“No.” She dropped her chin and took a deep breath. “I’ve spent the last two months on a beach in Jamaica.”
“He’s Jamaican?” I flew out of my chair, shock heightening my voice.
Without hesitation, she laughed. It was real and honest and flowed so effortlessly from her. The kind of laughter I used to crave when she was around. The kind that embedded itself inside until your lips curled and humor bubbled out, even when you had no idea what was so funny.
And that’s exactly what happened now.
When she glanced up at me, realizing I now laughed with her, she shook her head. Humor lightened her tone when she said, “No, he’s not, so you can stop worrying about it being some ploy for him to get his green card. The truth is, we were both there for a reality dating show.”
The shock of her confession forced me back a step. I didn’t want to believe it, because the Janelle I knew wasn’t desperate enough to stoop that low. Not to mention, she was too smart to be one of those contestants who quickly tied the knot, thinking what they had could survive in the real world. “You met him on a dating show, and now you’re ready to rush down the aisle? You are aware of the success rate for those kinds of couples, aren’t you?”
“It’s not what you’re thinking.” She bit her lip and shrugged. “It’s more of a game show than anything. Basically, we each won five thousand dollars, but before they gave us the money, we were given the chance to exchange what we won for ten times the amount.”
“This sounds like a fucked-up version of Let’s Make a Deal.” I groaned and rolled my neck, desperate for some of this tension in my shoulders to be relieved. “Fifty thousand dollars, huh? What’s the catch?”
“Well, to get that, we have to get married. They needed our answer immediately, and once we gave it, we couldn’t take it back. So of course, we traded the small check for the set of rings, all so we could walk away with more money. Only problem is…as I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, I can’t get married to him because I’m legally married to you.”
“And that’s why you want a divorce.” It wasn’t voiced as a question, but I still sought an answer anyhow. More like a confirmation. Something to go on.
“Yes. We have one year to follow through—otherwise, we both lose it all. And, Holden, I really need this money. I just graduated college, and I’m getting ready to start my life, make something of myself. This money will go so far in helping me reach my goal.”
With a deep breath, I fell into the recliner again and waited for it to stop rocking before locking my gaze on hers. I knew what she was doing, playing up the sympathy card. Normally, this would’ve worked, but now that I knew the real reason she wanted this, I couldn’t find it in me to give it to her. “So you get fifty grand, and I lose my tax status. Doesn’t seem like a very fair tradeoff, Jelly.”
Her instant show of irritation proved me right. “Fine…I’ll give you five grand of it. But I can’t go more than that. I need every penny of this money. I want to start my own business, and this would allow me a solid head start without so much debt.”
“Five thousand dollars?” I pinned her with my stare, letting her know without so many words how ridiculous that offer was—I’d never accept it. Then again, she probably could’ve offered me the entire amount, and I still would’ve turned it down. This wasn’t about the money. Never was, never would be. “You’re gonna have to sweeten the pot a lot more than that if you want me to sign those papers. You said you have a year? How about this…you give me six months.”
“For what?” She balked. “You just want me to wait six months? Why? Oh…” Her mouth opened into the shape of a perfect, pink O, and she raised her brows, as if suddenly realizing something. “You need to wait until next year so you can keep the tax status for this year. Okay, fine. Deal.”
She accepted entirely way too fast, which only made me hungry to sweeten the pot. I never would’ve let her go for simply waiting a few months. But her naiveté made me laugh. “No. I want a wife. Legally, you already are. All I’m asking is for it to be real for the next six months. You do that, and I’ll sign. I won’t contest a thing. It’ll be a clean break—you go your way and I go mine. No fight, no court, just two adults dissolving a marriage.”
Her perfectly arched top lip quirked in disgust. “You want me to be your whore for six months? You’ve got to be kidding me.” She hurriedly grabbed her purse and attempted to make a swift exit, but I was faster. I slid off the recliner for what felt like the millionth time since she’d arrived, and stood in front of her, preventing her from reaching the front door. She shoved at my chest and argued, “I’m not agreeing to that. And you’re an asshole for even suggesting it.”
“Stop.” I wrapped my fingers around her wrists and held her still, forcing her to crane her neck and meet my gaze. “I never said that. You’re putting words in my mouth.”
“You said you wanted a real wife for six months.”
“Yes. I want you here. Under my roof. Living together.”
“Why?” Her question was barely a whisper, floating across my face and doing things to my insides I wasn’t sure I was comfortable with.
“Because, Janelle,” I whispered back, lowering my face close to hers. “I’m in love with you. And if I have to give you up, then I at least want something I can hold onto after you’re gone.” With my nose grazing hers, I felt her long, slow exhale billow across my face. That was the breaking point, the point I couldn’t hold it in any longer.
My lips parted and I laughed. Hard.
Janelle stepped away, ripping her arms from my grasp, and stared at me with a scorching gaze and quivering lip. Guilt immediately assuaged me, but rather than apologize for the cruel joke, I decided to offer a bit of honesty.
“Truth?” I waited for her to nod, and then continued. “You’ve missed a lot here. I get that you’ve been at school and doing your thing, but while you’ve partied it up, your family has been here battling real life.”
She rolled her eyes and huffed with a wave of the hand. “Like what? They haven’t said anything.”
“And you think I’m going to tell you? They kept certain things from you for a reason. Whether I agree with it or not doesn’t matter. None of it is truly my business, anyhow. But I can put my hand on a stack of Bibles and swear I’m not making this up. They have been dealing with one thing after another, and we’ve all been here as one unit to offer support…to anyone who’s needed it. You’re the only one who hasn’t been here, and you’ve made it very obvious you have no desire to be.”
“I’m pretty sure I would know if anything worth mentioning was going on in my family while I was away.”
I shrugged, growing rather irritated over her stubbornness. “What reason would I have to lie, Janelle?”