he was gone. I was left with the keen knowledge that this plan of ours had just become a hell of a lot more complicated.

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