“Look. You can scold me later, okay? I need a favor.”
“Okay. Sure. What? Do I still get a vacation?” She had her priorities, after all.
“Yes, early! Can you come Friday? I need you to…uh.” Bryan sighed in that way he did when he knew he was in trouble. “I need you to pretend to be her wife.”
“Pretend to…what? Bry. Bry, that’s skeezy.” And she wasn’t skeezy, dammit.
“Oh my god. Bekka. No. Not for real. Just for pictures. Promo stuff. Smile and look happy. You know?” Bryan cleared his throat. “Save my job?”
Oh, that wasn’t fair. At all. She pursed her lips and stared out of her studio apartment window, hands shuffling her deck idly. The six of pentacles landed on the table.
Huh.
Giving and receiving. Okay, that was a positive sign. “Do I get my own room?”
“Of course. I promised her some time to herself, you know?” Bryan answered her quickly. She hated that. That was the voice that got her grounded for stealing the cookies off the counter and eating them under the bed with him. That insisted that Mom and Dad wouldn’t care if he snuck out and she covered for him.
“Bry—”
“Beks. Beks! It’ll be fun. You get all these free activities and food and spa treatments and all you need to do is get your picture taken with this woman a few times. It’ll be hilarious. It’ll make a great story. I need my job, Bekka. Please?”
“I swear, Bry, if I end up getting in trouble or crying or…anything, I’m going to beat you.” But she wasn’t going to say no.
“You’re going to have the red carpet rolled out for you and have some goofy fun. I swear. Thank you so much.”
“You totally owe me, but send me the deets.”
“I do. I owe you. I’ll come be your plus one for the next straight wedding you’re invited to. Deal?” Her phone chimed with an incoming email that Bryan must have typed up before they even got on the phone.
“Uh-huh. And you have to tell Mom I’m wildly successful too.”
“Wildly. There’s a herd of people with lots of money needing your insight and lining up at your door every day.” Bryan managed to sound sincere and not sarcastic.
“Thank you. I’ll pack warm clothes.”
“Some nice things too, huh?”
“Okay…” Definenice.
“Okay. Okay good. Friday then. Send me your flight info, and I’ll send a car to the airport. It’ll be good to see you.” Bryan was sweet that way, and she believed him. Even if the circumstances were suspicious.
“Sure. Sure. I mean, who wants to be here during the holidays?”
“Exactly! You’re the best. You really are. I love you.”
“I love you, even though you’re a dork.” Oh, who was she kidding? Bekka loved to go and do and see. There was a reason her life was footloose and fancy-free.
She couldn’t wait to get away.
3
Marissa peered out the window of the limo as they left the airport behind. As vacations went, this one was starting out well. A little lonely maybe, but well. She’d had a first-class seat on her flight, which took off on time and landed early, and the limo driver had been waiting for her with one of those boards with her name on it.
Fancy schmancy.
And now she was being treated to an amazing view of the mountains from the highway.
“You’ll find drinks in the cooler on your right and the controls for the satellite radio are on your left.”