Chapter 55

The next day, the couple—Tommy and his nanny—arrived at the farmhouse mid-afternoon.

"Why is this place so empty?"

Amaya’s head swivelled from side to side as she strolled up Hastings Street, the farmland's main thoroughfare, with Chase.

"It's noon, but see those small boutiques, cafés, inns, and small restaurants. This town almost rivals City in the trendy stakes, huh?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah, almost."

The city had a vibe all of its own, and she loved it. Coming here to find the town had turned hip and cosmopolitan was a nice surprise.

Chase laid a hand on her arm, and she stopped, more startled by his touch than the mini-city’s transformation. "There is one thing we didn’t discuss the other night."

Just one? She could think of several, including how platonic this marriage would be, where they would live, and how long they’d keep up the pretence. And that was just for starters.

"What’s that?"

"How long are you sticking around for?"

"What do you mean, sticking around?" she raised one eyebrow. "Aren't we going back to the city after the wedding?"

"No, not yet; we need to develop this land. I mean, I had a plan. That's why I am staying here. My grandfather would love to see this town buzz with tourists."

She had to tell him the truth; she had to tell him they had years to make it look as if they had a pretend marriage for real.

Shrugging, she pointed to the tapas bar they’d stopped at outside.

"All depends on how long the job takes. I'm your assistant; if you need me here then, what is there to talk about? This marriage isn't for real, but my job is." She sighed before saying another thing: "Fancy a snack? I’m starving."

"Okay."

Chase led her into the bar, to a cosy table in the furthest corner, and ordered for them before turning that penetrating dark gaze back on her.

"So are we talking for two months? Four? Longer? I mean, I know you have Tommy to worry about, but the thing is, I'm going to focus here and let Justin handle the company for a little while."

What was he trying to say, anyway? Why was he asking her? He was the boss, and she was just a mere employee. She thought to herself.

"You’re really hung up on this timeline thing, aren’t you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn’t call it a hang-up. An honest answer will do."

She scoffed, "Chase, did you forget what you said? That us being married is nothing real and serious? If you want me to stay here as an assistant, who am I to say no?" She sighed before adding, "But if you want me to stay here as a wife, then that's a big problem because I work at a JC company. Surely, you told me that Justin needs help."

"About that—"

"Why don't we talk about this after the wedding?" she asked, clearly trying to avoid the issue partly because, if he wanted her as an assistant, she'd make sure to avoid the man, but if he wanted her as a trophy wife, then that's another problem because she couldn't pretend more. It hurts damn much to even look at him right now; what more to pretend that they were madly in love?

"Okay," Chase groaned, hating the little white lie he had to tell, he said, "as long as it takes. I have the workers in place, so once we’re married I could really get stuck here because I have plans to build a hotel and resort here."

"Hotel and resort?"

"Yeah."

She picked up an olive from a tray that had been placed in front of them. "I guess you want to know what happens after the wedding?"

To her surprise, he shook his head. "Not really. I’m more concerned with the here and now and solidifying my reputation with investors."

Of course, that’s his reason.

Time to wake up, Amaya. The little voice in her head said it with a chastised tone.

She could leave alone well enough. In fact, she’d rather be discussing anything than their cold, calculating marriage scheduled for the morning. But if she left in two months as planned, where would that leave Chase and his precious reputation?

"So when I leave…"

She trailed off, not wanting to voice her doubts out loud. The way she saw it, she was getting the better end of this deal: full access to the farm to nail a long-awaited vacation, then walking back to her old life, leaving Chase to fend off curiosity about why his marriage fell apart so quickly and the possible financial fallout from his investors.

Then what would happen? Would she rather stay at JC Johnson as Justin's assistant if her marriage came to an end?

"Amaya, I made up my mind. It will take not just three months here, but more or less a year or two. But if you decide to leave, I act like nothing's wrong. We’ll have a modern marriage, where we spend several months of the year together and have highly successful careers in different cities. Business people understand that."

"But—"

"It’s nobody’s concern but ours," he said, his tone cool and confident, at odds with the banked heat in his enigmatic gaze. "This is going to work. Trust me."

I thought we were going to divorce as soon as possible. She thought to herself.

Chase placed a hand over hers before she could blink, and rather than pulling away, the sane thing to do, she turned hers over and curled her fingers through his.

"Is somebody watching?" she asked.

"Yes, behind you, don't turn your head. It's the captain of gossip in this town, the hairdresser."

"Ah okay.

With a squeeze, he smiled, and her heart flip-flopped in predictable fashion.

"That’s my girl. So, are you ready for tomorrow?"

"Ready as I’ll ever be." She smiled at him lovingly. "Everything is ready, right?"

"Yes. Everything. My family will be here in the evening. Do your thing and make sure not to tell them about our contract."

"Of course. No need to remind me of that," she replied vacantly.

She sighed and noted seeing the dress and the team for tomorrow's big event; to say that her coworkers were surprised would be an understatement.

Did a simple outfit constitute being ready? A smart up-do? In reality, she’d never be ready to walk down the aisle with the only guy she’d ever really loved, knowing their marriage was fake.

"About the honeymoon…"

She snapped her gaze to his, not liking the naughty twinkle in his eyes one little bit. Amaya raised a brow. Seriously? After what happened in Greece, he was thinking about a honeymoon.

What an ass. He was indeed a fickle minded person.

"A honeymoon isn’t part of the deal, Chase."

She all but yanked her hand out of his on the pretext of reaching for her water glass. He shrugged, a roguish smile playing about his mouth, and in that moment she wished she could take it back.

She’d always been a sucker for that smile, from the first moment at Tyler and Mary’s wedding. He’d smiled his way into her life and her heart, and she’d be damned if she sat here and let him do it all over again.

"Okay, no honeymoon."

"Good."

She folded her arms and glared at him. With little effect, if his growing grin was any indication.

"But we do need to have a wedding night."

"No way—"

"Amaya, are you crazy? This marriage has to look real. I’m a prominent businessman in the area, and if we don’t go away, we’d have to do something special for our wedding night, otherwise people would talk."

He had a point, damn him.

No biggie. They could share a room; it didn't mean they’d have to do anything in it.

"Fine," she gritted out, her admission as painful as the time she hinted she wanted more in Greece.

Leaning forward, he whispered in her ear. "You won’t be disappointed."