“So, what were your impressions?” Jackson dabbed at his mouth again.
“They were sugary.”
“Beyond that. Did you have a preference?”
“Well, they were all very much cakes and definitely didn’t skimp on the frosting.”
Jackson sighed, folding his arms across his chest. He sat there staring at her, and Jada found herself wanting to punch his perfect teeth.
The waiter returned, and, thankfully, Jackson had another question for the poor man.
“Are the full cakes available to view?”
“Yes. Of course. Right this way.”
The man led them to an adjacent room, and Jada was glad for the walking and standing, hoping it would help her angry stomach digest the saccharine devils plaguing her intestines.
In a ballroom-looking space, a few small tables were set with the corresponding full-size cakes. The small pieces had been plucked from the rear of the cakes, and the front halves were decorated as though they were about to be a part of someone’s wedding.
“Each cake has been decorated with a traditional design, but you are free to switch the decorations to a different flavor, or choose your own.”
Jada eyed the flowers and sweeping curves that decked each of the cakes and saw that there were different tier options as well. They all looked so pretty, and they couldn’t have been out for long, as they’d just had pieces from them. It occurred to Jada that each of these huge cakes had been made specifically for the two of them.
Jada looked over at the waiter. “What happens to these cakes after today?”
“They will be disposed of. Your cake will be made immediately prior to the ceremony to ensure freshness.”
“You’re just going to toss them? But that’s so wasteful.”
“Jada.” Again, Jackson said her name like she was a misbehaving child.
“Well, it is.”
Jackson came over to her side and put himself between her and the waiter. “Please excuse us for a second.”
The man left, and Jada was left in a room full of pointless cakes and a boss who had bought her off.
“What flavor and style do you prefer?” His voice was low, almost a growl.
“I don’t care. Pick whatever you want. I told you I don’t like cake. I’m a strawberry-rhubarb pie kind of girl. I don’t care what it looks like. I don’t know why I had to come to this. You know how much food he’s throwing away. There are people at the office, your office, who don’t have the money to buy lunches, and here we are spending God knows what on all this stupid cake. It’s ridiculous. I’m going back to the car.”
Jada turned and left Jackson standing in the middle of all that sugar. She hoped he’d get diabetes from it all. Ugh, okay, don’t wish stuff on people. But seriously, he has no clue!
Outside, she went to the front of the limo and slid in next to Jacques. The poor guy was shocked.
“Sorry. Look, I know he has to go back to the office, but before you take him to the private garage, could you just drop me off at my car?”
The driver only nodded and went to the back of the car to open the door for Jackson.
From the front seat, Jada heard Jackson scoff, but she was more than content to let him park it back there alone. Jacques returned to the driver’s seat and did as she had asked, and Jada got out of the limo once he pulled up to her car. It was the only one left in the lot.
Without looking back, Jada hopped inside her beat-up sedan and drove off toward her apartment. Tomorrow was a whole day free of wedding planning nonsense, and she wanted it to arrive as fast as possible.
Soon enough, morning came, and Jada woke with one of the worst stomachaches she’d ever had.
“Fuck all that stupid cake!” She threw a pillow across the room in a burst of anger, which solved absolutely nothing.
Once at the office, it appeared Jackson knew better than to try to call her, choosing instead to send eight million emails to her private account. The man was persistent; she’d give him that.
As she worked on the smaller projects still active with her team, Jada did her best to go through all the messages. Most were entirely banal. He’d chosen the cake, though he didn’t say which flavor—no that it mattered—and he’d set up a chance to pick the flowers. In the email, he’d written, “I hope you’ll agree to join me tomorrow. I know this type of thing seems silly to you, but I know nothing about flowers, and I could use the guidance so I’ll avoid choosing something which will set off anyone’s allergies.”
A totally pathetic excuse, but it was nice to hear him say he didn’t have a clue about something. Ha, take that, Mr. Perfect.
She replied, “Fine. Since I have to carry them, I’ll find the strength to endure another outing with you.” A bit snarky, she knew, but he needed her to land this deal, and she was going to milk it a little.
After reading a few more pointless emails, Jada decided it was lunchtime and meandered to the break room. Reaching the linoleum-encrusted space, Jada almost had a heart attack.
On the table was a full spread of lunch options: salads, sandwiches, snacks, and drinks, each with its own ingredients list and allergy warnings. There was enough food there to feed the entire office, and it looked good too, not something cheap and easy enough to get in bulk. No, this was actual, factual lunch. Real bread, real veggies, real meat, and a real lot of it.
As she approached the table, excited to try a bit of everything, Jada saw a note posted near the box of utensils and condiments.
Please help yourselves. The company understands that things can be tough, and we want to show how much we appreciate your hard work. Enjoy this and the future complimentary lunches as a part of your employment package.
“Holy fuck.”
Behind Jada, one of her teammates, Cheryl, piped up.
“I know,” she beamed. “I can barely believe it. This is the best I’ve eaten in months. If this really keeps up, I can spend my lunch money on gas instead. Won’t that be a lifesaver?”
Jada couldn’t respond; she was still in shock. After Cheryl left, she gathered up a bit of food and went back to her office.
Could leopards change their spots?
A few hours later, the day was drawing to a close, and Jada said goodnight to everyone as they passed by her office. The last to leave was Matheson.
“How’s the filing going?” He still seemed delighted about her new task.
“It was a rough start, but it’s looking like I could actually be making a difference. I mean, it’s a small bit of progress, but who knows? It could grow into sustainable change for the future, and think how many people that would help. But I’m probably getting ahead of myself.”
“What?” Matheson said, confused by her string of non-sequiturs.
“Sorry. Just thinking out loud. Have a good night.”
“Yeah, you too.” He turned and wandered off to the regular elevator, shaking his head.
As she looked back at her email and scrolled through the remaining messages, Jada had to join in the head shaking. Who was she kidding? Sure, providing lunch had been a nice gesture, but people, especially people like Jackson, never really changed.
She could see it all now: as soon as the deal went through, Jackson wouldn’t need to be in her good graces anymore, and he’d pulled the lunch program right away. For now, it was a nice treat for some of the staff, and even a week or two without having to pay for lunch could make a big difference for a decent amount of them. It wasn’t paying their rent or medical bills, but it was something.
The remaining messages she looked over were just a few questions here and there that Jackson must have sent later in the day. Did she have any allergies? Was she lactose intolerant? Did she have a heart condition or chronic illness? It was strange, to say the least. Most people didn’t get to know someone through direct email questions. But he probably wasn’t using them to get to know her. He just needed some things on paper so he could arrange a decent-looking “marriage” and not kill his
bride in the process.
Jada typed up all the answers and shot the email back with a click of the mouse. With that done, it was time to go home, and she took the elevator down to the parking garage. Inside, she sang along with the music, the song “Walking on Sunshine” echoing through the speakers, and bounced happily. It was odd to be in such a good mood when everything had been so weird at work, but guilting the boss into offering free lunch had put a spring in her step.
She exited the elevator and walked to her car. The thing chirped in response to the auto-unlock, and Jada fired up the pathetic excuse for an engine. Traffic going home at this time of night was always a bit better than earlier, and Jada looked forward to getting home, starting a bath, and drinking a big glass of red wine while she soaked in lavender-scented bubbles. All in all, it could have been a worse day, and tomorrow was flower time. With no clue where she was going to see their options, Jada preemptively decided to choose her favorite regardless. Irises were it for her, even if the place didn’t offer them. Jackson was loaded, and if she was going to waste a first marriage on a rich, muckety-muck, she was getting her favorite flowers. She was certain of that.
Chapter Eight
The next morning, Jada strolled into the office with determination setting her shoulders. A quick peek in the break room revealed the same table set-up as the previous day, and she smiled to herself. How much could she get Jackson to change around here? How much could she make sure was permanent? The CEO may not have planned to give her all this bonus stuff when they’d made their arrangement, but it was going to happen. She wasn’t going to waste this opportunity.
On her desk, Jada found a stack of papers that she had to go through for the marketing department's latest project, and she found herself correcting errors in the signage with a gentler tongue than normal. It was strange to be in such a good mood just because she had made the tiniest bit of an impression on her boss, but after trying for what felt like forever to get anyone at this company to wake up and step up, it was a welcome change.
Jada doled out suggestions to her team and had lengthy conversations about appealing to their customers’ humanity. Her team seemed to back the idea and were eager to get started. It felt like they were doing some of the best work they had in a while. Apparently, everyone was ready for a bit of a revamp.
By the time Jada had gotten her editorial work finished, the afternoon had snuck up on her, the clock revealing it was 3:30. She checked for messages from Jackson and was surprised to find her inbox empty. Not that she minded; it was nice not to have to answer a million questions for once. Jada allowed herself a free moment to check her phone, and her heart sank as soon as she did.
The text, from her mom, read: “Hey, honey. Dad’s been asleep for a while now. He can’t seem to stay awake. No word on a donor yet, but don’t worry. What about you, honey? Everything okay at work? We love you. Be safe.”
The reminder of the real reason she had agreed to this ridiculous “business arrangement” hit Jada hard in the chest. Her father needed her so much, and here she was in a great mood because she’d earned free lunch for a few employees. No, it wasn’t enough. She needed to get this money and be gone. There was no way she wanted to stick around in the marketing department after this was over.
Jada had never really liked her job. She had never really liked any job she’d had, if she was being honest. Jada had no clue what she wanted to do once she left, if indeed she could. She wasn’t sure how much the transplant was going to cost, nor how much her father’s insurance would cover.
Unable to help herself, Jada pulled up Google. In the search bar, she typed “average cost of kidney transplant.”
Three hundred thousand dollars. As she looked at what insurance typically covered, it was another slap to the face. Had her parents reached the maximum deductible? Would their provider cover the typical 80%? Their Medicare wasn’t going to help much. Did they even have a secondary provider?
The panic was crowding around her again, and the clear walls of the office offered no relief. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her team members funneling out of the office. Then Matheson passed by with a little wave. It was quitting time already. She’d completely lost track of time.
Jada knew she was expected in Jackson’s office at any moment, but she was in no mood to look at flowers now. Ugh, just go. You need to make sure this goes smoothly. Your dad’s counting on you.
By the time she reached Jackson’s private sanctum, Jada was having a difficult time hiding her foul mood. The CEO was signing papers at his desk, minus a tie, and when she came in, he smiled.
“Hey. Just a second. I need to finish up the contracts for this deal with—” He looked up and stopped. “You don’t really care, do you?”
“Not really.” Her tone was sharp.
“What’s wrong?”
“Just a rough day. Sorry.”
“Okay.” He didn’t press any further, and it was both a relief and a disappointment. Jada needed to vent, but it wasn’t smart to drag her boss into her personal life, even if they were about to get fake married.
Jackson finished up with the paperwork and stood from his desk. If the head honcho could ever manage casual, this was it. He was actually wearing jeans—designer jeans, but still. His button-down was still tucked in, and Jada had a feeling the belt he was wearing had cost more than her education.
“Thank you for waiting. We’ll meet Jacques downstairs and head out.” He must have realized Jada wasn’t looking at him. “If that’s all right with you?”
Jada couldn’t believe her ears. Had Jackson actually asked her opinion about something?
“Yeah, of course. Let’s go.”
The drive was quick and, keeping with tradition, quiet. Jada couldn’t think about anything but her father, and Jackson was wrapped up in his own thoughts. After all, this was an important deal to him, and he was probably praying that Jada wasn’t going to screw it up.
Pretty hard to screw up standing there saying “I do,” but whatever, she thought.
As they pulled up to the florist’s, Jada saw that everything had been set up outside. The space was huge and contained rows upon rows of flower and plant stands, all reaching from the ground to nose level. The colors and smells were intense, and the selection was more than she’d seen anywhere. The tulips, daffodils, and happy faces of flowers she couldn’t name brought a small smile to her face.
Jackson got out of the limo and again reached back to help her out. Shaking her head, she accepted this time.
“Such a gentleman,” she said, “You know you don’t have to impress me, right?”
Jackson didn’t respond but instead gestured toward the little city of flowers. When they got to the main entrance, a woman greeted them.
“Hi there. Mr. Hays, correct?” Her voice was warm and deep.
“Yes. Thank you for setting this time aside for us.”
“Certainly. The space is closed off for you, and you can take your time pursuing the options. I’ll be right here if you have any questions.” She took her place at a small desk that was set up and patted her paperwork as she sat down.
The two of them started down the closest aisle, walking at a leisurely pace.
“We don’t have a personal flower guide? I’m so surprised.” The snarky tone in Jada’s voice was obvious.
“I thought you’d appreciate being able to wander freely,” Jackson smirked.
“I do.”
Jada picked up her pace and scampered off toward an enticing bunch of lilacs just waiting to be smelled. She shoved her nose into the flowers and smiled at the amazing fragrance.
They were both quiet as Jada wandered through the aisles ahead of Jackson, sniffing random flowers along the way. Every type of flower imaginable was there, displayed in full blooming glory. It took a moment, but Jada found a section of irises that were set directly in the middle of a row. Her love of them was impossible to disguise, and as she stroked the soft petals and marveled at the color
s, Jackson let a smile break free.
“Irises, huh? I wouldn’t have guessed.”
“I love them. They’re like tiny thrones made for dazzling fairy queens.”
Jada let her fingers find a stalk that was free to be pulled out and took the flower in her hands. It was exquisite. The deep purple color burst into bright yellow near the center, and the ruffled edges clung delicately to a few droplets of water.
With her attention on the gorgeous flower in her hand, Jada almost missed the laugh that Jackson let out. She turned on her heel to catch him smiling widely and moving closer. It was a sight to see. When he smiled like that, when he let that deep, throaty laugh break free from his firm chest, he was breathtaking.
“What a description! Irises it is.” He bent down to her hand and inhaled the fragrance. “I think that was a pretty successful trip.”
Who was this? It certainly wasn’t Jackson Hays, billionaire CEO of JPH Tech. Where was the brash, money-hungry closer? He was acting so different; it was as if he were actually enjoying himself.
“Yeah, it was.” Jada smiled back, and as Jackson straightened, she set the flower back in its home.
“I didn’t have anything else planned for tonight. Would you like to take a walk?” The hopeful expression on his face confused her.
“You’re just gonna tell Jacques to wait?”
“Um, yes, I guess so.”
“Why don’t you send him home for the night, and when we’re done we can catch a cab?” Baby steps, sure, but it was something.
Jackson hesitated for a moment but then seemed to find something in Jada’s eyes. “All right. Let me go tell him. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay. I’ll let the woman know we chose irises.”
Again, Jackson’s do-everything-himself attitude was shaken by her actions, but Jada only thought that he had better get used to it. After a moment, he just smiled again and headed off toward the limo.
Fake It For Me - A Fake Wife Billionaire Romance Page 42
