The Marriage Contract, Natasha Black [thriller books to read .TXT] 📗

would be awesome,” I said. “I haven’t been able to think of anything to get her.”

“Same here. I’ve got nothing yet,” he said, sitting down and picking up my instruction sheet, flipping it over in his hands.

“Well, not one of these,” I said. “They are beautiful when they are put together, but I have no idea what I’m doing right now.”

“Good to know,” he said. “But no, if you have an idea, let me know. We will figure it out.”

There was a moment of silence as I concentrated on holding one screw in place on one side and twirling it tighter on the other. I grumbled a curse when I dropped it, but Jordan got down to help me keep it in place, and I got it on.

“Thanks,” I said.

“No problem,” Jordan said, sitting with his back on the base of the couch. “So, it looks like you and Chloe seem to be hitting it off.”

And there it was. I wasn’t going to get out of it. He knew Chloe and I had been seeing each other outside of work. What he didn’t know was our ruse. I felt bad deceiving my brother, but I knew he would tattle if I told him what was going on. If he was going to know something, it had to be in the story. I could tell him the whole thing later.

If there was anything to tell.

“Yeah,” I said, somewhat enthusiastically. I decided to roll with it. If I had to lie to him at some point about this whole thing, I might as well start right then. “We have.”

“Is there something to that?”

“I think so,” I said, and he laughed in surprise.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I mean, nothing is official yet, so keep quiet, but yeah, we’re really enjoying each other’s company. A lot.”

“Well, damn. No wonder you wanted to redecorate,” he said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

He laughed and then realized I wasn’t kidding.

“Because your apartment looked like it was one a woman couldn’t spend more than a night in, that’s why,” he said. “You’re growing up.”

I shrugged. No need to argue with him.

“Eh, maybe,” I said. “I’ve just never felt this way before about somebody, you know? I want to be a better person. Maybe impress her a little, I don’t know.”

Jordan nodded as I talked, a grin spreading across his face. “Sounds about right,” he said.

“She’s just really cool. She’s funny and smart and completely different than anyone I have ever known.”

“Sounds like you really like her,” Jordan said.

“I really do,” I responded. I felt heat creeping up my cheeks. I was almost dizzy, like I had forgotten to breathe during that rant. Why?

Because it was true. I did really like her.

I tried to shake it off, to shake off the butterflies in my stomach that came when I talked about her that way. My brain was playing into the lie, like an actor. I was convincing myself, temporarily, of stronger feelings than I actually had. It made sense. I had to sell it.

“Well, I think it’s really cool,” Jordan said. “Don’t be afraid of anyone’s reaction. You do you. And if you want to keep it quiet for right now, I get that, too. I don’t want you to feel pressure from me and Hannah at all in either direction. I won’t even tell Hannah if you don’t want me to.”

“I think Chloe will take care of that, if there’s something,” I said, thinking on my feet.

“Good point. As far as I know, she already knows,” he laughed. “But I am glad you told me. It’s exciting, even if it goes nowhere. I haven’t seen you this interested in a girl in, well, ever.”

“Thanks,” I said. “I think for now we will keep it quiet. Just to make sure she gets really settled into the job first and people don’t jump to the conclusion that she’s being treated differently because of her relationship with me.”

“Understood,” Jordan said. “Now, I think I’m going to go on home and change and grab something to eat before I head into work.”

“Uh-huh,” I said. “Get on out of here and let me see if I can figure one of these out.”

Later that night at work, I decided not to address our idea with Chloe just yet. She had her reasons for wanting to take some time and think about it, and even if she decided she didn’t want to do anything at all, I could just tell Jordan about the whole plan and I was pretty sure he would think it was funny. And if not, we’d both be in the doghouse.

Still, as much as I didn’t want to scare her off the idea, we spent much of the night pretty openly flirting with one another. I wasn’t terribly subtle in the way I would bring her tables’ food orders while she was standing there, just so I could be hip to hip with her for a moment. Plus, I found myself working on a couple of new dishes based on what she told me her favorite foods were. By the time the shift was halfway over, I knew I was completely distracted by her. In the best way possible.

12

Chloe

Hannah and I decided to hit up the department store before she went into work since the nanny showed up early and I had nothing else to do. Rather than cutting her hours, Hannah figured I could join her in a run to the store, and then I could figure out what I wanted to do when I got back. There were a few household things Hannah needed to grab, and I figured doing a little shopping, even at a big-box store, would help me destress a little. So far it had only amped me up.

“Crap,” Hannah said, looking at her phone that had just rung.

“Tell him we’re on the way,” I said. “I’ll walk back or catch an Uber or something. It’s only like ten minutes with traffic, right?”

“No, it’s not