A Heart for the Holidays
Page 12
This was foreign for him too. It was nice to know she wasn’t completely comfortable with this wild plan.
He checked his watch—he had a meeting with a general contractor in fifteen minutes. “So … what do you think?” A proposal had never been finer.
“I still need the payment first.” She sat forward, set down her cup, and clasped his folded hands in hers on the table. “We are basically strangers”—her brown eyes intensified—“but I promise you, I will stick to the deal and fulfill my end. No matter what. I can’t do that, though, without the payment, in full, up front. That’s the whole reason I’d do this.”
Her eyes bore into him, and he sensed her seriousness and desperation. Her soft hands continued to try to cover his on the table, and he glanced down.
“Fine.” Normally he played business close to the vest, but there was no other way to close this deal.
He was going to have to give her his mother’s ring to sell the union. But first he had to make sure to get her down the aisle and past the hurdle of asking but not actually following through with the “I do.” His gaze met hers again, but not before they rested on her lips for a moment—so pink and shiny and kissable.
This was fake. All fake.
Yep, he was out of his damn mind. And then there were her eyes. Beautiful brown eyes that stirred a sense of adventure he’d lost lately.
“Thank you.”
“We’ll live in my house,” he blurted out. “I don’t know what you have, and we’ll take care of the payments, but my house is big and I like it.”
She nodded, and her fingers slid away from his as she sat up. Her warmth was gone. It figured that he’d felt nothing for the slew of women who would have made great wives, but now that he was paying a gypsy-type woman for a fake marriage, his body was primed and ready to go.
“Will your family know this isn’t real?” she asked.
“They’ll probably guess—I’m really close to the deadline. How about yours?”
Her eyes darted around the room again, and four of her fingers ran back and forth over her thumb. “It would be best if they thought it was real. I don’t want them to know about the money.”
“Okay, then we tell no one. To everyone else, this is totally real.”
She reached out her hand and they shook.
• • •
The little voice in the back of Lilia’s head wasn’t so little anymore. Or quiet. The name change had really set her off. Marrying a stranger wasn’t a good idea—buying in so far as to change her name made her skin damp, her hands a little shaky, and her mouth dry. This is the right thing to do. This is the only way to give Dad a fighting chance. A chance she’d never regret giving him and one she wouldn’t tell anyone what she had to do to make happen. Unless her current last-ditch effort paid off, literally, and she could still call herself a moral person in the mirror.
She walked through the open door to Zack King’s office and sat down in a semi-comfortable, standard-issue, North Platte River Bank chair.
“I didn’t know you were back.” Zack wrinkled his forehead to look over his thin-rimmed glasses without turning from his screen.
“Couple of weeks ago. How’ve you been?” She clutched her bag on her lap, trying to get rid of her nervous energy. She wasn’t one for begging. But desperate times and all.
“Darla and I broke up. But other than that, all right.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
She’d known Zack from high school, and he was probably the unluckiest person in love she’d ever met.
“What brings you in?”
“Well,” she said and cleared her throat, “I need a loan.”
“Great. For how much?”
“One hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars.” She’d take far less money, an amount that would still get her dad the treatment he needed, if it meant the next year of her own life wouldn’t get highjacked.
“Are you buying a house?”
“No. I need the money for something else.”
“A business?”
“Not exactly.”
“What kind of collateral do you have?”
She’d always known that one day her drifter lifestyle would bite her in the butt. It’s why she hadn’t turned to Zack first. But miracles could happen at Christmas. Couldn’t they? “Hmm. Clothes?”
“Lilia, you know I’d love to help you out. But I can’t just hand out loans. I have to go through a process—one that involves collateral.”
She took a deep breath and slumped into her chair. “I knew it was a long shot.”
Perfect, she was so totally screwed. There was only one other thing to do. “What do you know about Morgenstern Fabrication?” The least she could do was ask one person in town about her future husband before she said her I dos.
“Oh, I know Vinny.”
“Vinny?” She scrunched her face, and her nose wrinkled. No. Absolutely not. She’d be calling him Vincent.
“Ya, he owns the place. Good guy. We golf together in the summer.”
Okay, that wasn’t bad news. Zack was a good judge of character—male character, that is. He still sucked when it came to the women he chose to date.
She let Zack get back to his numbers and tried not to cry as she walked out of the bank. She was really going to have to make this commitment—something she’d never wanted to do even with Zenzo. And she’d loved him. Still did love him? She felt a lot of emotions for him, but more of the live-together kind than the forever type.
She angled into her car and couldn’t breathe. She liked her last name it was nice and strong and held her family ties. Lilia Morgenstern? That sounded like she should be a character in an Addams Family episode. Starting her car to turn on the heat, she reached for her cell phone. The seven-hour time difference made it evening in Italy.
She dialed, and with each ring, her heart beat louder in her ears. Why was she even calling him? They’d agreed breaking up was the best. Or rather, he’d suggested so. She hadn’t said much.
“Lilia?” His familiar Italian accent caused the ends of her lips to curve.
“Hey there.”
Music played in the background, and she could picture the little restaurant he was probably at with a gaggle of friends, wine, and a live band. Life seemed simpler over there.
“It’s nice to hear from you.” The music softly disappeared from his end.
“How are you?” She really didn’t know what else to say. She’d never told him why she’d had to leave in such a hurry.
“Doing well. Is it nice to be back home?”
“Yeah, it’s been a busy couple of weeks.” She picked at her steering wheel with her finger. “How’s business?” His custom sandal business was how they’d met four months ago.
“Baby, come back inside.” A woman’s voice that she didn’t recognize was clear on the other end of the line. There was a sensual laugh and what sounded like kissing.
Lilia froze, and chills zoomed down her spine. Baby? What the hell? Did their time together mean so little he’d moved on after only two weeks? Men. Pigs, the lot of them.
“I see you’re busy,” Lilia managed between gritted teeth. “I was just calling to tell you I’m getting married.” Whoa. Yep, she’d said it.
“You’re what?”
Oh, now she had his attention.
“Yep. So ... ” This could possibly be the only satisfying thing about her upcoming nuptials.
“To who? Is this why you didn’t say yes to me?”
“No one you know.” Or she knew. Zenzo didn’t need the details. She hadn’t said yes to him because committing the rest of her life to a person was terrifying—what if their love didn’t last and she was stuck with someone she hated? Divorce meant absolute failure, and she hated failing. “Anyway. Take care.”
She hung up and threw her phone on the passenger seat as if it were diseased. Before she could control her emotions, tears trailed down her cheeks. She’d left a wonderful life to come home
because her dad was sick, Zenzo had moved on, and now she was going to get married and change her last name to make sure her dad got treatment. A treatment none of them knew would even work on his horrible cancer with a less-than-stellar survival rate. Was this really what she wanted to do? She stared at the bleak afternoon—the sun was gone and the sky threatened more snow.
No. But it was exactly what she had to do.
“From the beginning, The December Deal by Dana Volney had me smiling ... a guy hiring a girl to marry him for career advancement or to secure a position in the family company isn't anything new. However, Dana has managed to put a little spin on this premise.” —5 stars, Read Your Writes
“Romance, unforgettable characters and a joy to read, what more can a gal ask for?” — 4 stars, Pure Jonel
To purchase this ebook and learn more about the author, click here.
For more from Dana Volney, check out:
Holiday Hoopla
“There's a lot to appreciate in this quick read of fifty-seven pages, including an engaging plot, believable conflict, and two very likable main characters. It was a pleasure to escape to Casper for Christmas, and I look forward to indulging in future works from this talented new author.” — 4 stars, The Romance Reviewer
Christmas Clash
"...had me hooked from the very first pages. Christmas Clash is a fabulous holiday read but can certainly be enjoyable regardless of time of year." —5 stars, Women on Writing
"Despite the title, holiday references are minimal, so readers will delight in this solidly written and satisfying romance no matter the time of year or the temperature outside. Well done, Ms. Volney!" -- 4 stars, The Romance Reviews
Candlelight Conspiracy
“This has to be my favorite romance written by Dana Volney yet!” —author Mary Billiter
Protecting Her Secrets
Protecting His Heart
“Talk about perfectly functionally dysfunctional! Volney has created a pair of unmistakably unforgettable characters…”—5 stars, Pure Jonel
Protecting the Prince
“[Eliam] is the type of man that I'd love to take home with me ... Volney has definitely created a light, fun read that melds romance with suspense in a realistic way.” —5 stars, Pure Jonel
“Protecting the Prince will keep your eyes on the page and your mind on high alert. It's the perfect blend of action and romance.” —Jami Wagner, author of The Black Alcove Series
Paradise Point
"Volney’s characters fit perfectly together. Liv's feisty attitude and Adam's cool demeanor will put a smile on your face. They might even have you blushing as you think of a time or two when you did or said something similar. I know I did … If you enjoy danger mixed with falling in love, Paradise Point is the book for you!" —4.5 stars, Tumbleweed Book Reviews
"The dialogue is witty and natural, the narrative flows nicely, including beautiful descriptions of nature and the marina. The plot is fast-paced . . . a well-plotted and intriguing novel." —4.5 stars, Long and Short Reviews
In the mood for more Crimson Romance?
Check out Mistletoed in Merritt by USA Today best-selling author Alicia Hunter Pace at CrimsonRomance.com.