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Maddie opened the door with the phone to her ear and an iPad in hand. She gestured for me to walk in and walked back into the house.
“Mark, I pay you to find loopholes not to make excuses. Sort it out,” she said to whoever was on the phone as she walked away.
I stepped through the threshold and closed the door. Following her into the living room, I made myself comfortable on her loveseat. She continued to yell profanities to this Mark guy before she hung up and threw her phone onto the armchair opposite me.
She let out a growl and ran her hands through her well-styled blonde hair. You would think her hair would look crazy after running her hands in it, but she still looked good. It was annoying just how good she looked all the damn time. Like a perfect little princess.
“So are we going to talk, or are you going to continue with your little temper tantrum?”
She shot me a hard glare, and I knew that it was time for me to shut up. But like a true man of consistency, I stuck to my role of being her biggest annoyance and kept going.
“Do you want me to kiss it and make it better, stink bug?” I smirked which earned me the finger.
She sighed and plopped herself onto the armchair in front of her. Tucking her feet underneath her, she gave me her full attention. We stared at each other for about ten seconds and, in those ten seconds, I read everything I needed to know in her eyes.
She was regretting making this choice as much as I was, but we both knew that there was no turning back now. I needed her, and she needed me.
“So, how will this all work?”
“Well, you and I will have to get legally married because we would need the marriage license. We need to make it look legit, so you would have to move in with me.”
“And why can’t we move into my house?” I arched an eyebrow.
She crossed her arms over her chest, making her breasts look extra perky. “You are kidding, right? You literally live in a shoebox. There is no way I am living in that place. Besides, I like my house, and I have more space here.”
“Lily also lives here.”
“Not anymore.” She shook her head. “She will be moving in with Ethan in two days. So, you are free to take her room or the other two in this house.”
“Remember, you need the favor from me, stink bug. Shouldn’t you be trying to please me?”
She scoffed, “You need me, too, Anderson. I don’t know what for…actually, why are you doing this?”
“Personal reasons that I will keep to myself.”
“Fair enough.” She held up her hands. “But the living situation is not up for discussion. We will live here. End of discussion.”
“And what happens to my house? I like that place.”
“I will pay for rent while you stay here, so this way, you are fully compensated for helping me. Are there any other questions?”
I cocked my eyebrow. “Why are you doing this?”
“I can’t tell you that for now but just know that it is for legal reasons. And no, I’m not doing any illegal deals with mafia bosses. I just need to sort out some business deals here in Riverroad.”
“You want to start a business in Riverroad?”
She ran a hand through her hair, something she always did when she was frustrated or nervous. There was more to this story, but I didn’t want to dig. She was helping me sort out my issue with Ash, so I would not look a gift horse in the mouth.
“Fine,” I answered. “But we need to go to a dinner in a few days.”
“Dinner with who?”
“A friend.” I was not about to delve into my history with Sarah and Ash right now. That would be a conversation for another day. “All you need to do is just act like you’re in love with me, and I will hold up my end of the bargain for you.”
She looked like she wanted to say something else, but she kept her mouth shut. She nodded and accepted my terms.
“This is probably a bad idea just waiting to implode,” I voiced my inner thoughts.
“Agreed.” She nodded. “But you also happen to be my only hope. So, I’m willing to take the risk.”
We should have realized then that this would only end one way—in complete and utter disappointment.
