Their Save-the-Date Charade, page 3
But since he didn’t know the first thing about RV maintenance, all he ended up doing was holding a flashlight steady for her to work the circuit breakers. That and occasionally jogging back to check whether any of the lights had come back on.
This was the third time he’d investigated with no change in their lightless situation.
It was also when the rain picked up again and Lulu threw up her hands and called, “I give up.”
Already warmer and dryer, Alwan was all too happy to be indoors again. But when Lulu set up a couple more camping lights to cast off the dark, his spirits dampened the second he saw her frown illuminated by the lantern she set down on the table.
Concerned, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.” If she was trying to sound convincing, she failed the instant she sighed softly. Barely sparing him a glance, Lulu sat back at the table and, grabbing her mug, took a big gulp of her coffee.
Following her lead, he sat too and gave her a pressing look. “It doesn’t sound like nothing.”
Lulu lowered her cup slowly.
“Do you want to talk about whatever it is? I’m a good listener, or so I’ve been told.”
“Oh, are you?” She smiled suddenly and it tripped his alarms.
“It kind of comes with my profession.”
“I bet it does,” she said with a breezy laugh.
Those alarms were now blaring for him to zip his lips, but even if he had, it was too late.
Lulu’s smile disappeared in a blink.
“Strange,” she said. “You’re a good listener, but you still haven’t managed to listen and answer my question. Why propose to me?”
Alwan clenched his jaw. It wasn’t Lulu’s fault for being curious. In fact, he’d anticipated she would have questions. Any normal person would.
She wants answers. Give them to her.
At least this way he possibly stood a chance at turning her around on the admittedly outlandish idea of her playing his fake fiancée.
“I told you my parents want to see me married, and I need their connections to gain new clients and eventually, that is hopefully sooner rather than later, open my private practice. It’s our quid pro quo agreement. Doesn’t that explain everything?”
She rolled her eyes. “Everything but why you chose me. Like I said, I’m sure you have plenty of options available to you.”
“Is that a compliment on my good looks?”
He braced himself for a tongue-lashing. As young children forced to grow up in each other’s company, she’d often made a point of calling out his ego. Just as he’d rarely passed up a chance at riling her up. And when they hadn’t been taking passive-aggressive digs at each other, Lulu avoided Alwan and he steered clear of her.
Now Alwan sought her out purposefully. Because I need her.
It was unlike him to depend on others—to trust them. He didn’t give his confidence away easily. After all, trusting the wrong people was what created this mess for him in the first place.
Trusting his bosses to have his back no matter what, considering all the years he’d toiled away like a model soldier ant on behalf of the firm.
Then he’d trusted his parents to support him no strings attached, but they had bargained with him instead…almost as if they didn’t trust him.
Why would they after what happened with Hashim?
He froze, muscles tensing at that thought.
It wasn’t often that Alwan allowed his mind to drift to his older brother. At least not anymore, not after he had taught himself to repress any recollections of him. And now was the last place he wanted that bleak stroll down memory lane.
He was grateful then when Lulu murmured, “You’re incorrigible.”
Instead of biting his head off, she turned her head away and gave him a different view of her beauty.
Shoulder-length, wavy black hair framing a heart-shaped face, beautiful russet red-brown skin, deep soulful-brown eyes ringed by naturally long black lashes and those lushly full lips of hers had him a little weak at the knees.
“I heard about your plan to return home soon.”
Eyes saucer-wide, Lulu snapped her head back to him, any signs of her adorable bashfulness gone.
He couldn’t explain it, but it felt like the rest of the world blinked out of existence, the darkness sucking everything else away and leaving just him and Lulu. Gazing into her eyes, losing himself in the depth of her stare, he dragged a tongue over his dry lips and breathed through the anxiety pressing down over his chest. “That’s why I need you.”
“Alwan…”
Steeling himself against the tantalizing shiver the sound of his name in her soft, breathy voice elicited, Alwan pressed his palms closer together, his short nails digging into the backs of his hands. Like a punch to the gut, desire for her caught him unawares, the heat of it more potent than anything he’d experienced before.
But he wouldn’t let it control this moment. Couldn’t trust it not to ruin his careful planning.
“You need me?” Lulu repeated quietly.
Plucking open his collar did little to cool the fire in his blood, but at least he managed to untangle his tongue and said, “I… I meant that I require your help.”
“Oh” was all she said in turn. And was it his imagination, or did she sound disappointed?
Not wanting to analyze that any closer, Alwan moved on. “There’s a reason why I chose you. It’s because unlike other women I’ve met, I know you won’t complicate any of this with emotion.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Your divorce.”
Any hint that she might desire him too disappeared in a flash. Lulu’s face grew stony, her eyes two chips of ice freezing him where he sat.
“What about my divorce?”
He wasn’t deceived by the calm she portrayed.
“The women I’ve met expect marriage, but they also want love. And it’s only made me realize that love… Love isn’t something I desire.”
“You think because I’m divorced, I wouldn’t want love either,” she said, an arctic chill creeping into her voice.
“No. That’s not—” He cut himself off, took a breath and recognized that he had one shot at not bungling this and losing her completely. Taking a moment, he gathered his courage. “What I’m trying to say, without sticking my foot in my mouth, is that I think that you’d understand what this could be and not confuse it with anything else.”
“And what could it be?”
“A partnership,” Alwan said confidently.
“Partners. Us?”
“Yes. And we’d both benefit. For instance, I’d be more than willing to negotiate reimbursement.”
“You’d pay me to be your bride?”
“My fake fiancée, yes.”
Lulu pressed her lips together and, still looking wary, she finally asked, “How much are we talking?”
Alwan fought back the urge to triumphantly pump his fist. “Does that mean you’re interested?”
“It means that I’m questioning my sanity for even thinking about it.” Closing her eyes, she rubbed her temple with two fingers. After a little while she fixed him with a glare. “Let’s be clear though, I haven’t agreed to anything. Not yet.”
This time he couldn’t contain his excitement. Grinning, he said, “So, not a complete ‘no,’ and just not yet a ‘yes.’ That’s still promising.”
“Don’t push it,” she cautioned with a frown.
Alwan laughed. “Fine. But can I suggest a better location while you do your thinking? I could book us a hotel. A really nice one.”
“You’re trying to bribe me.”
“Is it working?”
Lulu flung up her hands and huffed her exasperation. “Like I said, incorrigible. You know what? Do whatever you want, Alwan. I have to feed my cat.” As annoyed as she sounded, Alwan could’ve sworn her lips switched up into a smile as she stood. It was hard to tell with it being so dark, and even harder when she breezed away without a look backward. But he took it as a promising sign.
One, he hoped, that would fix all his problems.
Chapter Three
ALWAN COULDN’T HELP the spring in his step as he led Lulu into their luxury hotel suite. He had good cause to be happy. The first phase of overturning his recent bad luck was well underway now, and it was starting to look like he hadn’t clung on to hope for nothing.
Eyes wide and mouth open, Lulu trailed slowly after him. Almost as though she was afraid she’d break one of the many fragile vases or ornate chandeliers they passed in the castle-like, historic grand railway hotel.
Alwan hid his smile when he heard her soft gasp as they strolled past the rooms, the long winding hallway with its highly polished dark hardwood flooring ending in a grand living room. The room’s primary feature was the panoramic view: the surrounding forest, the snowcapped mountains this area of Alberta was known for, and the nearby sweeping green valleys.
Like she was drawn in by a magnet, Lulu drifted to one of the tall, wide windows.
“What do you think?” Alwan asked, coming up behind her.
Startling, Lulu half turned to him and pressed a hand to her chest.
“Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Need I remind you that you might want me alive and well for this plan of yours.”
Laughter bubbled out of him like fizz out of a shaken soda bottle. It was instantaneous and seemingly infectious by the way Lulu sucked in her lips and looked away quickly, almost like she was not only holding in her laugh but hiding it from him too.
“I’ll take your distraction as a sign that you approve of the hotel,” Alwan practically purred, a little too pleased with himself.
With a little huff, she fully turned away and folded her arms, forcing him to step up beside her and gaze down at her instead.
“But if you don’t like it, we can always see about an upgrade.”
“An upgrade?” Lulu looked around them, surveying the whole room before her eyes landed squarely back on him. “To what exactly? This place is already bonkers-level luxurious.” Under her breath she muttered, “Are you going to buy the whole castle next?”
Alwan threw back his head and laughed.
“I would if I could, especially if I knew it would win you over on my plan,” he said, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes and chuckling again.
She sniffed and punched her nose up into the air. “Well, maybe I’m not a castle kind of girl.”
“Then maybe you need to be convinced.” As he spoke, Alwan pulled in closer, amused when her nonchalant facade broke and she sharply turned her head from him. He would’ve teased her more had her cat not chosen that moment to interrupt, meowing incessantly from its carrier.
Lulu unzipped the bag and pulled the little furry beast out into the open. Instantly locking those luminescent blue eyes on Alwan, her cat hissed at him.
“He doesn’t seem to like me.”
“Blue’s a good judge of people.”
Alwan shook his head at her barb, laughing again. “Are you sure you and the cat don’t want separate suites?”
“And be more indebted to you? No thanks. Besides, there’s plenty of room for all of us, and our bedrooms are on opposite ends of this massive suite.”
“Touché,” he said with a grin.
“Now if you don’t mind, Blue and I are going to explore the rest of this place.” Not waiting for a response, she flitted off.
He had every mind to pursue, especially with the way her sweet, floral-scented perfume lingered in the air like a lure he knew would lead right to her. But not knowing what he would do or say when he caught up to Lulu held him back. Clenching his fists, he stared after her until she was out of sight and only then did he breathe slowly out through his nose, the tension gripping his muscles not fully expelled with the breath.
And it was because he’d felt his phone vibrate in his inner jacket pocket again.
The missed calls—seven in total—were all from his mom and dad.
There were also a few texts from his cousin explaining that Alwan’s parents had already tried calling Malek to check on him, and Malek had convinced them that Alwan was currently crashing on his couch.
After sending his cousin a quick grateful text, he sighed wearily.
Alwan knew that this brief peace wouldn’t last, and that his parents would show up on Malek’s doorstep eventually if they didn’t hear from him. And when they didn’t find him there, they would send out search parties.
Closing his eyes, Alwan could just imagine what their faces would look like once he confessed that he had no prospective bride. That he had only lied because he’d had his back to a wall and it seemed the easiest thing to do at the time.
Instead, it was looking like all he’d ended up doing was delaying their inevitable disappointment with him.
Unless…
Unless Lulu helped him.
Alwan looked toward the empty corridor in the direction she’d gone, a curious longing to go to her stirring in his breast. The sensation, new and disconcerting, was not like anything he’d ever felt before.
It was nearly as worrying as the possibility that Lulu wouldn’t agree to his fake engagement.
* * *
“Either you’re having trouble deciding on what lunch will be, or something’s bothering you.”
Alwan’s deep voice carried over to her from across the table they shared. Lulu shook her head, lowered the menu and met his inquisitive gaze.
“Does your distraction have anything to do with a repair quote for your RV that hasn’t come in yet?”
She bit her lip, masking her surprise that he’d clocked her concern. Was she that easy to read, or was her stress over her nearly depleted bank account and the possibly exorbitant cost to fix her motor home just that obvious? After the storm had cleared up a few hours ago, they’d dropped the RV off at a repair shop on their way to the hotel and ever since then Lulu had been worrying nonstop.
Seeming to take her silence as an affirmative, Alwan moved on and asked, “Is that why you were preparing to wrap up your travels?”
“Yes…and no,” she said, knowing the RV wasn’t the only reason she was heading home.
After not having seen them for a year—the longest she’d gone without having any of them for company—Lulu missed her family greatly, and she knew they were worried about her still. So, it seemed a perfect time to let them see that she was doing all right. Show them that she’d long since recovered from the shock of her sudden divorce. And even though she wasn’t ready to share her pregnancy loss with them, hopefully she could still give them some peace of mind.
At least that had been her plan before Alwan showed up with his outrageous proposal for them to pretend to be engaged.
Outrageous, but you’re still considering it, aren’t you?
Lulu curled her fingers tighter around the menu, the plastic covering creasing under the press of her fingernails.
If Alwan noticed the rising tension in her, he didn’t show it when he asked, “By the looks of it, your motor home seems like an older model. When you purchased it, did you consider you might need to repair it more?”
She glared at him for his insinuation that she hadn’t properly planned for contingencies. “I had set appropriate funds aside for such an emergency, but I’ve also been renovating. Some of those costs may have gone beyond my budget.”
“Then why not just ask your parents for the money?”
“I can’t do that,” she said sharply, her temper flaring up. “They have their shop to worry about, and our economy of late hasn’t exactly been kind to small businesses. Not everyone is as lucky as your parents.”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Lulu wanted to swallow them back. Alwan’s parents had always been nothing but kind and generous to her and her family. They’d never treated her any different than their sons.
She stumbled through an apology.
“You don’t have to apologize. Not when it’s true that my parents are blessed with a successful business. I forget that not everyone has the same fortune.” Alwan paused before wondering, “Are your parents not doing okay?”
“They’re fine.” She sighed. “I didn’t mean to imply that their business is doing bad or anything, it’s just I know the hard work they’ve put into the convenience store. I couldn’t bother them with something as trivial as repairs on my motor home.”
“Is it trivial though?”
Not knowing how to answer him, Lulu lowered her eyes back to her menu. She wasn’t shocked by the expensive prices attached to the many different options of French Canadian cuisine, having gotten a clue of what the price range would be the instant she had set foot into the moody but elegant dining establishment.
Everything, including the exposed brick walls softened by gleaming dark wood accents in the tables, the vaulted ceiling’s wooden beams, and the restaurant’s golden lighting from drum chandeliers and wall sconces, added a warmth to the hushed, darkly intimate setting. It was the kind of restaurant that oozed fine dining.
“I think I’ll butcher half these dishes names if I try to pronounce them. Also, is there nothing on here that’s sensibly priced?”
Alwan’s husky laughter had a sultry edge to it.
“Can’t say I’ll be of much help with the French pronunciation, but lunch will be charged to the suite.”
“You’ll be paying for me. Again.” Lulu compressed her lips, still unsure of how she felt about that. He’d been paying for everything. Their luxurious suite, the hotel’s pet-sitting service to mind Blue while they were lunching, and now lunch itself. Knowing that he could likely afford it and then some didn’t ease her troubled thoughts.
She knew what Alwan was up to. Softening her up with his lavish gifts was just a way to get her to sign on to his fake engagement ruse. But she hadn’t made up her mind on whether she would just yet. And she didn’t want him getting the wrong idea before she fully decided on what to do.
