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“Tell her I snore. She’ll get it.”
He shrugs and nods. Like he has any choice. I’m the one holding the cards here. He needs something from me, but what he has to offer in return does not have nearly as much value. Cleaning up my reputation is awould be nice. Nothing mandatory. It’s not like I’m trying to save my job or something.
“What’s next?” he asks.
“I’ll be staying up in Sonoma at Mom’s cottage a couple nights per week. I want to keep my job up there. I really enjoy it.”
“Sure. Why not? That’ll work. And when I don’t have a game or early practice, I’ll come up.”
I gulp. It’s a good idea, his coming my way. Adds legitimacy to the ruse. But there’s only one bed in the cottage.
I’ll worry about that later.
“Now, what do you need?” I ask him.
“Well, this all needs to be kept confidential, as you know. I think we’re on the same page on that. And should we ever fall into some hanky panky, which I know we don’t want, but hey, I’m being realistic, we’ll keep it no strings attached. That work?”
I open my mouth to say there will certainly not be any hanky panky but stop. The idea of no strings doesn’t sound like a bad one, should we experience a weak moment.
Which I am sure we will not.
I shrug my approval. “Anything else?”
“Nothing that will come as a surprise, but you’ll have to come to my games, at least the home ones, and pop in on the occasional practice. And there will be other events we’ll need to attend together.”
“Is there a lot of this stuff?” I follow him into the kitchen with my empty plate and am surprised when he starts cleaning. “During the season, yeah, there are quite a few events. Hey, give me your dish.”
“I can help.”
He shakes his head. “You don’t have to clean in my house.”
He puts our dishes in the dishwasher and starts on the pots and pans.
“Someone trained you well,” I say.
He laughs. “I guess so. Anyway, you’re already doing me a big favor just by being here. I want to make it as pleasant as possible for you.”
I’m down with that. Stay in a nice place and have someone pretty much wait on me?
Sounds like a vacation. One I really need.
18
PETAL
I wake up early,not at all sure where I am, but I’m comforted by the stack of romance novels on the nightstand next to me.
Right. Rake’s place. I stretch and head into my en suite bathroom to wash up. The clattering of pots and pans in the kitchen makes it way to me, as does the scent of breakfast.
Maybe this arrangement won’t be so bad. I love a good breakfast.
When I’m dressed and ready, I stop by the kitchen. There, I find Rake scrolling through his tablet and reading, eating a plate full of eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and buttermilk biscuits. My mouth waters. But I really don’t want to hang out.
Regardless, I still need to be hospitable toward my fake husband.
“Good morning, Miss Petal,” Betty says. “I’ve made you some breakfast.”
Rake pulls out a stool for me at the kitchen counter.
