Million Dollar Marriage

by Evans, Katy

  —Luke’s Final Interview, Day 14

  Eloise sits beside me in the limo, crossing her legs to give me a glimpse of her toned thighs.

  But all I can do is look out the window as the girl of my dreams disappears in the distance. She’s watching the car leave, and she looks so damn sad, I already want to go back and hold her and take her with me.

  Eloise snaps her fingers at me, and I realize she’s asked me a question.

  “So, how does it feel to be the winner?”

  I nod. “Good.”

  She gives me a look like she expected a little more enthusiasm.

  I add, “I’m just confused as to what happens next.”

  She grins and reaches into a refrigerator, pulling out a couple of beers, one of which she hands to me. “The sky’s the limit for you, baby. I guarantee you, the footage we have of you is pure gold. What do you want? Endorsements? Modeling contracts? Want to try your hand at acting? Once the world gets a load of you, they’ll be all over you! And I can say I discovered you.”

  I stare at the beer, then set it down in the cup holder. “I don’t want any of that.”

  She takes a sip of her beer. “Are you kidding me, baby? You’ve just been given this amazing opportunity. In the next couple months, the whole country is going to be in love with Luke Cross.”

  I look out the window at the line of blue ocean in the distance and think of yesterday, swimming in the waves with her. Maybe two weeks ago stardom would’ve been something I’d be up for. But now? There’s only one person I want to be in love with me.

  “Now, don’t worry about the marriage. We’ll be able to get it annulled immediately, as we have a little loophole involving the coercion clause,” she says with a sly smile. “I know it must’ve been hard for all the contestants, having to work through a marriage with someone they have nothing in common with. But we knew it would be good for ratings, and the early buzz is incredible. You going to watch on Sunday night?”

  I frown and shake my head.

  “Aw, you nervous? Don’t worry—I had the final word in editing down the footage, and I made you look very, very good, if I do say so myself,” she says, leaning over and patting my chest. Her hand is still lingering there, clawlike fingernails trailing down my abdomen, and I can feel her eyes on me, expectant. “You could say thank you, you know.”

  “Thank you,” I reply woodenly.

  Her hand is still on me, trailing lower.

  “Or maybe you can just show me,” she says.

  I shift my eyes to her. There’s no mistaking that wolfish look. I grasp her hand in mine and throw it off me. “No. I can’t.”

  She sits back, astonished. “You . . . can’t?”

  “You heard me,” I grind out. “I’m in love with Penny. I want to stay married to her, and she wants to stay married to me.”

  She shakes her head. “That’s not the way this is supposed to work. We paired you—”

  “I know. You paired us up so that there was no way we could get along and want to be married. You thought you’d be able to save yourself the money, right? But we don’t want the annulment. That’s what we were going to say at the end of the race, and it’s what we would’ve said if you hadn’t played this fucked-up ratings-grab game. We want to be together. You’re fucking with our lives, making us wait until the finale, you know that?”

  “I don’t think so. You’re just not thinking clearly. Of course you’re going to want the annulment.”

  “No. We’re not. And we’re not going to change our minds at the finale either.”

  I’m aware of her staring at me, her mouth slightly open, as the limo pulls up at the Maui airport. I grab my bag and climb out, and she hands me my ticket and says, “That’s too bad.”

  No, it’s not.

  I might feel like shit now, but it sure as hell is not because I made the decision to be with Penny. No, that’s the only fucking thing I’ve done right.

  I board a flight right away and end up getting into Atlanta at around ten in the evening. I know Gran’s probably sleeping, so I have the cab drop me at Tim’s Bar, where I know I’ll find Jimmy, right where I left him.

  The bar’s just getting crowded as I push open the door. They all cheer in surprise, which draws a smile from me, despite being fucking exhausted. Couldn’t sleep on the plane at all. I spot the guy I hired to temporarily replace me behind the bar—some poor slob like me who needed money, at least whatever he could get. And I spot Jimmy at the end of the bar, in the corner booth he uses as his office. He’s with Lizzy now, so I think he comes to this office out of habit more than necessity.

  James comes over as Flynn—my mini-me—pours me a shot of tequila and says, “How the fuck are you? We all missed you around here.”

  I toss back the drink, trying to keep at bay any memories of Penny in Boston, dancing up close to me, giving me those sweet, innocent looks through her thick lashes as she lapped at my fingers with that magic tongue of hers. I slam the glass down on the bar and motion to Flynn. “Yeah. Another.”

  “So, it was that good?” Jimmy grins, pulling out the stool beside mine with his feet. “We’re all fixin’ to have a viewing party here this Sunday. It’s gonna be the biggest thing this neighborhood’s ever seen.”

  “You should probably count me out for that,” I say, tossing back the next drink.

  “What the fuck did they do with you there? Shock treatments? You look like shit. Nice fucking haircut.”

  I scrub my hands over my face, then through my hair. My beard is as thick as the hair on my head these days, and my eyes sting from the jet lag. “Need to get my ass to bed. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  I feel the weight of every eye in the place on me as I trudge to the narrow staircase to my apartment and start to climb the stairs. When I get up to my place, I throw my shit down on the floor and collapse on the sofa, staring up at the water-stained ceiling.

  I think of Eloise tugging on my pants, and nausea thickens the back of my throat. Two weeks ago when I met her, I’d have been game to give her anything she wanted. But Penny’s so under my skin and in my veins that I can’t even look at another woman. This isn’t about sex or release or any of that. I need her like the air I breathe.

  And I’ll be damned if I’m waiting until December 17 to tell her that.

  THE REAL WORLD

  Nell

  It was hard, trying to keep everything under wraps for that long. Everyone kept asking me. I’m glad it’s over.

  —Nell’s Finale Interview, December 17

  “What are you doing?” Courtney asks me while I’m sitting in front of my Mac, trying to put together my résumé. “Get your ass over here. It’s about to start.”

  “No,” I moan, my stomach roiling with dread. “I have to get this out. There’s a position opening up in the English department at GSU that I think I might be perfect for.”

  Joe walks in, and Courtney says, “Let’s get her.”

  They double-team me, grabbing me and throwing me on the couch. Joe sits on my legs and Courtney on my stomach. I might die. “Stop!” I moan.

  She grabs a handful of popcorn from the big container she just made and tosses it at my face. “You promised you’d watch.”

  I groan. “Fine. Just get off me before you crush me to death.”

  It’s been a week since filming ended, and today is the premiere of the first episode of Million Dollar Marriage. Courtney is a superfan already. She has been scouring the online news sites and knows all the competitors, and she has even mapped out their chances of winning. I keep trying to tell her that Luke and I won, but she’s living in denial, possibly because she still has the mental image of my drowning-insect flailing in her head.

  They peel off me just as the opening credits roll. I watch with my hands over my face, half shielding my eyes. There’s Will Wang, running down the hallway of the Georgia Tech rec center as the camera follows him, announcing the beginning of the show. As the camera scans, I think I see my elbow, an
d then I get a second-long glimpse of Luke.

  Courtney squeals, “Oooooh! He’s so hot!”

  My thoughts exactly.

  That’s all it takes.

  I can’t watch this.

  I jump off the couch just as my phone starts to buzz. It’s a text, but I pretend it’s a phone call and say, “I’ve got to take this!” then run as fast as I can into another room, leaving the cheers of the fake Million Dollar Marriage audience behind me.

  And oh my god. It’s Gerald. Hi, superstar.

  I drop the phone on my lap and sigh. I don’t feel a thing for him right now. Not love. Not anger. He’s nothing but an annoying insect to me now. I think about deleting the message, but then I’ll have to go into the living room and watch my romance with Luke play out in detail.

  No thanks. So I type in: What do you want?

  Just thought it’s been a long time since we caught up.

  I sigh. A month ago I would have killed to know he was thinking of me. For so long, he knew he had me on a string. He’d say jump, and I’d do it. But I have nothing for him now. No animosity. I just want him to leave me alone. I type in: I really don’t have anything to say to you.

  I hear Courtney gasp and say “NO!” in the other room, then “Kill that asshole, Luke!” and I realize she must be talking about Ace, and they must be at the point where Luke’s balloon gets busted. A moment later, Gerald texts back: I’m watching the show. You look good, Nell.

  I clench my fists. He’s playing his regular Gerald game, trying to dig his way under my skin. I’m done. Enjoy it. I have to go.

  I throw my phone down on the chair beside me and shake my head. Somehow I knew he’d text me back now. Maybe that was even the reason why I signed up for the show in the first place.

  No, that was the reason I signed up. To get in his face again.

  But somewhere along the line, I stopped caring. And now I really couldn’t give a fuck.

  Courtney squeals again, and I hear her yell, “I always thought I’d be your maid of honor!” So we’re on that part. My phone buzzes with a text a moment later: Holy cow. Did you really marry that guy?

  I quickly grab the phone and race to block the number.

  But not before another text comes through. I brace myself to read it and realize it’s not from Gerald. It’s from a number I don’t recognize.

  It says: Vooly voo coochie a le moi croissant?

  I jump nearly to the ceiling.

  This can’t be . . . can it?

  Of course, it has to be.

  My fingers tremble as I type in: Are you asking me to sleep with your breakfast pastry?

  A moment later: So THAT’s what that means? Fuck, girl. You’re turning me on.

  I grin from ear to ear. Courtney’s shouting something at the television, but all my attention is on my phone now.

  Me: You know you’re not supposed to be talking to me.

  Him: That’s why I’m texting from my buddy’s phone. Took me a while to find your number.

  Me: How did you do that?

  Him: It’s easy for us felons. You watching the show?

  Me: Can’t bring myself to. You?

  Him: Hell no. Never seen the bar so packed, though. I’m in the back closet. Doing “inventory.”

  I smile. I like the fact that we’re in the same boat, even if there is distance separating us. Not much distance, though. He never said where his bar was, but I looked it up on my GPS and mapped it out, and it’s less than three miles from me. I keep thinking that if we were meant to be, maybe we’d run into each other somewhere.

  Sometimes I think about trying to “accidentally” run into him, say, by going down to the bar and pretending to be in the neighborhood.

  Then I remind myself that he needs the money, and I don’t want to jeopardize things for him.

  Him: Has a good girl like you ever broken the rules before?

  I grin at the thought.

  Me: What do you have in mind?

  Him: I’ll text you when I can get away. Good night, sweetheart. Sweet dreams.

  I throw my head back against my chair and let out an excited little squeal, just thinking about breaking the rules with my yummy husband. My whole body’s tingling, quivering for him, for the possibility of seeing him before the finale.

  I’m practically brimming with delight when I walk out to see Courtney and Joe, with their eyes glued to the screen. She doesn’t look at me, but her voice is full of suspicion. “How was your quote-unquote phone call?”

  I grin. Nothing can stop me from smiling now, nothing. Not even . . .

  I catch a glimpse of Luke being tethered to me for the corn maze mission. The camera isn’t focused on me, though. It’s focused on Luke’s bulging biceps, the look of concentration on his face as we line up at the starting line.

  And now I’m not just grinning; I’m wet. Wanting. Delirious. I actually have to put my hands on my thighs to keep my knees from knocking together.

  “Oh my god,” Courtney says, jumping up and down on the couch. She’s clutching a pillow on her lap in both hands, twisting it anxiously, and I think she may end its life pretty soon. “You not only married Mr. Hot, Dark, and Dirty, you went through an entire corn maze tied to Mr. Hot, Dark, and Dirty like that?”

  I nod, sporting that smug smile she hates. The one I use to gloat when I know something nobody else knows.

  Because really.

  She hasn’t seen anything yet.

  Luke

  Yeah, it’s tough. It’s like being in a holding pattern. I just want to get it over with and get everything out in the open.

  —Luke’s Finale Interview, December 17

  It was a shitty week. I was surrounded by the parts of my life that didn’t in any way fit with Penny’s. I tried to get back into minding the bar, but I felt like I was being forced to sit still when I should be moving. The days dragged on like years, driving me half-mad.

  Texting with Penny was my touchstone, bringing me back to where I wanted to be. Reminding me of what I needed, what I was working for.

  After that, I had purpose. I knew what I had to do.

  I knew I could probably get through the next couple of months if I could just see her. Once. To do that without raising suspicion and violating the contract, I had to accomplish two things. One, I needed to talk to Lizzy, Jimmy’s girlfriend. And two, I needed to find the time and the place.

  Lizzy made it easy. She was a peach, and I knew I could trust her to keep it a secret. She helped me with the shit I knew nothing about, showing me pictures on her phone and helping me find the best source. She even made the deal for me and delivered the goods. All I had to do was make a choice based on what I knew of Penny and provide the credit card number.

  Finding the time would be another challenge. My grandmother ended up having a stroke the night after I got back, so it was touch and go for a while. But eventually, she got back with it. When I go into her room one morning, she’s sitting up, waiting for me. She looks like she’s back to her tough old self. “How’re you feeling?”

  “Luke, you’re late,” she says.

  I laugh. “Late for what?”

  The nurse smiles at me. “She’s been wanting to discuss last night’s episode of Million Dollar Marriage with you. I think she wants to give you a piece of her mind.”

  “We all do!” Gran says. “We can’t believe what you did to her.”

  I lift an eyebrow. So all the old people have been discussing my love life, is that it? “To who?”

  “To your wife! What are you doing cavorting around with those sluts when you have a beautiful wife back home?”

  I scratch the side of my face. That’s overdoing it, isn’t it? I talked to some of the women on other teams to form alliances, but that’s as far as it went. But my Gran has always been black and white. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Gran.”

  I fluff her pillows, but she nudges me away. “I like that Penny girl. When do I get to meet her? I’d like to meet my
own granddaughter-in-law.” She smacks me on the hand. “Why have you been keeping her from me?”

  “Gran, it’s . . .” I sit on the chair across from her, my Braves cap in my hands. “You see . . .”

  I look at the nurse, who whispers, “We’ve tried to explain it. She doesn’t understand that it was just for television.”

  I lean forward. Gran is a traditional woman; she was married to my grandfather for sixty years. “Yeah. Well, see . . . the thing about the show is that after you leave the race, you can choose to get the marriage annulled.”

  She’s not following me. “Annulled?”

  “Yeah. Like broken. Declared invalid.”

  Her eyes widen. “But you didn’t, did you?”

  “Well . . . not exactly, not—”

  “Good! You’re married to her. You make it work. You don’t give up when the going gets tough. She’s good for you, Luke. I see the way you look at her. The way she looks at you. You belong together.” She pats my hand.

  My Gran. The only person besides Penny and me who believes we even have a shot in this world.

  She motions me closer, and I lean in. “And don’t fuck things up,” she growls into my ear.

  The nurse bursts out laughing.

  “I won’t,” I tell her. “I promise, I won’t.”

  The nurse taps Gran on the foot. “I’ll let you guys visit,” she says and leaves.

  When she’s gone, I look around to make sure we’re alone, then reach into my pocket and pull out the case and open it. This is the only piece of jewelry I’ve ever bought, so I don’t know much, but it’s pretty. It’ll be prettier on her hand. I don’t think Penny’s much for jewelry, but I think she’ll like it. “You think this is good, Gran?”

  She studies it. “Well, it’s a step in the right direction. The first ring you gave her was a Cracker Jack prize!”

  “Actually, I . . .” I trail off. No sense telling her I didn’t exactly give her that first ring. Gran wouldn’t understand. I pocket it and exhale.

  “Why’re you so nervous? She already said yes, boy.”

  But not for real, I think. “Because she’s too good for me.”