The Matchmaker's Fake Marriage

by Bree Livingston

  Ty waved as he guided Justine out of the bungalow, and Gus walked with Peyton to the door. Once they were out of earshot, Gus let go and raked his hand through his hair. It had been a long time since his life had felt so out of control.

  “Peyton, why did you do that?” asked Gus.

  “I overheard that woman asking you about being single. It sounded like she was trying to make you look bad, not to mention the way she was staring at you. Since you didn’t want me finding you someone, I thought why not rescue you by telling her you were married.”

  “Rescue me?” Gus asked. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re always rescuing me. Even when you don’t know it, you charge in just when I need you. Like yesterday. You found out I would be alone for Christmas, and you invited me here. I just want to take care of you the way you always take care of me.” Her bottom lip trembled. “I feel like I’m not carrying my weight in this friendship.”

  What was she talking about? “You rescue me all the time. When I’m exhausted and I can’t get my mind to shut off, you stay on the phone with me until I fall asleep. You send me little fruit baskets when you don’t think I’ve been eating enough. Just because you rescue me in a different way doesn’t mean I don’t feel rescued. And I’m not keeping score.”

  “I know you’re not keeping score, but I’ve felt…I don’t know. Like I needed to show you that I care about you and our friendship.” She paused and sighed heavily. “Do you want me to find Justine and tell her the truth?”

  Gus laughed. “No, she’s leaving tonight, so it’s not a big deal.”

  Peyton smiled. “Does that mean I can find you someone this week?”

  He held her gaze. “Even if my special someone was on this island, I’m not interested in dating anyone right now.” He took her hand. “Let’s go into town and do some shopping. When we get back, we’ll have dinner with Justine and Ty.”

  “Okay. I wonder what Justine will want to know about us. I mean, we’ve known each other forever it seems, so it’s not like we’ll have to lie about that. She may expect us to hold hands and kiss. Are you okay with that?”

  Not by a long treacherous mile. Kissing Peyton in tenth grade was so forever ago that the only thing he remembered now was Peyton’s horrified look. Kissing her as an adult…his stomach turned.

  “I doubt we’ll have to do that.” He sent up a silent prayer that they wouldn’t have to, because he knew he’d love kissing her. Knowing that and then knowing she’d never be his would be torture. “At least she’s not staying the week. We can handle anything for just one night.”

  Peyton bounced on her toes. “Exactly. This way she leaves you alone from now on and your resort gets a great write-up.”

  “Thanks. Are you ready to go shopping?”

  “Absolutely!” She walked ahead of him, and Gus let out a silent puff of air.

  Married to Peyton. At least Justine was the only one who believed that, and she wasn’t staying the week. Thank goodness. Spending the week with Peyton was hard enough. Pretending to be married to her for a week would drive him insane.

  Chapter 5

  Gus draped his arm across the back of Peyton’s chair as they sat at the table with Justine and Ty. All evening during their shopping trip, she’d felt so weird. She’d hidden it, of course, but telling Justine they were married had given Peyton all sorts of crazy ideas. Ideas that a woman who’d been engaged just a week ago shouldn’t have.

  Justine wiped her mouth with her napkin. “That meal was incredible. Gus, you’ve got quite the resort here. Our readers are going to love it.”

  Gus smiled. “Thank you. I hope people love it. Ty and I worked hard to pay attention to the details.”

  Justine nodded. “And I can see that. I mean, really, just gorgeous and luxurious without being so over the top that it’s pretentious.”

  Well, Justine had that right, and Peyton had never been prouder of Gus. Of course, Ty had helped, but Gus had put all his energy and time into making the resort the oasis it was.

  “I appreciate that. People are meeting each other for the first time. That makes them anxious enough. I wanted them to feel comfortable so they can concentrate on making a connection while they’re here,” Gus said.

  Ty nodded. “Exactly, and don’t let this guy fool you. A lot of these touches were his idea. He’s just a good enough guy to share the glory.”

  Gus chuckled. “Ty did a lot too. Don’t think for a second he didn’t.”

  Justine settled her gaze on Peyton. “Had you been to the island before today?”

  Peyton didn’t know what to say. “Uh, no. He wanted me to see it when it was all finished.”

  The journalist narrowed her eyes. “You never saw it?”

  Peyton shook her head. “No.”

  “When exactly did you two get married? If Gus was so busy with the resort, how did he make time for that?” Justine asked.

  “Uh….” Peyton froze. Why was this woman so hung up on the details? They were married. That’s all she needed to know. But Peyton was getting the feeling that she’d accidentally stepped into Justine’s territory or something. Was Justine interested in Gus? Why did that make Peyton want to sharpen her claws? Gus wasn’t hers. A little voice in the back of her mind vehemently disagreed, and she shoved a sock in it and stuffed it in a closet.

  Blurting out they were married seemed like the best way to be a friend to Gus when he was being attacked, but now she was wondering if she should have thought it through a little more. She’d only said it so Justine would stop asking Gus all those questions about his dating life. At least it was only for the day. With as frazzled as she was and how crazy her thoughts were since Gus showed up at her apartment, she couldn’t imagine pretending to be married for an entire week.

  Gus looked at Peyton, and as he answered he held her gaze. “I don’t have to make time for her. She’s my best friend. When I’m not with her, I’m thinking about her. We take care of each other despite time constraints or distance.”

  She was blown away. Well, of course they were best friends, but the way he was looking at her…he’d never looked her like that before. Or had he, and she’d been so blind she just didn’t see it? Oh, what was she doing? He was pretending.

  “Exactly,” Peyton said as she reached behind her and covered his hand with hers. She looked at Justine. “We’re best friends, and we take care of each other.”

  Justine grinned. “Our readers are going to eat you two up. You’re just darling. They’re going to love that Mr. Matchmaker has found his match. After shedding a few tears, of course.” She chuckled, but it had a fake ring to it.

  Gus blinked and pulled his focus from Peyton. “Uh—”

  Her readers? She was going to write about them? What had Peyton gotten him into? This was supposed to be a fake marriage to get Justine off his back. If she wrote an article, everyone would read it. Peyton’s little fib was getting bigger by the second.

  “Are you planning on enjoying the activities while you’re here?” Justine asked.

  Ty nodded and grinned in Gus’s direction. “Oh yeah. Actually, Gus and I decided that once things were in full swing, we would try to enjoy the island as guests and observe how the staff handled things. We still have to stay close in case there are any problems, but there’s plenty to do here at the resort.”

  Gus shot Ty a look that was somewhere between pistols at dawn and flat-out murder. “Well—"

  Justine grinned. “That’s so smart. What sort of activities will there be?” she asked as she pulled out her phone. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to record this.”

  “Uh, sure,” Gus said. “No problem.” He tried to hide his frustration, but Peyton could see him working his jaw. If he wasn’t so upset, she’d be tickled. Why was Ty messing with him like this?

  Justine tapped record and set her elbows on the table. “So, about those activities.”

  “Oh, they’re the usual. Horseback riding, and because we have the mountains behind us,
guests can either ride on the beach or up the trail behind us. There’ll be diving, hiking, mountain climbing, helicopter tours, and bus tours of the island. We’ve worked with the local companies on the island to make sure everyone has plenty of things to choose from. Tomorrow night we’ll have a tree-trimming social mixer to start things off. It’ll give our guests a chance to introduce themselves. Some people can be shy, and I don’t want to make people feel like they’ve been thrown to the wolves, so to speak.”

  “Oh, a tree-trimming party. I love that. I can’t wait to participate.”

  Peyton felt Gus tense next to her. “What?” he asked.

  Justine smiled. “Oh, didn’t Ty tell you? He said there was a room in the main house I could stay in, and he invited me to stay the week. He’s even going to move in next door to me in the main house so you two can have your privacy.”

  Peyton thought she heard a small gasp from Gus. “But the review―”

  She held up a hand. “Don’t worry. He already made sure I realized I wasn’t getting the full experience of staying in a bungalow. But from what I’ve seen on the tour, my room is just as nice as the others. My accommodations won’t affect my review. It’ll be great. I plan on blogging about the entire stay. Including letting our readers know that Mr. Matchmaker himself is now off the market.”

  Gus paled. “The week?”

  “Isn’t it great?”

  “Did you bring enough clothing to stay for the week?” Gus asked.

  “Of course. After doing this for so many years, I’ve learned to always come prepared.” She smirked.

  In Peyton’s head, she echoed Gus. Justine was staying the week? Not only was she going to write an article about them, but now they’d have to pretend seven whole days? And Ty was going to leave them in a house by themselves? When Gus was looking at her with dazzling green eyes and smelling so good? But she was the one who got them into this mess. She owed it to him to put his mind at ease. “I think it sounds wonderful,” Peyton said and leaned into him. “I know you’ll have a wonderful time.”

  Justine looked at Peyton. “Is it weird to be spending your honeymoon surrounded by strangers?”

  “Oh, no. I knew what we would be doing when I said yes, and we’ve planned something special for after.” Peyton looked up at Gus. “Isn’t that right, sweetie?”

  Gus nodded. “Yep, that’s right.” He pulled his arm from the back of her chair. “Uh, darling, would you like to go for a walk on the beach?”

  Uh-oh. Maybe Peyton had made a mistake. He was giving her the we need to talk look. “You know, between the flight, the shopping, and now dinner, I’ve shared him all I can handle today. I’m sure you understand. After all, we are newlyweds.”

  “Of course, and now that I’m staying, I’m in no rush. We’ll talk again later,” Justine said. Man, that woman gave Peyton the desire to put her in a chokehold. It made her feel possessive of Gus, and it was weird.

  Gus stood and held Peyton’s hand to help her up. “We’ll see you guys later.”

  “Goodnight, Justine,” Peyton said.

  Gus slipped his arm around her waist and little zaps hit her again. They’d been happening every time he touched her now. Like she was in a perpetual state of static electricity around him.

  With his hand on the small of her back, they walked away from the pavilion, toward the beach and away from listening ears. Even in the wide-open space of the beach, Peyton could feel the tension rolling off Gus.

  Peyton turned to him. “I’m so sorry, Gus. I didn’t mean to make such a mess of things. Should we come clean?”

  “No, I’m sorry. If I’d known before her little impromptu interview that she was staying the week, I would have come clean, but she recorded the whole thing.” Gus raked his hand through his hair. “I don’t know what to do. This is the grand opening of the resort. I don’t know how she’d take being lied to. I’m guessing not well.”

  There was no way she was letting Gus down. He’d done so much for her. “You know what? We’ll just pretend we’re married. I won’t let someone write a bad article about this place. You’ve worked too hard for it. When we get back, and after the article, we’ll just say we realized that maybe we rushed into things and got an annulment.”

  “We did say we got married pretty quickly. That wouldn’t be too farfetched.”

  “Exactly.” She smiled. “I got you into this mess, and I’ll see you through it.”

  He pulled her into a hug and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “You didn’t get me into a mess. You were trying to help. Neither of us had any idea she’d be writing an article about us or staying the week.”

  It was just like him to make her feel better, and she melted into him. “Yeah, but even when I think I’m helping, I’m not. Why do you put up with me?” She pulled back and looked up at him.

  “I don’t have to put up with you. You thought you were helping. It’s the thought that counts, right?” He smiled, and her breath caught. When did he get so beautiful? And why hadn’t she noticed before now?

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’d actually considered asking you to be my pretend girlfriend, so don’t feel too bad.”

  Huh. He had? “Really?”

  He took a deep breath and stepped back. “Yeah.”

  “Why didn’t you ask me, then?” And why was her heart beating so fast, wondering what the answer could be?

  Gus shrugged. “You’re my best friend. I didn’t want to put you in an awkward position. Plus, at the time, I thought you were still engaged to Frank and getting a promotion.”

  “Oh, right.” Why did she feel so disappointed by that answer?

  He smiled. “How about we head to the bungalow? I’ll turn the air down and get the fire going, and we can hang out on the couch. At least you don’t have to sleep there since Ty so graciously gave up his room for our ‘privacy.’” He rolled his eyes.

  “He sure is generous.” She giggled. “Can’t say I’m going to complain about getting a bed, though.”

  “True,” Gus said, guiding her down a path toward the bungalow.

  Once they reached it, they each took turns in the bathroom, changing into pajamas. Gus closed the bungalow up and turned the air down as low as it would go, making it extra chilly so they could make a fire and cuddle under a blanket.

  When they were finished making cocoa, he retrieved his tablet, set it up on the coffee table, and got A Christmas Story going before settling in next to her under the blanket.

  “I may have turned the air down a little too low.” His teeth chattered.

  She giggled. “Maybe, but leave it. This is nice, and it feels Christmasy.”

  “Okay.”

  “This is seriously paradise. You picked a great place, Gus. I’m so proud of you and the things you’ve accomplished,” Peyton said.

  With the tip of his foot, he pulled the coffee table closer and set his feet on it, making sure to avoid the tablet and crossing them at the ankles. What was sweet was that he pulled the table close enough for her, even though it hit his lower calves.

  He took a deep breath and crossed his arms over his chest. “Thanks.” He sounded almost sad.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Just tired. I’m hoping I get a little downtime while I’m here.”

  Peyton studied his face. He did look tired. “Well, go to bed. We can do this anytime.”

  “But this is relaxing, and I just got the fire going.”

  She knitted her eyebrows together. “Well, you can take a nap, and I’ll wake you up in a little while.”

  “Where am I going to take a nap?” he asked with a laugh.

  Waving her hands over the couch, she said, “Right here. You can use my lap as a pillow and grab some Z’s.”

  “I’m fine, Peyton. I’m used to this. I’ll get some sleep later.” He tried to make it sound like he was fine, but Peyton knew better.

  She pulled on his arm. “You might be used to it, but you’re taking a nap. Besides, you don’t wa
nt to look sleep-deprived tomorrow, do you?”

  He yawned. “See, you’ve infected me with all this sleep talk.”

  She laughed. “Just lie down.”

  His green eyes held hers for a heartbeat, and her pulse jumped. Did he feel that strange spark? Maybe she was as tired as he was. It wasn’t like she’d gotten a decent night’s sleep in the last week.

  “Okay.” He twisted in his seat and laid his head in her lap, facing her. Almost immediately, his eyes closed, and he took a deep breath. “You may not be able to wake me up,” he mumbled as he nuzzled her stomach.

  Butterflies took flight like the bush they’d been sitting in had been hit. It was chaos, and her nerves felt exposed. When did Gus get so attractive? Defined cheekbones, perfectly sloped nose, lips that could make a woman cry. In high school, she would have called him delicious with a cherry on top. The way she described boys she liked—the way she described them to him. Had that bothered him? Why was she suddenly thinking about that?

  She ran the back of her hand along his strong jaw, following the line into his hair. He responded with a long sigh. Gus was…beautiful. That word was the best and only way to describe him.

  Her bracelet glinted in the firelight. It was lovely and sweet and thoughtful. Just like him. He was all those things. Of course, she’d always known that, but for some reason, everything about him had been heightened since he rang her doorbell.

  Gus needed someone who would appreciate his heart. The moment she thought it, she wondered if she could be that someone. Then, like a smack to the back of the head, she woke up. They were friends, and she was going through an emotional time. What if she suggested something and it failed? Could she go the rest of her life without Gus in it? The mere thought made tears spring to her eyes.

  No, she couldn’t do that, but once this week was over, she could devote her time to finding someone for him. Someone who would love him and cherish him. Gus needed someone to love too, and as his best friend, she was appointing herself captain of the Gus Meets a Woman Committee. The instant the thought crossed her mind, she ached. Man, she needed to get a handle on her crazy emotions. If she kept this up, she’d drive herself mad.