His Other Wife (Beautiful Lies Book 1)

by M. L. Ray

  Jeremiah rolled his eyes. “Knox, you’re a grown up, and this is your family. Flynn’s got your back.”

  “But I don’t even really know her. I haven’t seen her since she was a kid.”

  But he knew he had to face this evening on his own. He took a cab out to the Red Mill Burger restaurant on Phinney Ridge, and for a moment, before going in, he wished he smoked or something, just so he could stand here and collect himself.

  Come on, it’s just your family. He pushed open the door and went inside. His eyes swept the room, and then he saw them. Flynn had her back to him, but Levi looked up, and his eyes met Knox’s. For a second, Levi’s face was blank; then he said something quietly to Flynn.

  The girl turned and Knox saw her radiant smile. She got up and came over, throwing her arms around him. “Hey, bro.”

  Knox hugged her tightly, his tension easing. This was his kid sister… and he did know her. They’d spent hours talking over the phone, online. Of course, he knew her.

  Flynn was seventeen now; tall, long lighter brown hair, the same hazel eyes as him, and a wide grin. She was pretty in a fresh kind of way, and her eyes twinkled with merriment. Knox felt as if she were pure sunshine. Flynn then took his hand. “Come on, bro. Let’s get the awkward bit over and done with. I’m starving.”

  Levi stood as Knox approached, and put out his hand for Knox to shake. Knox did so, and they sat. Levi looked as nervous as Knox felt.

  “Hey, buddy,” Knox said, cautiously, “it’s good to see you.”

  “You, too.” Levi’s voice was deeper than he remembered, but then again, it had been over fifteen years. Levi’s hazel eyes were shadowed by purple circles, and he looked tired. Putting up with our father will do that, Knox thought, and he tried to smile at his brother.

  “How have you been?”

  “Plenty of time for that,” Flynn interrupted, “let’s order food.”

  Levi smiled then, chuckling. “Always hungry, this one. I warn you, she eats like a rabid warthog.”

  Knox laughed as Flynn looked outraged. “Jerk.”

  They ordered the Red Mill Deluxe burgers with cheese and fries. “And we have to have Babe’s Onion Rings, two orders. They’re legendary.”

  Flynn was clearly going to be the conduit for whatever this reunion was, Knox realized, and he felt a wave of gratitude towards his younger sister. Levi had always been the quietest of all of them, lacking Knox’s flare for self-promotion and cockiness.

  They ate and talked a while about nothing in particular, then Knox risked the question. “How’s Dad? How’s the business?”

  He saw Flynn shoot a concerned glance at Levi, but his brother merely nodded. “Dad is… Dad. The business, well, I’ve been trying to take it in a more modern direction. Building places for people who need them, rather than those that can afford to buy whole city blocks.”

  Knox was impressed. “Good idea.”

  “Dad doesn’t think so.”

  Knox sighed. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

  Levi flushed. “He’s not of our generation, Knox. He’s set in his ways, used to things being a certain way.”

  “You don’t have to tell me that.”

  Flynn interrupted before things could become tense between them. “Each to their own, kiddos. Knox, Levi has been designing some gorgeous buildings. You should see them.”

  Knox grinned at her use of ‘kiddos’, and looked at Levi, his irritation seeping away. “I’d love to see some of your work.”

  “It’s… just rough stuff. I’d be embarrassed.”

  “Bull crap,” Flynn said. She chomped a huge bite of her burger before speaking again. “Knox, he has real artistic flare…”

  “… nothing compared to yours, of course,” Levi said hurriedly to Knox, who smiled.

  “Have you seen anything I’ve done?”

  Flynn and Levi shared a look, then Levi cleared his throat. “We… um, we were in Sacramento when you were showing at the Alhambra.”

  Knox blinked a couple of times. “You were there?”

  Flynn had gone quiet, avoiding his eyes and picking at her fries. Knox looked at Levi, who was watching him carefully. Levi nodded. “Yes.”

  Another silence, then “Why didn’t you… I mean, I was there the whole time.”

  Levi’s expression hardened. “We… I… didn’t think we’d be welcome. But we wanted to see your stuff.”

  Knox didn’t know why he felt heartbroken by this admission, when he should be happy. Levi was invested, was interested in his life… “But… we could have had a good time. We could have reconnected so much sooner.” He looked at Flynn. “And we were talking back then, too, and you never said you were in town. I actually remember you telling me you were in Tacoma.”

  His tone was rough, accusatory, and Flynn went scarlet and turned away. Knox saw the glint of tears in her eyes, and felt ashamed.

  “Don’t blame Flynn.” Levi’s voice was sharp, and anger shot through Knox’s body, “I asked her not to tell you. I wasn’t ready.”

  “Why? What exactly have I done to you to make you not ready to see me, Levi? You got everything you wanted, my share of the business; I’m assuming my trust fund too.” His irritation was showing now, and he saw Levi’s back stiffen.

  “You have no idea what the hell you are talking about,” he said. “When was the last time you showed any interest in what’s happening to our family?”

  There was a note of something in his voice that alerted Knox, and his anger dissipated. “What’s happening? What’s going on?”

  “It doesn’t matter now,” Flynn spoke for the first time in minutes, and Knox saw her glare at Levi. “It’s nothing.”

  Levi opened his mouth, but she shook her head furiously at him. Knox looked between them. “Tell me.”

  “Knox, let’s just leave it alone, please? Now that you’re back in Seattle, we have time to talk, just not tonight. Both of you? Can we just have a meal together and be happy that we’re in the same room?”

  Knox nodded, seeing his sister’s distress, and Levi reached across the table and took Flynn’s hand. “Of course, bubba. I’m sorry.”

  “Me too.” Knox touched her cheek, and she smiled.

  They ate in silence for a little while, then Knox sighed. “So… what did you think? Of the pieces you saw?”

  Levi set the remains of his burger down and looked at him steadily. “I thought they were extraordinary.”

  It was such a simple, short sentence, but Knox felt the impact of it. He felt his throat close. “Thanks, man.”

  “You’re welcome. So, you’re showing here now?”

  “In a few weeks. The Granger Gallery.”

  Levi whistled and Flynn gaped at him. “Wow, dude… that’s massive.”

  “I know.” He felt a little smug at their surprise. “The woman who’s going to be my liaison knows her stuff, too. Totally called me out when I behaved like a diva.”

  Even Levi grinned at that. “She got you, huh?”

  “She did, but more importantly, she got the work. I think this will be my best show ever.” He smiled at his siblings then. “And, you know what? I’m glad you’ll be here to see it with me.”

  “Cheers to that.” Flynn tapped her glass of soda to his. “Look, both of you, let’s just be, huh? Just be siblings who love and support each other, and forget all the bullshit. What do you say?”

  Knox looked at Levi and smiled. “I can certainly try.”

  “Me, too.” Levi nodded slowly, then held Knox’s gaze. “I can’t… I don’t know if Dad…”

  “It’s okay. One thing at a time. I’m not going anywhere for a while.”

  Chapter Five

  Anouk rubbed her face hard. She was ticked, irritated and the woman on the other end of the phone wasn’t being helpful. “We have the rights to those pieces for another two months,” she was saying, her Irish accent clipped and annoyed. “Mr. Zapata signed a contract with us.�
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  “And I know that. What I am saying, what I have been saying all along is that the day the contract ends, we’ll need you to send those pieces straight to us.” She’d said this a hundred times already, it felt like. “When his contract with you is complete.”

  The woman in Ireland sighed. “I will have to speak with my boss.”

  “Fine.” Anouk couldn’t help but snap. “Call me back when you get what I’m saying.” She slammed the phone down harder than she had meant to.

  “Ooh, mood.”

  Anouk looked up to see Iris sticking her head around the door, and her bad mood evaporated immediately. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

  “Thought I’d swing by, see if you’re free for lunch?”

  Anouk made a face. “God, I’d love to,” she said, waving Iris into her office, “but I have Knox Zapata arriving any minute.”

  “Hey, I eat lunch.” Neither of them had seen Knox right behind Iris, and Iris beamed at him, sizing him up.

  “So, you’re the diva?”

  Knox grinned and Anouk sighed. “Iris.”

  Iris shrugged. “He looks like he could take a joke.”

  “And I can. Hey, Anouk.”

  “Hey. I’m sorry, Knox, this is my friend Iris Chang. Iris, Knox Zapata.”

  Iris and Knox shook hands, smiling at each other, then Knox looked back at Anouk. She didn’t miss that his eyes twinkled merrily at her. “So, can I take you ladies out for lunch?”

  “Yes.” Iris was already halfway up, and Anouk knew it was useless to argue. Somewhat disgruntled, she followed the two of them out of the building.

  Knox took them to a local joint, all dark polished wood and a relaxed atmosphere, for lunch. Anouk was surprised that the place was as classy and as laid back as it was. She took Knox for wanting noise, and people paying attention to him.

  She looked up to see Knox watching her, a slight smile on his face. He winked at her, then looked at Iris. “So, what other names has Nook given me?”

  Iris chuckled. “Oh, there’s been a plethora.”

  “There has not!” Anouk flushed and kicked Iris under the table. This was her client, after all, and Knox didn’t need to know the insulting names she had given to him.

  Iris ignored her. “Oh, so, there’s His Highness, His Majesty…”

  “Iris.”

  Knox grinned widely. “You’ve forgotten one. Pretty, Pretty Princess.”

  “I have never ever called you that,” Anouk was outraged, but then as Iris and Knox laughed, she suddenly gave in and smiled. “Not to your face, at least.”

  Knox smiled, reaching out and touching her cheek briefly. “I know I can be a handful, but come on, we make a good team, right?”

  “I suppose,” she said grumpily, to hide the fact that her skin was burning where he’d touched her. She saw Iris hide a smile as she took a sip of her soda. “Anyway, it might all be for nothing if we can’t persuade the Dublin gallery to send us your pieces the day your contract with them is up. They’re playing dumb. I think they want to hang onto them a little longer.”

  Knox shook his head. “Nah-uh, not going to happen. Those pieces are yours, Nook. I promised.”

  Anouk smiled gratefully at him, trying not to notice how his dark hair curled on the collar of the blue plaid shirt that he wore, and how long and dark his eyelashes were. His skin was a little tan—natural, she noticed, and not a spray tan. “I’ve been wondering.”

  “What’s up?”

  “You said you were coming back to Seattle for the foreseeable future. Will you be working here?”

  Knox nodded. “I hope so. I’ve been based in Hamburg for so long that it didn’t occur to me that my studio there needed packing up. But I’m flying back this the weekend to do just that, and I’ll put my things in storage until I can find a studio space here.”

  “I can help with that.” Iris said, and Anouk nodded.

  “Realtor extraordinaire,” she said of her friend, who grinned back at her, “If Iris can’t find you a space, no one can.”

  “So, this really was a serendipitous lunch.”

  Anouk smiled. “It was. And it means we can put it on your expenses.”

  Iris and Knox laughed. “Be my guest,” he said, his eyes warm on hers.

  Anouk felt her cheeks warm, and was almost grateful when Iris interrupted the small silence. “Listen, Knox, while you’re settling back in, you must come to our apartment. Nook and I can cook a pretty decent meal between us. We’d love to have you.”

  This time, Anouk’s foot connected with Iris’s ankle and made her start, glaring back at Anouk.

  Knox’s mouth twitched in amusement. “I’d love to. Just tell me when and where.”

  “Okay, I think I need to get back to the office.” Anouk said, ignoring Knox and Iris’s snickers. “We need to make contingency plans for the exhibit, in case Dublin doesn’t come through.”

  “So, we do.” Knox grinned at Iris. “You are a delight. Can I get a card?”

  Iris presented him her business card with a flourish. “I’ll make some enquiries about studio space. Any preference for district?”

  Knox shook his head. “Somewhere with good light is all I ask.”

  “I’m on it.” Iris shook his hand and hugged Anouk. “Thank you for lunch, kiddos. See you at home, Nook.”

  Knox walked Anouk back to the gallery. “You and Iris live together?”

  “It’s her place. I just moved in a few months ago when I came back to Seattle.”

  “You’re from here?”

  She nodded, wondering why she was telling him. “But I lived away for a few years.”

  “Same, as you know. Where were you based?”

  “London.” Her throat closed up, and she changed the subject quickly. “Are you really moving back here permanently?”

  Knox shrugged. “For now, at least. I have siblings, two, and I want to reconnect with them. Flynn, that’s my sister, she’s almost half my age, but, as you can imagine, also twice my age mentally. I have a brother, Levi, he’s my twin.”

  “Identical?”

  Knox shook his head. “Fraternal. We’re different in every way. He grinned. “Flynn and I are a lot more alike. Flynn’s not much younger than you, I think.”

  “I’m twenty-eight,” Anouk said with a laugh, “hardly half your age.”

  “I honestly thought you were younger.”

  Anouk rolled her eyes and Knox laughed. “That wasn’t a line, I mean it. But now that I look closely…” He leaned in for a second. “Yeah, I see the crow’s feet, the grey hairs…”

  Anouk swiped at him and he ducked away, laughing. “Sorry, sorry.”

  Back at the gallery, Tom was waiting for them. “We have a problem.”

  “What’s wrong?” Anouk was immediately on alert, but then Tom smiled.

  “You missed a call from the Dublin Gallery. They’re releasing your pieces early.”

  Knox laughed as Anouk gaped at her boss. “How did you do that?” She asked him, shaking her head. “I could barely get them to pick up the phone for me.”

  “Apparently, the woman you spoke to was a temp. She had no idea of our… let’s just say, our prestige in the art world, and what a good deal they could broker for the early release of Knox’s work. When the person she was covering return to work this morning…” Tom smiled widely.

  “So, what’s the problem?” Knox asked, as Anouk sighed in relief.

  “Well, it’s not really a problem, so much as more work for poor Nook. We can show your pieces earlier. By moving your show up, dropping it unexpectedly, we can create buzz.”

  Knox nodded. “Like Beyoncé and Lemonade.”

  Tom looked blank. “Um.” Anouk disguised a laugh as a cough.

  “I’ll explain later, boss. So, how long have we got?”

  “Four weeks.”

  Anouk nearly fainted. “What?”

  Tom put his hand on her arm. “D
arling Nook, this is it. This is your graduation.” He smiled at Knox. “You okay with this?”

  Knox grinned widely. “Absolutely fine.”

  “Good. I’ll be in my office.” Tom nodded to them both, and disappeared back upstairs.

  Anouk and Knox stared at each other for a moment. “Well, I guess we’ll be spending a lot more time together than we thought.” Knox’s grin was wide and smugly satisfied, and Anouk couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Working,” she insisted, and shook her head when his grin got bigger.

  “Whatever you say, Nook, whatever you say.”

  Later, when Knox finally let her get back to work, Anouk glanced at the clock. It was after nine p.m., and dark outside. She’d been bending over her desk for hours now, and she sat up, groaning at the ache in the small of her back and her shoulders. The scheduling for Knox’s show was almost too big a task for one person, but Anouk was determined to prove to Tom that his trust in her was valid.

  But it was late, and she was too tired to be able to function properly. She packed up her bag and walked slowly out of her office, trying to think if there was anything urgent left to do that night.

  Satisfied she’d covered all her bases, she flicked off the lights. The gallery was quiet, but as she walked down the corridor, she saw a light on in Tom’s office. She knocked softly.

  “Come in.”

  Anouk pushed open the door. Tom was sitting at his desk, soft music playing in the background. He smiled at her. “You taking off?”

  “If that’s okay?”

  Tom chuckled. “It’s after nine, Nook. Yes, of course it’s okay. You have a car?”

  “No, I’ll walk.”

  Tom made a face. “Take a cab, would you? You can charge it to the gallery.”

  Anouk hesitated. “I…”

  “I know it’s not very PC, but you’re a woman alone at night. It’s only good sense to take a cab.”

  Anouk nodded. “Okay, thanks.” She suddenly heard the music he was playing. “Boss, are you listening to Beyoncé?”

  Tom grinned. “Not bad.”

  Anouk snorted. “Goodnight.”

  “Night, Nook.”

  Anouk called a cab company they used, and soon she was settled in the back of it, on her way home. Her body ached from the tension of working so intensively, and she was dreaming of a hot bath and an early night.