Page 16 of Heart Breaker

“Neither of you are being helpful.”

“Because it’s true,” Harper insists with a shrug. “A bit of mystery is sexy. Wes being impossible to figure out is part of his appeal.”

Madeline nods thoughtfully. “He really doesn’t say much, he’s hardly ever around, and when he is, he’s just… there. Calm, private. Everyone knows who he is, but nobody really knows him.”

I sink lower into the couch, staring at the ceiling for a second. “That’s what’s so irritating.”

Harper tips her head. “The fact that he’s an unknown?”

“Yes,” I say, though that is only part of it. “But I have bigger problems to deal with than that.”

“Like what?” Harper asks.

I let out a slow breath. “I have to meet Cove’s publicist tomorrow morning before Wes flies out somewhere. Apparently, she wants to go over everything, and he said she wants to meet me.”

Harper scrunches her nose up. “That sounds ominous.”

“That’s because it is. And after that, Wes is sending a moving company over to pack up my clothes and personal stuff and take them to his house.”

“What about your furniture?” Madeline asks.

“The furniture stays here,” I say, thinking how weird it is to be explaining the logistics of my fake marriage to my sister and best friend. “All I’m bringing is clothing, toiletries—the basics.”

“In other words, everything that makes this place feel like home gets left behind?” Harper asks, looking concerned.

I nod. “Basically.”

Harper lets out a low whistle. Madeline makes a face.

“Tomorrow I meet with my pretend husband and his publicist, then he goes out of town for two days and I move into a house I’ve never seen by myself.”

Harper leans back on her hands. “That is a wildly crazy sentence.”

“Yeah, it’s a lot.”

Harper lifts her glass. “Well, this should be a disaster.”

I stare at her. “Thank you so much for the emotional support.”

“You’re welcome,” she says easily. “That’s what sisters are for.”

Madeline laughs under her breath. “Okay, but if your furniture stays here, does that mean this apartment is still yours?”

I nod. “I can move back in after the divorce. Or annulment. Whatever catastrophe we choose.” I point to them both. “And all of this is under strict confidence. Seriously. Unless you want to be buried under a mountain of legal trouble, you can’t say a word.”

“You can trust us, Lottie,” Madeline says. “We’re both going to be there for you if you need us.”

“I know. I love you guys,” I say before taking a long sip of my wine, letting it burn warmly down my throat.

“What about Mom and Dad? You don’t want to just tell them the truth about all of this?”

I shake my head. “With everything they have going on with Dad, I really don’t want to add to their stress at the moment.”

“I don’t know how you’ll be able to keep them in the dark,” Madeline says. “What happens when your dad’s medical bills start getting paid?”

I let out a frustrated sigh. “I have a few days before they fly home next week. I’ll figure it out.”

“We’ll help you come up with a plan.”