“Maybe if you’re lucky, we’ll come back early.” I gave him a soft smile.
“Maybe if you’re lucky, I’ll buy you something to wear.”
My heart skipped another beat. I could go for that. No. I wasn’t supposed to be that kind of girl. I was supposed to be paving my own way. I’m not like Alyssa, I told myself.
I wasn’t the type to try and marry for money, and that was part of what Garth found attractive in me.
I mentally shook myself, trying to clear my thoughts.
“Alright,” I cleared my throat. “Let’s go out.”
I needed to stop thinking of everything back home. Of Alyssa, of the body—all of it.
Garth and I headed out of the hotel room, into the elevator and then to the street. He’d done a good job booking us a place right downtown. Actually, it was almost perfect. We exited the building and turned left, heading towards a neon sign.
Garth took my hand, his fingers tangling between mine, and squeezed gently.
“So, what do you want to buy today?” he asked.
“I am going to buy myself some beauty products, I think.” I mean, come on, Japanese women were known for looking super young, right? It was never too early to start worrying about aging.
It didn’t take us long to get to a small shopping district. At least, it didn’t feel like long, but maybe that was just because I was too busy staring at everything we passed.
It felt like a whole new world being here, but I knew it wasn’t. I mean, I’d seen the pictures before so I shouldn’t have been that surprised, but it wasn’t the same. Pictures didn’t do it justice. Not one bit. It seemed like everywhere I went there was something new for me to stare at.
I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw a sign. I gasped.
“What?” Garth snapped.
“A … a 100 Yen shop.”
Garth’s brow furrowed. “Way to worry me,” he muttered, but a soft smile spread across his lips.
“Come on, let’s go.” He pulled me towards it. “I’m sure there will be lots of good stuff to pick up for family while we’re in there.”
“Yes, souvenirs. I’d promised everyone I would get them something when they found out I was going to Japan.
I wasn’t close to a lot of people, but there were a few family members that I liked to stay in touch with and a couple childhood friends I still emailed.
As we entered the shop, my jaw almost dropped again. It was huge. Fucking huge.
You wouldn't have expected it from the look outside. I was expecting a small store without much in it, but this was a long and narrow building. It looked like it had two floors, and everywhere had stuff. It was stacked and stacked with goods.
I looked around, trying to take everything in.
Garth grabbed a basket and handed it to me. Yea, I’m going to need that, I thought as we headed down an aisle. I tried to take everything in, but there was only so much I could take in. Only so much I could grab.
I tried not to grab stuff that would easily be found back home. Instead, I snatched some candy, a couple fans, and even some hair chopsticks. My heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t wait to figure out how to use them and put them in my hair. I grinned widely. This is already such an amazing trip. I couldn’t wait to get back and tell everyone about it.
I spent a lot longer in the 100 Yen shop than I would like to admit, but it was well worth it. I ended out spending close to $50 American and getting a ton of stuff.
“At this rate,” I could already hear the teasing in his voice, “I’m not sure how we’re going to get everything you buy home.”
I laughed softly. “I’m sure we'll manage.” I didn’t plan on buying that much more. And I mean, really if I had to, I could always leave my clothes. Nothing I’d packed was all that expensive. It could all easily be replaced. Except my shoes. They were coming with me.
I wouldn’t leave my shoes here—they were so gorgeous, I didn’t want to have to try and find another pair.
Garth took my hand as we headed towards some more buildings. Everything was so colorful. The signs jumped out, inviting me into each one of them—even though I couldn’t read most of them.
“What’s that one?” I asked, pointing towards a green sign with pink lettering.
“A shoe store. Want to go in?”
Oh God, yes.
I nodded, not wanting to seem too excited by the idea of a shoe store. But with the yen being so low compared to the dollar, I could buy three or four pairs of shoes.
It didn’t take long for us to need to head back to the hotel—just so we could drop off all the bags I had. I felt kinda silly, but I mean, I was on vacation. I had to treat myself a little. And it’s not like I’m ever going to come back here. I need to have a blast while I’m here.
If I did this right, I wouldn’t need to come back to Japan.
We headed back out, my feet beginning to ache as we walked block to block. We passed bookstores, coffee shops, tech stores. Finally, Garth stopped in front of one, pulled me towards the door and opened it for me. I stepped inside looking around. Cell phone.
“Are you looking for a new phone?” I asked him.
“No. You are.”
My jaw dropped. I was? Since when? I turned to him and raised an eyebrow.
He just smiled, taking my arm and leading me down the rows and rows of phones.
“What one do you like?” he asked, his voice a soft whisper against my ear.
“I really don’t need a new phone.”
“I know, but come on, we’re in Japan. How can you not get new tech? Or would you rather a computer?” He pulled away, his eyes sparkling. “We can get a new computer if you want.”
“No!” I said quickly. “Anyways, isn’t it all going to be in Japanese?”
His smile widened. “Don’t worry about that.” He dismissed my question like he’d already thought of it.
I took a deep breath and looked at everything. The bright purple phone caught my eye. It’s so pretty, I thought. And it was. It was gorgeous. I want it, I admitted to myself.
As if being able to read my mind, Garth reached out and grabbed it.
I could see the way she was eyeing the phone the entire time we were talking. I knew how bad she wanted it. Finally, I gave up on fighting with her about it. I just took it over to the cash register and handed it over to the man behind it. 72,000 Yen later, Ally had a brand new phone. Of course, we’d have to wait until we got back home to get it all set up, and there might be a couple issues—but I thought I had a few friends who could help with that. She hadn’t said anything for a long time. She’s mad at me. And I knew it.
I reached out and took her hand; thankfully, she didn’t pull away.
“Please don’t be mad; I just want to spoil you.”
Her brow furrowed. “But you don’t want someone you have to take care of all the time,” she said. “You don’t want someone like Alyssa.” Her cheeks flushed the second she said it.
Was that what this was all about?
She was worried about being like Alyssa?
I snorted.
He laughed at me.
Like that was really going to do any good. My brow furrowed. “Is something funny?”
“Yes. I mean, no. Not funny, I just can’t believe you think I would ever feel like you’re like Alyssa.” He shook his head. “No, I’m not buying you things because that’s what you want. I’m buying you things because that's what I want.” He paused, squeezing my hand gently. “Ally, I want to spoil you. I want to make you feel special. I want to buy you things and pay for you to have experiences. I want to help provide you with a life of luxury.”
My cheeks flushed. I never thought about a life of luxury.
To me, that would always be something that I just saw on TV—but I guess, I mean … how many people get to just go to Japan without a second thought? I took a deep breath.
“I don’t want you to feel like you have to take care of me.” I’d stepped forward when Alys
sa was sick so I could make my way up in the company; so I could provide for myself.
I’m going to keep doing that.
“I know, and I’m not going to.” For a split second, his words cut me. They stung, even though I had just said I didn’t want it to be like that. “But relationships are about spoiling each other every now and then. I have lots of money to play with—money I will never use. Money I want to spend on you.”
His words made my heart skip a beat. But if I let you spend all that money on me … would I be losing out on my independence? Would him providing for me make me … less in some way?
I took a deep breath, trying to shake the question. Of course, it didn’t go away.
I didn’t dare say it out loud. I didn’t want him to know that’s what I was thinking. I didn’t want him to think he had to try to comfort me. I’ll figure it out, I told myself.
I always did, and this wasn’t going to be any different. Just because I was with a good looking, well-off man did not mean I was going to become some kind of damsel in distress.
Garth pulled me to a stop and pointed towards a small cart that people surrounded.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
I nodded.
“It’s called Takoyaki. It’s kind of like a pancake ball, with ginger and octopus in it.”
My nose wrinkled. I never thought I’d be eating octopus, but I guess there was a first time for everything. Right?
“Sounds …” Gross. “Interesting.”
“We can get something else if you like.”
“No.” I wanted to immerse myself in the culture, right? So I was going to try this Takoyaki stuff. I took a deep breath and stepped towards the cart, finding the line somewhere. Garth pulled me closer to him, his arms wrapping around my shoulder as he placed a kiss on top of my head.
“If you don’t like it, I will eat yours, and we can go get you a burger or something—sound good?”
“Sounds perfect.” I smiled, wanting to forget about the conversation we’d just had, but part of me couldn’t get it out of my mind.
They were going to be gone another three days. It’s amazing what you can get done in three days if you have the right motivation. I had that motivation.
I’d always been a harder worker, now it was just coming into use. In a week or so, everything would have fallen into place. All my hard work would have paid off. This had taken me two years to plan, and I wasn’t going to let it get messed up by some stupid girl. No. The assistant might think I was doing this for her, but I would deal with her when it was all said and done. But first I’d let her get close to Garth. I’d let it look like she might be behind everything. She’d be the perfect person to set up—and who would believe her if she told them I did it? No one.
If this turned into a case of he said/she said, I would win.
I always won.
I looked around the room. It wasn’t much—in fact, other than a chair and some chains there wasn’t anything. But that was good, that was how it was going to be. If she didn’t have anything to use, she wouldn’t be able to get out of here. Maybe I’d set the assistant up to take the fall—make it look like jealousy overtook her. By the time she was charged, I’d be long gone. I’d be dealing with everything a few states away.
I would be careful to make sure one more murder happened once I left so no one could make the argument that it might have been me.
Of course, finding a trained professional would be hard, but it would be worth it—a professional never gave up their clients. Otherwise, they didn’t get more work; a killer for hire knew how to be a professional—ironic, right?
It took a long time for me to realize this was the best way to get what I wanted; I was so close. I just had to wait for them to get back from their stupid trip.
I dropped several bags on the bed as soon as we got back to the hotel. Okay, maybe I went a little overboard. A lot, I told myself. I was right. It was a lot, but it had totally been worth every second.
I’ll just have to be careful with my money for the next couple days, I told myself. And I would be.
I’d be good. I wouldn’t overspend. Maybe.
“So, what’s the plan for tonight?” I asked, rounding on the man who stood behind me.
Despite the smile on his face, he looked tired. Beyond tired really.
“I thought we could sit back and relax, Tomorrow, I figured we could do some sightseeing—eh, that doesn’t involve the inside of a mall, and the next day, I thought we could do the same. Then, that night, we’ll head to the airport. After buying you a suitcase.” His eyes sparkled.
I felt my cheeks flush. It wasn’t that much stuff. I knew it was a lie but kept telling myself that anyways.
As if reading my mind, Garth’s smile widened. “I’m glad you’ve been doing so much shopping, to be honest. I think it’s good. You’ve needed to treat yourself for a long time.”
My fingers ran through my hair nervously. I always had a hard time with conversations like this. Truth be told, I never thought I worked hard enough to treat myself. Maybe he’s right. I thought back to what he said on the plane. About us branching off and starting something together. I wonder how Brent will take it. I bit my lip, wondering if I should ask. Would this come between them as friends? Would Garth be able to handle that?
“Ally?” My own name snapped me back to reality. Garth stared at me. “Is everything alright?”
“Yes,” I said, maybe a little too quickly. “I … I was just thinking about what you said on the flight here … about us branching off and doing our own thing … have you been thinking about it long?” How long has it been on his mind? How long hasn’t he told me about it?
“Only a couple days. Did you hear what I said? About dinner?”
“No,” I confessed, my brow furrowing. I might have been lost in thought.
“Have you talked to Brent about it yet?”
“No,” Garth admitted. “I wanted to talk to you first, to make sure it was something you wanted to do. I didn’t want to let him know I was thinking about leaving if it doesn’t work out.”
“Do you think he will be upset.”
Garth stared blankly; he looked deep in thought—no. He looked worried.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I hope he won’t be hurt. The truth is, he could probably run the place just as good without me. And I hope he realizes that.”
Garth padded over to the mini fridge and grinned as he opened it. “Perfect,” he muttered, reaching for something.
“What?” I asked as he stood. I watched him pull out a bottle of clear liquid. It didn’t take long for me to realize what it was.
I’d never had some before. I grinned, following Garth to the small counter where a microwave stood. I reached for a gift basket beside it, and my brow furrowed. “This wasn’t here earlier.”
“No, I didn’t see about it until we came to drop your bags off. I ordered one while you were shopping.” He smiled widely.
I opened it without looking at him, and my heart skipped a beat. So much stuff. There were shot glasses—perfect. Along with four things of ramen noodles, some candy, some chips, and a couple soft drinks.
“How about ramen for dinner?” I suggested, holding up a couple of the packages.
“Sounds perfect to me. Have you ever had any?”
“Real stuff? No.” Don’t get me wrong, I’d had instant noodles before, but I always felt they weren’t quite the real deal. I guess it was time to figure out which ones were better.
“You’re in for a treat.” He reached out and pulled two out of the basket. “Beef and shrimp. Sound good?” I nodded. They couldn’t be all that bad.
Each one was already in their own bowl and had enough English on there for me to read Everything you need included!
Instant food always made me nervous, though, so when Garth put the kettle on and opened up both the bowls, I couldn’t help worrying. I bit my lip, watching the water boil. Relax, I told myself. They will be good. I wa
nted to believe it, but part of me was still scared.
A yawn passed through my lips. I glanced down at the clock and did a little mental math. 19 hours. I had been awake for 19 hours. No wonder I was tired.
Having a quick dinner turned out to be a bit of a blessing. The kettle popped; we added the water, and once it cooled enough, we were able to eat.
I cleared the bed off, Garth and I settled in under the covers and we turned the TV on, settling in to relax for the rest of the night. Without a word, we both seemed to agree we were done for the day and that it was going to be an early night for us both.
I just hope tomorrow is half as amazing as today is, I thought as I slurped my noodles. And when we get home that everything will be okay. I still couldn’t help worrying that Brent would be upset if Garth told him that he was thinking about branching out and doing something else. Alyssa would be beyond mad that I was going to be included—and as bad as it was, that kind of made me happy.
I wanted to make sure she knew that I didn’t need to fight for him.
We woke up around 9:00 the next morning, majorly sleeping in for both of us.
I rolled out of bed and went right for some of the bags from yesterday. I’d done a little bit of clothing shopping and was beyond excited to try them on—for once my ultra petite body came in handy. I’d managed to score some ultra cute clothes for a good price and couldn't wait to wear them.
Today, I picked a blank skirt that fell just above my knees. I paired it with a bright blue tank top and tied my hair into a bun, the colors of my ombre mixing together. I had to admit, I looked kinda cute. I decided on a pair of flats I’d gotten yesterday, and after a couple minutes in front of the mirror with my makeup bag, I felt pretty—and like I was ready to go out and see Japan again.
Garth looked me up and down, a soft smile spreading over his lips.
“Why do you always look so beautiful?”
My cheeks flushed. I knew he was saying it to make me blush, and he was doing a damn good job of it.
“I …” I had no clue what to say. “Thank you,” I finally settled with and gave him a soft smile. I’m glad you think I’m pretty.
The Billionaire's Fake Marriage: A Single Dad Next Door Romance Page 64
