The Weekday Brides 04 - Single by Saturday

by Catherine Bybee

  “Are you actors?” he asked.

  Gwen laughed. “Not everyone here is in the industry.” Gwen’s British accent laced her words.

  “I’m in shipping,” Blake offered.

  Samantha snuggled into her husband’s side, obviously very in love with the man. “He’s also a duke, but we refuse to call him Your Grace.”

  Blake rolled his eyes.

  “We do when he pisses us off,” Gwen said.

  “A duke, seriously?”

  Blake sipped his cocktail and shrugged. “Can’t pick your parents.”

  Samantha indicated the linebacker that stood by Gwen’s side. “Neil is in private security.”

  That, Zach could buy. The man was huge; his narrow gaze took in everyone around them, and Zach guessed he was armed to the teeth.

  “There you are!” A voice rose behind them, twisting Zach around.

  The couple coming at him didn’t need an introduction. He leaned toward Neil. “Is that the governor?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Damn, didn’t think Mike knew everyone in this state.”

  “Actually, we’ve been friends with Karen longer than Michael. Hence the reason we’re huddled together talking about everyone around us.”

  “Eliza, Carter, this is Michael’s brother, Zach.”

  Zach shook the governor’s hand and offered the same to his wife. It would have been easy to feel out of place, but the group offered explanations to Zach as they talked among themselves.

  “I didn’t know Michael had a brother,” Carter managed.

  “One brother and three sisters,” Samantha blurted out.

  Zach narrowed his eyes and noticed Gwen nudge the petite redhead.

  “I think that’s what Michael said.” Samantha glanced at the ground. “Is that right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are we still on for the park tomorrow?” Eliza briskly changed the subject. “I haven’t seen Delanie since the christening.”

  Samantha removed her cell phone from her purse and the women huddled around it in what Zach recognized as the ceremonial showing off of the baby pictures.

  His older sister, Rena, had two of her own, and there was no escaping the latest digital photograph if Zach so much as missed a Sunday dinner with the family.

  “Eliza! Carter! You guys made it.” Karen stepped into the growing circle and embraced her friends.

  “Of course we made it.”

  Karen offered a polite smile to Zach as she glanced between the ladies. “Why are you guys not eating? I slaved over the menu, and most of the women here are worried about gaining an ounce.”

  “I’m going to eat, don’t worry,” Eliza said.

  A waiter approached the party and offered flutes of champagne. The group took up a glass each and started to sip.

  Beside Zach, Neil whisked the glass out of his wife’s hand. “Not for you, Princess.”

  Gwen’s face lit up with shock. “Oh, my. I almost forgot.”

  The group went quiet.

  “Forgot what?”

  Gwen bit her lower lip. “Ah, nothing. This is Karen and Michael’s party.”

  Then, as if the women were all talking to each other in their heads, Karen let out a squeal. “Oh. My. God. You’re pregnant!”

  When there wasn’t a quick denial, the group became overwhelmingly animated with the obviously shocking news.

  “We were going to wait to say anything.” Gwen accepted a hug from Karen.

  “That’s stupid.”

  “But this is your anniversary party.”

  Karen rolled her eyes. “Please, Gwen. It’s Michael and me.” Then, as if Karen remembered Zach was there, she abruptly stopped talking and let the others crowd in to offer their congratulations.

  Zach, not knowing what to say other than the obvious, offered his congratulations to the father-to-be.

  “You’re next.” Samantha pointed a finger at the first lady.

  “Gee, thanks. Talk about pressure.”

  Because something about this whole group was bothering him, Zach asked, “What about you, Karen? Are you and Mike going to have kids?”

  Silence met his ears. For a brief moment, he wondered if maybe there was something terribly wrong with his question. Could she have kids? Could his brother? But there wasn’t pain in Karen’s face when she smiled at him, more of a resolve. “I don’t think anytime soon.”

  With that, the group steered the conversation far away from Karen having children and on to other subjects.

  The entire introduction to his brother’s wife was laced with more questions than answers.

  Chapter Two

  “This is going to get very sticky,” Gwen whispered in Karen’s ear as the party started to wind down, and many of the guests had left.

  The two of them, along with Samantha and Eliza, were nestled in the far end of the courtyard sipping wine, coffee, or in Gwen’s case, tea, and watching the men as they talked around a fire pit.

  “Why do you think he’s here?” Eliza asked.

  “I have no idea. If there is one topic Michael and I don’t really discuss, it’s his family,” Karen said to her friends, who knew the situation between her and Michael.

  The group of men erupted in laughter, making the women frown.

  “They act as if they just saw each other last week.” This came from Samantha.

  “You’re the one who did the background check. Did I miss something in the file?” Karen asked.

  The file referred to the dossier on every client and prospective spouse that hired Alliance to pick a temporary partner for them. In Michael’s case, he needed an agreeable wife for sixteen to eighteen months in order to throw Hollywood, the fans, and the producers off the scent that the leading man of action flicks, fetching multimillions per movie, wasn’t interested in women.

  Sadly, though Hollywood was incredibly flexible with sexuality, the public didn’t pay to see films where it was common knowledge the man on the screen would never be interested in the woman in his arms. Michael Wolfe was the hottest action film star of the millennium and had more films lined up than should be legal. Though no definitive rumors circulated about his sexuality, he sought out Alliance to find a temporary wife to circumvent any that might evolve.

  Samantha, who had a list of contacts an arm long, had created Alliance and prescreened every client regardless of their wealth or standing in the community. She and Eliza had worked together in the beginning, yet as each of them married and found other activities, such as being a duchess, the first lady of the state, and parenting, they took on lesser roles with Alliance. Gwen had stepped in to help run Alliance along with Karen, who was the only one who had actually been looking for a temporary husband to begin with, and as it turned out, she acquired exactly what she wanted.

  A year or so long commitment with a huge financial payoff. Michael had placed five million dollars in an account that would become hers the day they separated. In return, he kept his reputation as Hollywood’s bad boy that every woman wanted, and continued making films.

  So Karen had to give up sex for a year. No big deal.

  She’d met and partied with Hollywood’s finest and found a best friend in Michael. It had only been in the past month that they’d actually talked about their mutual sexual frustration playing the role of a married couple. Ironically, the itch was never there to scratch with her husband, and if Michael were to make any real moves on Karen it would gross her out.

  She glanced over the courtyard to the black jeans gripping the back end of Michael’s brother. Now his brother, Zach…

  “Michael grew up in his hometown in Utah. Did the typical high school thing. Starred in the plays and attempted football. But that was his brother’s sport. He never lived up to it. He applied to colleges here in California and fell into the lure of the big screen.”

  “No bad blood at home?” Eliza asked.

  Samantha shook her head. “None that I found.”

  Karen watched Michael and Zach
from across the yard and blew out a breath. “This is going to get awkward.”

  “Is he staying here?” Eliza asked.

  Karen froze. “I-I didn’t ask. He should, right?”

  “He’s family. And they don’t seem to be hating on each other,” Eliza stated the obvious.

  Karen set her cup of coffee on a table and stood. “I should find out and have Alice make up a room while she’s still here.” Alice was the only domestic help they brought in during the week. She didn’t live in and had only been employed for a few months. Michael refused to have help for any real length of time. Hollywood’s best-kept secret would never keep if the housekeeper stuck around for long.

  Karen walked to Michael’s side, and he smiled in acknowledgment. “Sorry to interrupt. But I was wondering if Zach is staying over?”

  Zach looked between her and Michael. “It’s OK, I—”

  “You’re staying here. Mom would kill me if you stayed at a hotel.” Michael’s tone was genuine.

  “Mom’s going to kill you anyway.”

  Michael nodded. “You’re right. No need to add to the ammunition. We have plenty of room.”

  “I don’t know.”

  Karen did what any wife would and took matters upon herself. “I’ll have Alice set up a room before she goes home.” She left their side and walked into the house.

  Gwen met up with her in the kitchen. The caterers had left boxed-up food that would all be going to the Boys and Girls Club in the morning. The beauty of Hollywood parties was how well the kids ate once the festivities were over. The kids thought they got the leftovers. Only Karen and Michael knew that wasn’t the case. They always ordered more than they needed and had trays of food to serve to the kids.

  “I’m outta here, Karen,” Tony, Michael’s manager, said as he passed through the great room.

  Tony was short, Italian, and louder than any man should be.

  “Did you pour Tom into a limo?” Karen asked.

  Tony chuckled. “His car is parked to the side of the garage along with a few others. You’ll probably have assistants here bright and early to pick them up. Might just wanna keep the gate open.”

  Karen shook her head. “Not a chance.” The last thing she’d do was leave the gate to Michael’s estate open for maundering fans or paparazzi to help themselves to a photograph. “Thanks for the warning. I hope you managed to have a good time.”

  Tony always seemed to be working when he was in her and Michael’s presence.

  “I always do. G’night Karen, Gwen.”

  “Good night, Tony.”

  Before Tony made it out of the room, he turned and shouted, “Oh, and happy anniversary.”

  “Thanks.” Somewhere in all the excitement of the party, the fact that she and Michael had been married for a year escaped her for the past few hours.

  Michael loved flashy parties, where Karen was just as happy with a few select friends with honesty flowing between them. Because her friends knew the business of Alliance, they all knew the marriage was coming to an end.

  They’d only recently started talking about the Hollywood breakup and how it would go down. Irreconcilable differences without anything messy. Complete with a divorce party at some point.

  They’d go their separate ways and remain friends.

  “Where do you think Alice is?” Gwen asked as she leaned a slender hip on the center island, picked a fresh chocolate-covered strawberry from a tray, and nibbled on the ripe fruit.

  The house had some order to it. The waitstaff had left thirty minutes before with the majority of guests. Now there were only a few guests weaving out of the house, waving good-byes as they left.

  She seldom used the home intercom system, but Karen went to it and called Alice through the speakers. “Alice?”

  A few seconds passed and the woman’s voice came through. “Yes, Mrs. Wolfe.”

  “Can you make sure the spare room on the east side of the house is prepared for a guest?”

  “Of course, Mrs. Wolfe.”

  Karen plucked a strawberry off the tray and joined Gwen in her snack.

  “How are you feeling?” Karen asked, letting her eyes drift to Gwen’s slender waist.

  “I feel great. Samantha was so sick with both her pregnancies, I expected nothing different.”

  Karen grinned. “Not everyone has morning sickness.”

  Gwen positively beamed. “I’m so happy, Karen. And Neil’s beyond himself.”

  It was hard to picture Neil being anything but his big stoic self. But when he thought no one was watching, he looked at Gwen as if he would take a bullet to keep her safe.

  “It’s going to be great seeing a baby make Neil crazy.”

  Gwen laughed. “My poor husband won’t stand a chance.”

  “He’s going to be a good dad. And we already know you’re going to be a fabulous mom.”

  Gwen discarded the stem in a napkin and placed it on the counter. “We should shop next week. How’s your schedule?”

  “I’ll be at the club tomorrow. Graduation is coming up so the kids are prepping for finals. Then summer.”

  “So it will ease up?”

  “A little.” Karen’s work at the Boys and Girls Club took up her extra hours in the day. She still worked with the client base at Alliance with Gwen. But with one more baby in the mix, it appeared as if Alliance would need to recruit more help, and soon.

  Karen hid a yawn behind her hand.

  Alice walked into the kitchen with her hands full of bulging plastic trash bags. “The room is ready for your guest. I’ll take these out on my way.”

  “Thanks, Alice. And you can come in the morning to help with the cleanup?”

  Alice gave an enthusiastic nod. “I’ll bring my niece to help.”

  Karen remembered the niece. “That’s fine. If I’m not here, just keep it quiet in the back of the house and don’t bother Michael.”

  “No problem. Good night, Mrs. Wolfe.”

  As Alice moved out of the room, the rest of Karen’s friends made their way inside the house.

  “It’s time for us to go,” Blake told her at Samantha’s side.

  “If we play it right, we’ll get home by the late-night feeding and then get to bed,” Samantha told her husband.

  “Or Delanie will decide it’s time to play and we won’t sleep at all.”

  They talked about baby behavior for a few minutes before the men grabbed the women’s sweaters and moved toward the door.

  Michael took to Karen’s side while Zach stood back after saying his good-byes.

  In Karen’s ear, Eliza whispered, “Be sure and sleep in Michael’s room tonight.”

  Oh, damn…she’d nearly forgotten. It wasn’t like them to have overnight guests or have a need to explain the separate rooms for the newlyweds. “Thanks,” Karen uttered.

  Once the door closed behind her friends, Karen turned to Michael. “I’m going to do a quick check and make sure everyone is gone. Why don’t you show your brother where he’s sleeping?”

  Karen made her escape and took her time walking along the hidden paths and walkways of the outside, picking up the occasional empty glass on her way.

  The exercise of searching for guests had less to do with those who were invited, and more to do with those who weren’t. Karen was about to give up on her search when she noticed the burst of light.

  Behind her, the flash of a bulb from a camera blinded her as the shutter sped through shot after shot.

  “Are you done?” Karen asked in the direction of the flash. Not that she could see crap after the blinding light. Another shot went off. Apparently not. “Michael?” she hollered across the yard, hoping he’d left the sliding door open and could hear her.

  “C’mon, Mrs. Wolfe…how about a smile?”

  Karen was tempted to let her middle finger fly, but held back.

  “What the hell?”

  Behind her, Michael and Zach both jogged to her side. “Get out of here!” Michael yelled at their unin
vited guest.

  “Damn, there’s two of you,” the paparazzo said from the shadows.

  The camera went off again. This time Karen was between both brothers. Michael went after the photographer, and she twisted away from the flash, attempted to dispel the spark in her sight, and stumbled.

  Zach’s arm kept her from falling. “You OK?”

  She glanced up. “Fine.”

  Then Zach was gone, and she saw the boys grab the paparazzo and manhandle him out of the yard. Karen kicked off her high heels and followed behind with her shoes dangling from her fingertips. While the men took their uninvited guest through the side yard, Karen moved into the house, and then closed and locked the back doors.

  When both men walked back inside they were patting each other on the back as if they’d just won a tandem wrestling match. They really could have been bookends.

  “Welcome to my life,” she heard Michael say.

  “That happens all the time?”

  “Often enough.”

  They settled into the sofa as if they were gearing up for a long talk. Karen decided a graceful exit was in order. She’d let Michael lay the groundwork about their relationship to Zach and tell her about it later.

  “I hope you don’t think I’m rude, but I’ve had a long day.”

  Michael watched her walk toward them with a smile. “And you’re at the club tomorrow morning, right?”

  “Yeah, Jeff wanted me early. I’m taking the Escalade to fit all the food.” She turned toward Zach. “If you need anything, just ask.”

  Zach smiled and her stomach twisted. “Thanks, Karen.”

  Feeling strangely awkward, Karen leaned down and kissed Michael.

  “I’ll join you in a few.”

  She shook her head. “Take your time. I’m sure you have a lot to catch up on.”

  She felt eyes on her as she walked away, and when she glanced toward them, it was Zach who watched her.

  Chapter Three

  Michael did a double take when he caught his brother watching Karen walk down the hall.

  A strange sense of jealousy ran up his back. His sipped his beer, but didn’t really taste it. His entire life had been a balancing act. The role of brother, or of son, just wasn’t one he cared to play for a while. Maybe it was because his family could see through him like no one else. Though Karen was quickly becoming someone close enough to see the subtleties of his personality. But damn he’d missed his brother, was reminded about his family by Zach’s presence. If only he could be completely himself with them…he thought of his dad, the small town he grew up in. No.