The Wedding Wager (10 page)

She was down to her favorite flower—roses—and favorite colors—berry tones, reds, and pinks—when room service knocked.

Kevin tipped the waiter and rolled the cart of food to the sofa where Megan was sitting.

“I really enjoy the fact that you are not afraid to eat real food,” he said.

“Real food is my favorite, and I missed it like crazy in the hospital.” She held up the tape measure. “But I should keep this handy. The minute those inches start creeping up, I have to revert to salads and white fish.”

Kevin made a bleak face. “That sounds terrible.”

“Well, fortunately for both of us, I lost over ten pounds in the hospital. That’s why I’m enjoying my food so much. That and the realization that I came way too close to never tasting food again. I’m not sure why, but that thought just makes me hungry!”

“Good.” Kevin uncovered the trays on the cart.

Megan inhaled and let her eyes roll blissfully back in her head. “That is so wonderful! Oh, you ordered nachos! May I snag a chip?”

“I’ll trade you a cheese laden chip for an onion ring.”

“Deal.”

“Eat your ice cream first,” said Kevin. “It’ll melt if you wait.”

“Want some?”

Kevin’s eyes lit up. “May I?

“Grab a spoon.” Megan held hers upright. “Ready? Go!”

They ate ice cream as fast as they could. When it was all gone, Kevin threw his head back and cried, “Brain freeze! Brain freeze!”

Megan laughed. “Good! You won’t see me steal another nacho.”

“Oh, no you don’t, you little thief.” He reached for her wrist and pulled her hand away from the plate.

Megan used her free hand to swipe the nacho. “Amateur!” She turned her face away and stuffed the nacho in her mouth.

“So, it’s like that, is it?” Kevin released her wrist and took a handful of onion rings. One by one, he dropped them into his mouth and munched. “Mmmm, so good.”

“Oh, yeah? Want some more?” Megan picked up an onion ring and threw it at Kevin’s head. It bounced off his cheek. Megan broke into giggles.

Kevin spread his hands and pinned her with a challenging stare. “You know what this means? Your onion ring made contact. The gloves are off, baby. Prepare to defend yourself!” He reached for a nacho and took aim.

Megan looked horrified. “No! No! Not the cheese! These clothes are brand new!”

Kevin stopped short of flinging the nacho. Instead, he popped it into his mouth and chewed.

Megan grabbed a handful of onion rings and hurled them across the table. They caught Kevin in the chest.

He roared like a playful lion and lunged for her.

Megan squealed and ran for the hall at the back of the suite.

Kevin caught her in the hallway and pinned her gently against the wall.

“Oh, you think you’re so clever,” he said. “Well, let’s see how you like it.” He pulled an onion ring off his shirt front and taunted her with it, threatening to rub its greasy goodness all over her new outfit.

“No, please,” giggled Megan, breathless. “Please don’t ruin this outfit! I haven’t had new clothes since my sophomore year in college!”

Kevin relented, but only because they were gasping for air. He leaned one palm against the wall and swung the onion ring around his index finger.

Megan squealed with laughter and batted his hand away.

Then their eyes met, and at the same moment, they realized their faces were tantalizingly close.

The laughter faded to smiles, and they stood chest to chest for several seconds, their gazes locked. Drawn together by personal gravity, they leaned toward each other.

He’s going to kiss me
, thought Megan.

Jeffrey’s voice came at the worst possible moment.

“Hey? Where are you guys?”

Kevin pulled away as if Megan were molten lava.

When he did, Megan drooped with disappointment, but she recovered in time to turn the movement into a dive under his arm.

Jeffrey came around the corner. “Am I interrupting something?”

“No, of course not,” said Kevin brusquely.

“Don’t be silly,” added Megan.

“We were just discussing—” Kevin searched for words.

Megan took over. “My wardrobe. And luggage and packing.” She added under her breath, “Oh, my.”

Kevin pointed a finger at her. “
Wizard of Oz!
I love that movie.”

“Me, too,” said Megan.

Jeffrey gave them a crooked glance. “Everybody loves that movie.”

Megan straightened her sleeveless blouse. “Well, I’d better start packing. I left the answers to your questions on the coffee table, Mr. Wake.”

“Kevin,” he corrected. “Fiancée, remember?”

Megan nodded. “Sorry. Kevin.” She had to force herself to look away before the giggles took over again. “Good night, Jeffrey.”

She retreated, stopping behind the bar to snag two suitcases and a makeup bag which would be used as an overnight case since her only makeup items fit tidily into her purse.

Inside her room once again, she realized she hadn’t questioned Kevin about Jeffrey’s comment regarding his one-room apartment.

“Darn it,” she muttered. She flung the empty suitcases on the bed and plopped into the tapestry chair by the writing table. A little card was teepeed next to a phone charger. It read, “Free WiFi for guests.”

“My new phone!” She pulled her purse close and dug for her phone. She plugged it in to charge, and then pressed the icon for the internet browser. If Kevin was truly wealthy, there should be information about his family on the internet.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

KEVIN CLEARED HIS THROAT.
“So, how did it go?”

Jeffrey grinned. “Thanks for letting me do that. What a thrill! Here.” He held up a set of car keys. “You have fifteen days to register it.”

“I’m glad you were able to entertain yourself while we did our touristy thing this afternoon.”

Jeffrey opened the fridge behind the bar and pulled out a pair of beers.

“Want one? No? Good, because I want two.” He popped them open and drained half the first one before continuing the report on his secret mission.

“I went to that Ford dealership you were talking to yesterday afternoon, and found the fellow you told me about. Explained the situation, about you being a wealthy recluse and all that nonsense, and wham, bam, he says pick out a color. Picked a green gem Ford Expedition, by the way. Looks black in the shade, dark green in the sun. Even got to test drive it for you.”

“Did you pick out any extras?”

“Oh, yeah! Four-wheel-drive, AC, the usual, but also leather seats, premium sound system, DVD player for the back seat. Park assist, rear sensors, the whole nine yards. Awesome.”

Kevin smiled. “Good. You had a good time, then?”

“The best part was tonight. I pulled up in the limo. The fellow from the limo rental was there, just like you arranged for. He took over the limo, and I walked in with the papers you signed before I left. Wham, bam again. Cash really speeds up the new car purchase, you know?”

Kevin chuckled. “My mother has been telling me that for years. She’ll be pleased when I tell her she was right.” He pocketed the keys. “You have your ticket?”

“Sure do.” Jeffrey patted his jacket pocket. “My car is in the parking garage. Sure you don’t mind me hanging out in this suite for an extra night?”

“Consider it a bonus,” said Kevin. “Just don’t break any laws.”

Jeffrey grinned from ear to ear.

Kevin returned to the sofa where the room service cart was within reach. He poked through the plates to see if there was anything else he wanted. He lifted one last lid and his eyes glowed with pleasure at the sight of the pastry array.

“Come have coffee and dessert. You have everything you need to get your rental car at the other end?”

“Yep. You sure you want me to keep using your card?”

“Of course. You’re on the clock. These are my expenses, not yours.”

“Cool.” Jeffrey waved off dessert and lifted his second beer in the air. But he settled on the facing sofa, unbuttoned his chauffeur’s jacket, and stretched out. “When I came in, it sounded like you and Megan were getting to know each other a little better.” He wagged his eyebrows. “Sorry if I interrupted anything.”

“Don’t be crude. We were laughing, that’s all. I
am
allowed to have a laugh or two with my future bride, right?”

“Grumpy, grumpy. Hey, man, how’s your sister doing? What is she now, fifteen?”

“Fourteen. She’s having a rough time. Trying to find herself. The old man is threatening to send her to a finishing school in Geneva. That’s the girl equivalent of being sent to military school. It would kill her free spirit to go there.”

“Free spirit, huh? That’s what they call mental illness these days?”

“She’s not sick, Jeff. She’s just in a phase.”

Jeffrey’s eyes grew big. “Okay, then. Have you told Megan about your mentally healthy family and all their phases?”

“Smart ass. Not yet. That’s the reason we need to drive to Colorado. It’ll give me time to educate her about the family. The whole idea is for this wedding to look as real as possible. I don’t want my dad’s lawyers picking up on any gaps in her knowledge and using that as a lever in a courtroom to suggest I’m just doing this for the trust.”

“Right,” said Jeffrey. “Whatever you have to tell yourself.”

“What does that mean?”

“You and I both know you’re terrified of flying, dude.”

Kevin made a face. “Well, that is an additional motivator, I admit.”

Jeffrey laughed. “You’d better be sure she knows what to expect when she gets to the ranch or you’re going to have a mess on your hands.”

Kevin’s voice was dark and sarcastic. “Gee, thanks for reminding me that this whole charade could get even darker.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

MEGAN TYPED KEVIN’S
name
into the tiny phone screen. “Wake” turned out to be a fairly uncommon name. She found “wake surfing sites,” videos of the band “Wake the Dead,” and dozens of references to articles dealing with politics “in the wake of” various gun-related crimes. But no Kevin Wake. She rubbed her eyes. What was Kevin’s father’s first name? She couldn’t remember.

But surely if the Wake family was wealthy and owned a big ranch, wouldn’t that show up? She found dozens of real estate listings for ranches for sale, but none of them were associated with the surname Wake.

She took a deep breath and wondered if she should resort to her mother’s method for calming her fears. Her mother used to say childhood prayers with her. But without her mother’s reassuring presence in the room, Megan didn’t think it would work. Then she was instantly ashamed. After growing up in the household of the two most devout people she knew, she felt she should have carried more of their faith away with her. Maybe she would try again after she finished packing.

After all, it wasn’t as if she were going to back out of her agreement with Kevin now. She had to go through with this marriage, if for no other reason than she had signed the prenup. Her word was her bond. But beyond that, she desperately wanted her medical bills to be paid and be free of that debt without ruining her financial life before she even got started on a career.

“Think of this as your first job,” she said rationally. “You will receive a huge bonus when it’s done. Focus on that.”

Yes, a huge bonus if Kevin was really a wealthy man. And if he wasn’t?

Maybe the trust was on his mother’s side of the family. It must be. After all, she was the one who wanted information about Megan’s dress size and shoe size so she could get the ball rolling with regard to the wedding on the ranch.

What was his mother’s maiden name? Didn’t Kevin mentioned it to her during her interview? She squeezed her eyes shut and demanded the interview scene to play in her mind. She used to do that during tests at school, replaying scenes of herself studying a certain topic, and with practice she’d gotten quite good at it. And her old skills did not fail her now. There it was. His mother’s name was Fineman. And he had doodled “Krystal” at the top of his list.

She opened her eyes and typed the name into the Google search box. The screen filled with links related to Krystal Fineman Wake. She scrolled to the bottom of the screen. There were over ten pages of links related to Kevin’s mother. Dozens of articles had been written about her charitable giving. One of the articles praised her for maintaining her involvement in Colorado ranching while maintaining a home in New York City. A rescue organization for horses devoted an entire page to her donation history. She had also funded special education groups, private schools, and programs to benefit underprivileged children. One such program involved horseback riding as therapy for handicapped kids.