When Lightning Strikes (Whiskey Creek #1)(15)
Author: Brenda Novak

“No! Come on, what would it hurt? You’ll be married so it won’t be illegal or immoral. Even Mother Teresa couldn’t object.”

When she didn’t respond, he seemed encouraged.

“It might be something you’d enjoy,” he added. “He could loosen you up. Teach you a few things. If this marriage is going to work, he’ll need an outlet.”

“I am not going to become his blow-up doll.” Something to be used and tossed away when he was done, something that would never mean anything to him. She had to live with herself when this was over.

“Forget it. I shouldn’t have brought the subject up again.” He shrugged. “Time will take care of it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ll see. You’re going to want it as bad as he does. I mean, you’ve got to have some physical desires of your own. You’re what, thirtyish? And not bad-looking. A bit pale, maybe, but if you were to forget the business suits, let your hair down and laugh once in a while, you could get laid.”

She held up a hand in the classic stop position. “Please, don’t try to cheer me up.”

“Just my two cents,” he said with an attitude that indicated he was as obtuse on this as he sounded.

“Could you shut up for a second, please? I need to think.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets while she tried to sort out her thoughts and feelings, but silence didn’t offer the clarity she’d hoped for. She kept coming back to two things. She couldn’t bear to cast her employees aside. And she couldn’t return home in defeat. Whether she liked it or not, that left her with only one option—to ignore her frustration and unhappiness and marry Simon.

But the second she said, “I do,” she’d step into the spotlight that followed him mercilessly and attract far more attention than she’d ever feel comfortable with. And if Simon refused to make an appearance in Whiskey Creek, her father would be positive that she’d turned out as disloyal as her mother, and her friends would feel snubbed and betrayed that she hadn’t included them in the “courtship.”

“Don’t.” Ian broke into her thoughts.

She lifted her head. “Don’t what?”

“Back out. You’re Simon’s only hope for getting even partial custody of his kid. He’s counting on you.”

But what about her family? “What if something goes wrong—we can’t get along or…whatever? I don’t want to make matters worse.”

“This marriage won’t be easy, but if anyone can do it, you can. I’ve never met a more talented publicist.”

“Really?” His confidence in her actually made her feel a bit better. She eyed him, wondering what he was about to add that would twist the compliment into something less flattering, but he seemed to be in earnest.

He lowered his voice as if he thought their host might be standing outside the door. “This will give Simon a second chance. I think he deserves one, if that makes any difference.”

Someone as shallow as Ian probably wasn’t the best judge of character. But it would give Big Hit PR a second chance, too. Considering the money she stood to make, she’d have her payroll covered for a long time, even if things turned bad again. But could she really do this? Could she placate her family and friends with calls and emails for a few months by pleading Simon’s busy schedule?

If so, maybe she could convince her “husband” to visit Whiskey Creek for Christmas. Or at least let her return for a visit. “This is going to require such a commitment,” she said, feeling the weight of it. “And for so long.”

“Not that long, not as far as marriages go. Think of it as a job, like you told Simon to do.” He bent at the waist to catch her eye. “Okay?”

The years she’d toiled to get on top came to mind. So did the fact that she had nowhere to go if this didn’t work out. She couldn’t bear the thought of moving back home; she’d done everything she could to escape Whiskey Creek the first time. “Okay.”

“You’re making the commitment?”

She stood. “I’m making the commitment.”

He crossed to the minibar and brought the prenup they’d painstakingly devised on the phone last night. “So when should we have the wedding?”

She glanced over the legalese Simon’s attorneys had thrown together on short notice, made sure everything was in order and signed before panic could overtake her. “A month from now is the earliest we could have the ceremony and make the relationship seem credible. Check Simon’s schedule. See if he’s free the first Saturday in November.”

“I’ll clear off whatever else he has going.”

“What are you going to tell Chelsea Seagate?”

“Nothing. I’ve already called her to say we’re canceling our contract with Pierce Mattie and returning to you.”

She wished she could take some small pleasure in that. “Fine.”

When she handed him the contract, he smiled in apparent relief. “Thanks. First Saturday, private ceremony in Vegas. The two of you will take his jet, of course. But that doesn’t give us much time to prepare.”

“Then we’d better get to work.” She left the house but stopped in the drive, her finger hovering over the send button on the pictures he’d emailed her. Once she forwarded them to Josh and he leaked them to his friend at  Hollywood Secrets Revealed, there’d be no turning back.

A creeping sensation gave her the feeling that she was being watched. Twisting around, she spotted movement in a second-story window. It was Simon, looking out at her. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Then she held up her phone to let him know they were at the point of no return.

After a slight hesitation, he nodded, and she pressed Send.

7

Gail hadn’t expected her other life, the life she’d known in Whiskey Creek, to intrude quite so quickly. But as she walked into the office, which was closed up and dark on a Saturday afternoon, Callie Vanetta, a member of the clique she’d grown up with, tried to reach her on her cell phone. Gail let it go to voice mail because she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk to anyone from Whiskey Creek at the moment. She’d just left Simon’s and hardly felt prepared.

“You okay?”

She was standing in the middle of her office, staring at her phone and feeling guilty about avoiding Callie when she heard Josh’s voice. She glanced over her shoulder, surprised to see him in the doorway. Her employees typically took weekends off, unless they were working on a big project. When she’d sent Josh the pictures, she’d assumed he was home and would forward them from there. But he knew she spent most weekends in her office, catching up on what she hadn’t been able to finish during the week. Considering what was going on, he’d probably made a special trip to see her.