by Hart, Hanna
“He wants me to go to Crystal Beach,” she enunciated nervously.
“That island where all those billionaires live?” Leah said as she sat down on the side of the guest bed. “Hey, this is sounding better and better. I bet your whole acting gig there is going to be just a week of pampering.”
“Here’s hoping,” Riley snorted. “And you’re sure you don’t mind watching Zoe for a couple of days? I don’t really know how long this job is or when I’ll get the chance to come back.”
“Shush! We love her; we’re watching her; stop worrying!”
“Okay,” Riley exhaled nervously. “Thank you.”
“Well, I have to say, this grand plan of yours is sounding pretty ideal, as I expected,” Leah said slowly, looking down into her decaf. “It’s Riley starting over; I love it!”
Riley’s heart sank. The phrase didn't sit well with her. ‘Starting over.’
In fact, that very phrase terrified her. Riley never had to start anything over in her whole life. She'd always been the girl with the plan.
She met Joshua when she was sixteen, and after exactly three classes together, she knew she wanted to marry him. Two years later, the day after they graduated from high school, they did.
She wanted to start a family with Josh, live by the sea, and make money doing freelance photography and working at the diner part-time while Josh worked at his parents’ marina.
Then it came true.
Well, half of it, anyway.
She did earn a living off her photographs, and she did start a family with the man of her dreams. Life seemed to go right for her, right up until it didn't anymore. She’d met Josh at sixteen, married at eighteen, had Zoe at nineteen, and he had left her at twenty.
After that, everything was different. Now she wasn't the girl with a plan anymore; she was the girl with the backup plan.
A new job in this case really meant a new life.
And a new life implied that her old one was gone.
“So, what about Zoe?” Leah asked as she rocked her daughter Charlotte in her arms. “You didn’t tell him?”
“Nah,” Riley shrugged. “His ad said no kids, and he seemed pretty adamant about it in person.” She paused.
“And Leah? It’s a lot of money.”
“How much money?”
“Half a million dollars,” she said and could practically feel her pulse quickening as the words left her mouth.
“Riley that’s amazing!” Leah cheered, looking genuinely pleased for her friend. “Holy cow! This guy must be loaded!”
“Yeah,” Riley said, playing half-heartedly with the oversized puzzle pieces as Zoe ran around the partially constructed puzzle, inspecting it like she was on a job site.
“So… I mean, what if things get serious between you guys? Don’t you think he should know abou—”
“I’ll cut you off there,” Riley laughed, looking up at her friend. “Exactly nothing is going to happen between Logan and me. He needs a stand-in to get an inheritance. I need money. No kissing; no romance; that’s it!”
Leah raised her brows in disbelief and Riley could see a coy smile creeping on her friend’s lips.
“But the ad said chemistry was important,” Leah added.
“Yeah.”
“And?” she full on grinned. “Was there chemistry?”
Riley felt her face go hot and waved her friend away. “I think I was well suited to the job, given the qualifications listed.”
“That’s a yes!” Leah giggled.
“I’m supposed to be gone for two weeks,” Riley said, embarrassed. “I’ll come back as much as I can to visit Zoe.”
She knew it was a long time to be away from her daughter. Even if it was just one night, it would have seemed like too long.
The only time Riley had ever been away from her daughter was back when she was married and her and Josh would have a friend or family member babysit so they could have some time alone together. Even then, it was only for a night.
But she had to do this now. She had to toughen up and get this job done for her daughter. The money was more than enough to get her started again until she could find something more stable to put her time into.
After an afternoon of playing games with Zoe, it was time to take the last ferry back to the island.
“I’ll call you every night,” Riley said, tearing up as she wrapped Zoe in her arms.
“She’ll be fine, Ry,” Leah laughed lightly as she watched the pair.
“I love you, honey,” she said, kissing Zoe on the cheek.
“Love you, mama,” Zoe said as casually as if she were asking her mother if there were any snacks in the house.
Zoe was not one of those children who screamed if Riley left the room. She was independent. Which, at least for now, was exactly what Riley needed her to be.
After exchanging goodbyes with her daughter and friends, Riley made her way to the ferry.
She made her way back to the resort, relishing the slow walk along the beach and taking in the sights of the palm trees shading the sandy path. The clear directions given by Logan and the crisp, clean design of the resorts made finding his lodgings a breeze.
She had a strong impulse to knock on the door, but then remembered what he’d said when he hired her. A real engaged couple wouldn’t knock on each other’s front door; they’d walk in.
With a deep breath, she turned the knob and stepped into the luxury villa.
Logan’s home was at the far north of the resort. A modest-sized but wealthy-looking place that was full of expensive marbles and features she had never even dreamed of. Floors that would heat or cool on command, surround sound in the ceilings, a massive television found in a private theatre room, a private pool, a tennis court, and the list went on and on.
There wasn’t any doubt that Logan Williams was a very, very rich man.
“Hey, she’s learning!” Logan yelled, looking over to her from the couch with a devilish smile. He wore beige pants and a button-up dress shirt and had a tablet in his hands, skimming through the news.
“I aim to please,” she teased, walking toward him and slinking on the chair next to the sofa where he was sitting.
“Well, well, well,” he said, inspecting her. “You ready to stick around on the island now?”
“I’m ready,” she smiled and watched as he stood and took her hand into his.
“Alright, ready for some ground rules?”
She nodded, and he pulled her up and began walking her through the house.
“This is the kitchen,” he said, pointing to the lavish kitchen with its stark white cupboards set against a deep navy wall and immaculate marble island.
“The location of the kitchen is a ground rule?” she teased.
“Shh,” he smirked. “Now, kitchen,” he continued, gesturing around the room. “Bathroom is down the hall on the left. Right is the guest room and master bedroom. All of the upstairs is a studio space. That’s a no-no for you.”
She bit her lip and her eyes drifted towards the bamboo staircase leading upstairs.
“And that’s not because I’m private and obnoxious, but because I don’t want you to break anything.”
Riley’s eyes went wide, and she burst into a small laugh. “One dish!”
“That’s one dish too many,” Logan said, brushing a hand through his thick brown hair. “Next. There are some pretty attentive guys on the island. They’re rich. You may even think handsome, though, I mean…” he stopped and spun on his heel, gesturing to his physique and offering her flirtatious but comical eyes as he finished, “How can they compete?”
“Humble.”
He winked. “Point is, even though we’ve agreed that this is strictly business, that doesn’t mean you get to run off and meet your prince charming quite yet.”
“And trust me, I’m not looking,” Riley scoffed with a breath.
“Yeah, yeah,” he waved her off and then slipped his hand on the small of her back as he guided her out to t
he beautiful balcony that overlooked the ocean and the resort’s many rows of private pools. “That’s what they all say.”
“Really?” she teased him. “They all say that? You hire a lot of women as your pretend wife, do you?”
“No, wife,” he grinned. “Just you.”
“You’re kind of theatrical; you know that?”
“Just playing my part. Which is what I expect you to do. I mean, we seem to get along pretty well, so I’m not exactly worried. I’d believe we were a couple; wouldn’t you?”
“Oh yeah,” she nodded. “We seem legit.”
“So rule number one, don’t go upstairs unless you absolutely have to.”
“Like, ‘house is on fire’ have to?” she asked.
Logan cocked his head to her and gave the most handsome, bemused expression she’d ever seen on a man. He let out a humored breath through his nose and said, “What am I, a maniac? Like if you’re looking for me ‘have to.’ Otherwise, please keep your hands away from my valuables.”
“And rule number two?” she laughed.
“No guys!”
“Right!” she affirmed.
“Rule number three,” he said, setting a hand over top of hers as they both rested against the balcony railing. “I can be charming.”
“Yeah,” she snorted, “Right.”
“I am!” he argued. “And I can be pretty good at wooing the ladies.”
“Wooing? Really? What is this, Shakespeare’s Berlin?”
Logan blinked in surprise and an amused smirk, quickly becoming his trademark look, settled on his face.
“Shakespeare’s Berlin?” he mocked. “Shakespeare was British.”
“What?” Riley announced, bursting into a humiliated laughter covering her face. “I thought he was American! I thought he was from Brussels!”
Logan winced and scratched his chin with his thumb. “Clearly you know nothing about the man. Which is a shame, really.”
“Can we get back to rule number three? About your alleged charm?”
“Ah, yes, my brilliance. That’s right,” he quipped and turned completely to face her. “Don’t fall in love with me.”
Riley laughed, hard. “That’s not going to be a problem.”
“You never know, my wife. We’ll be doing a lot of romantic crap together.”
“Oh, sweet talk me more, Mr. Williams!”
“We’ll be close,” he deadpanned. “Playing house. I don’t want you to get hurt, okay?”
“Yeah, not a problem,” she rolled her eyes playfully. “You got it.”
“Okay, I know I’m instructing you otherwise,” he said, feigning hurt, “But you could try and act like it’ll be a little bit difficult. You know… spare a man’s ego?”
Riley looked at him and studied the depth of his brown eyes and watched the way the color from the sunset hit his tan skin. And then she felt it, a sudden flip in her stomach.
Something about the easy way they spoke to each other and his deeply expressive eyes made her smile.
“I’ll try not to,” she managed to say and wondered if she really meant it.
Chapter Six
Logan
The island was beautiful: a sprawling resort of pools and billionaire homes. He’d given her a small tour of his home and warned her not to fall for any of his romantic gestures. When she said there was no chance of that happening, he was glad to hear it.
The last thing he needed was even more complications. Still, with his family coming in just a few short days, they had a lot of connecting to do before that happened.
It had been three days since Riley had come to live with him and so far, they’d walked the beaches, he’d taken her to some of his favorite restaurants, and he’d taken her shopping to get her some more island-appropriate outfits.
Not that she dressed inappropriately. Far from it. But she needed something that would be fancy enough to go out to dressy restaurants. Something his mother would approve of.
“You’re not like other girls,” he mused as they walked through some of the island’s most expensive shops.
“What do you mean?” she smiled.
“Usually they’d be running around the store, throwing dresses over their arms and racking up my credit card debt like there was no tomorrow.”
Riley’s gray eyes went wide as she said, “Some friends.”
“So you see,” he explained, “It’s not easy to date when you happen to have millions of dollars.”
She nodded, though seemed slightly uncomfortable with the comment.
“Aw, poor millionaire,” she said sarcastically, setting a mocking hand on his shoulder. “So hard to be you!”
“Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. Nobody knows the struggle.”
“I hope that was a joke.”
He shrugged and smirked. “Half, I guess. It's not easy to have money and to try and fall in love.”
“I bet,” she breathed, looping her hand through the paper bag handles of her newest purchase as they left a clothing store. They walked through the mall; it was one of the massive collection of stores found inside one of the resort's many clubs, and then out toward his car.
“It really is tough, you know,” he said as he pulled out of the parking lot and back down the road leading to his neighborhood.
“Sorry,” she shrugged, “I didn't mean to imply...”
“Nah, I get it. It's easy to be pigeonholed when you're wealthy.”
The car went quiet again as Riley stared out the window. Five minutes into the drive she cleared her throat and said, “Can I offer a suggestion?”
“Of course.”
“Maybe dating would be a little bit easier,” she began slowly, baby-talking him, “if you didn't purposely live full-time on an island that is meant for gazillionaires.”
Logan laughed. “You might have a point there.”
“I know I do,” she said smugly, straightening her back as she spoke. “In fact, you’ll find I’m a wealth of wisdom.”
“Then I’d better use you wisely,” he winked and turned onto his street.
“So, tell me about your family,” she said, turning to him, still smiling.
“Ah. What did I do to make you hurt me like this?” he joked and raised his brows. “What do you want to know?”
“What are they like?” she asked. “What am I up against when I meet them?”
“I don’t really know anymore, to be honest. I know what they used to be like. Dad was a know-it-all, mom was your stereotypical aristocrat. Planning DAR functions, doting on things nobody cares about anymore.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Riley started, “Just because you don’t care about something doesn’t mean other people don’t. For example, I don’t care about Italian silk, but the lady at the store seemed wild about it!”
“That’s because she makes a hefty commission if she sells it to you,” he teased.
“Doesn’t matter. You should be nicer to your mom is all I’m saying!”
“I didn’t say I was mean to her,” he laughed, “I just said she likes boring things. To be honest, sometimes I feel like I just don’t know my family anymore. Do you have anyone in your family who is sort of like… the glue?”
“My mom, definitely,” she offered but didn’t elaborate.
“Well, imagine if she was gone and the rest of your family were just sort of, scrambling, to care about each other.”
“Wow, that’s sad,” she said as they pulled into his condo.
“Hold that thought,” Logan said and grabbed her things. He brought them into the house, instructing her to stay put. Within a minute he came back down to the driveway and started walking with her toward the dock where his boat was.
“You want to go for a ride?” he asked, and Riley smiled and nodded.
The sky was impossibly blue, not a cloud in sight. The weather was hot, but once they were out on the water, the air cooled significantly.
"So when your family gets here,” Riley piped up, continuing t
heir conversation from before, “is it going to be awkward?”
“Nah,” he waved his hand. “They’ll be on their best behavior to impress you. Or they’ll be expecting you to impress them,” he laughed. “Either way, you’ll be fine.”
“Lucky me,” she laughed.
“They're just… lost," he said simply. "Loss confuses people. It triggers a weird change in them; different for everyone, you know? My father died, and everything was different. My mother, as you can imagine..."
"She was a wreck," she offered.
"Yeah. An absolute wreck. She sobbed, stayed out of communication, moved away from Crystal Beach back to North Carolina. Gone, gone, gone. We don't have family get-togethers anymore, and really, I'm not that crazy about the idea. No point if he's not there."
"I'm sure she'd love to hear from you," she said gently.
"Yeah, well," he shrugged, "I'm pretty sure she has some secret boyfriend I'd be horrified to know about so. For now, I'll mark that as a giant 'no thank you.'"
Riley laughed and then asked, "Any siblings?"
"One. A younger sister. She's... you know, she still acts like she's eighteen when she's older than you."
"You think that's just her acting out after your father's death?"
"No," he breathed out his nose. "I think that's just her. She’s acted out by dating older guys, partying all hours of the night, dropping out of college and probably a bunch of other stuff I don’t want to know about. The works."
“Yikes,” Riley said, gritting her teeth.
“Yeah,” he exhaled. “And what about you, Riley? My mysterious Riley?”
“What about me?”
He leaned back on the plush cushion of the rooftop dining set where they were sitting, letting the breeze wash over the deck.
The yacht was small; an inner cabin and seating area on the roof was all he needed. His father had a massive yacht with a pool on the top deck that he'd considered taking into his collection after he passed, but he found he just wasn't social enough to warrant such a big ship.
