Page 22 of Deal with Mr. Cruel

She caught his eye for a moment before picking up the pen and turning to the last page. He heard her take a deep breath as she scribbled her signature on the line. She slid the papers to Jonas and handed him the pen. He added his signature and stacked the papers carefully before placing them in a manila envelope. It was done.

“I’ll have my lawyer send you the signed copies. Make sure you put them somewhere safe. Somewhere hidden. I don’t want anything coming out,” said Jonas, as he locked the envelope away in his desk.

Mae nodded.

“So, are you ready for this?” asked Jonas, leaning back in his chair. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer.

“Mhmm,” she said with a smirk. “The question is—areyouready?”

“Me? Of course. I’m the one who proposed this agreement.”

“Well, I hope you know what you’re getting into. I just put our house on the market and Nico moved in with his best friend.”

Jonas gulped. Obviously, they had to make their marriage look real, and living separately would raise suspicion. Still, he wondered if he had thought this all through. He had never lived with anyone. This was starting to get real.

Mae, seemingly satisfied with his sudden silence and furrowed brow, stood and grabbed her purse. She made her way toward the door.

“See you soon,hubby,”she said as she shut the door behind her.

Chapter 10

Mae

Mae couldn’t hide the smile on her face. She was the one who finally took Jonas off guard. The look on his face when she said she would be moving in was priceless. Why was he so shocked? He was the one who put this term in the agreement, which obviously made sense. If their fake marriage was to look real, then they had to make it look convincing.

Putting her parents’ house on the market was bittersweet. It was where all her memories lived from when they were all together, happy as a family. She knew her parents would understand. They would be happy for her and Nico to be moving on and leaving the past behind them. Deep down, she was happy. The memories were nice, but they also made her sad. She could sometimes swear she smelled her mom’s cinnamon rolls wafting up from the kitchen or hear her dad’s old sports radio in the living room.

As much as she had come to terms with selling the house, there was still Nico to convince. The house had been left to both of them, and she wasn’t sure he would be on board. When he came home from practice the next night, she had his favorite dinner on the table.

“Mmm. Spaghetti Bolognese,” said Nico as he walked in the door and breathed in the delicious smells of tomato and garlic. “What’s the occasion, sis?”

“Can’t I just make my brother a meal he loves?”

“I guess.” Nico eyed her skeptically as he put his sports duffel down in the entryway. He headed to the kitchen to wash his hands as she poured two glasses of malbec. She placed the glasses on the table and took a seat, trying to keep her nervousness at bay. Nico took the seat across from her. She held up her wine glass.

“Cheers.”

“What are we cheersing to?” he asked, picking up his wine glass and holding it in the air close to hers.

“I don’t know. To new beginnings,” she said with a shrug.

“New beginnings, huh?”

They clinked glasses. Nico looked at her curiously, but she wouldn’t meet his gaze. She began twirling spaghetti around her fork and took a big bite. She watched her brother scarf down his meal and fill his plate with seconds. “This is delicious, Mae,” he said.

She nodded. “So, Nico. I’ve been thinking…”

“Mhmm,” he said with his mouthful.

“You know I love you and we’ve been looking out for each other since Mom and Dad passed.”

“Yes,” he said, almost as a question.

“Well, don’t you think it’s time to be on your own? Don’t get me wrong. I love living with you. I just think you’re old enough to not live with your big sister anymore.”

“But I like living with you. Who is going to cook for me?”

She rolled her eyes.

---