Trophy Wife

by Bethany Lopez

  “The first ten sketches,” I told her, then snatched my hand back before I lost my nerve and took the book back.

  Whitney took the book almost reverently and opened it. Margo scooted her chair closer so she could look over her shoulder as Whit flipped the pages.

  When she got to the last one, her breath caught, and her eyes flew to my face.

  I knew she was looking at the floor-length fit and flare ivory lace with a champagne underlay. It had an exaggerated V, front and back, and as I’d drawn it, I’d known it would complement Whitney beautifully.

  “Summer,” she breathed, seemingly choked up with emotion. “This is gorgeous.”

  “It really is. You are extremely talented,” Margo told me, and my heart swelled as their praise washed over me. Then she looked at Whitney and said, “And you would completely devastate Luca in that dress.”

  Whitney’s smile turned almost wicked when she replied, “He wouldn’t know what hit him,” then she turned to me and said, “I have to have it.”

  14

  Noah

  I looked around the room until my gaze landed on dishes from last night’s dinner on the end table.

  After glancing at my watch, I hurriedly rushed to pick it up and take it to the kitchen. Once there, I rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher. Which is when I got a load of all of the dishes stacked in the sink.

  “Shoot!” I exclaimed as I started to put everything in the dishwasher, regardless of whether they’d been rinsed or not. I’ll fix it later.

  It’s not like I was a slob, but no one would ever describe me as a neat freak either.

  I’d lived alone for the past twelve years and had definitely fallen into some bad habits. But, when you worked all day and sometimes well into the night, and generally grabbed a quick meal alone while reading in the den, a spotless house was low on the list of priorities.

  I did have a woman who came once a week to do deep cleaning, so all I really needed to do was maintain a level of cleanliness I was comfortable with.

  Still, I doubted Summer would be impressed by a sink full of dishes, or last night’s bourbon glass on the table.

  I checked my watch again, letting out a sigh of relief when I saw I still had ten minutes until she was due to arrive.

  Once the dishes were hidden away, I went into each room stacking papers and shelving books. I’d just finished shoving clothes from the chair in my bedroom into the hamper when the doorbell rang.

  My stomach dipped in anticipation.

  I never really had anyone over to my house, other than Trent and his family, and my own family, but when Summer had expressed an interest in spending a relaxing night in with takeout and a movie, I’d given her an impromptu invitation.

  As I passed the decorative hallway mirror my sister-in-law had given me, I paused to give myself a quick inspection. After pushing the hair off my forehead and taking off my glasses and securing them in my shirt pocket, I deemed myself as good as I was going to get and moved to open the front door.

  The sight of Summer standing on my porch, smiling sweetly at me, a large bag of terrific-smelling food in one hand, clad in form-fitting jeans and a simple green blouse, left me momentarily speechless.

  “Noah,” she prompted when I neither greeted her nor stepped aside to let her in.

  “Uh, sorry, yes, hi. Please come in,” I managed finally, moving to take the bag from her and let her inside.

  I closed the door behind her and followed as she stepped into my house, her head swiveling to and fro as she seemed to take everything in at once.

  “This place is great,” Summer said as she crossed to one of the bookshelves in my living room and ran her hand over the shelf as she looked at the spines. “It’s so sweet and welcoming from the outside.”

  “Thank you. My father always told me real estate was a good investment, and to never rent, so I actually bought this place about ten years ago.”

  “Wow. How many bedrooms is it?” she asked as she moved on to the next shelf.

  “Three bedrooms, two baths, with an office and formal dining room,” I replied, enjoying the way she seemed to brighten the space simply by being in it. “I can give you a quick tour before we eat if you’d like.”

  “Yeah, I would,” Summer said, glancing at me from over her shoulder before moving on to the third and final shelf in the living room.

  “Right this way,” I said, and as we went from room to room, I tried to look at my home through her eyes.

  Bookshelves in every room, including the dining room and breakfast nook, some practically overflowing with books. Neutral tones and the only accent pieces or art I owned were gifts, so there wasn’t necessarily a theme so much as a hodge podge of items. Still, they somehow fit together.

  One spare bedroom had a queen bed, the other a day bed, and neither had dressers or anything else in the room except bookshelves. No one had ever stayed over so long to necessitate anything other than a few hangers in the closet. The rooms were hardly ever opened, unless I was looking for a book.

  My master and office, however, were fully outfitted and definitely looked lived in.

  “I love this space,” Summer said as we walked around my bedroom.

  It was quite large, with a master bath, sitting area, and walk-in closet. The sitting area was a place I utilized almost daily, as I liked to grade papers in the recliner and often fell asleep reading there.

  “Seeing your house makes me feel like I have a lot of growing up to do,” Summer said, her tone light with laughter. “I’ve been renting an apartment since my divorce and if I’m being honest, it’s a dump. I’ve been saving though, and I’d love to get myself a little house. It must feel great to know this is all yours.”

  “That’s great,” I told her as we moved down the hall toward the kitchen where I’d left the food. “I do like having my own space and being able to make decisions on renovations and such, but it does suck when things break down and there’s no one else to replace them but me.”

  Summer chuckled and started taking the takeout containers out of the bag and placing them on the counter.

  “Mmm, it smells delicious,” I exclaimed. I’d been nervous all day, hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and was praying my stomach didn’t growl out loud and embarrass me.

  “I got the beef and broccoli for you, along with the fried rice. I also got us some spring rolls and crab Rangoon on the side, just in case.”

  “Perfect, I love it all,” I said eagerly.

  “Great,” Summer said, beaming. “Did you pick a movie?”

  “I have a couple options for you,” I said, not wanting to put too much pressure on her, but curious what she would pick out of the choices I gave her.

  “You know, I didn’t see a TV on our tour.”

  I gave her what I hoped was a mysterious grin and said, “Don’t worry, I’ve got us all taken care of.”

  15

  Summer

  He is so stinkin’ cute!

  We loaded our plates and took them back into the living room. Once there, Noah picked up a remote, pressed a button, and a large, curved screen TV rose out of the console against the wall.

  It was the only surface not teaming with books, so I should have realized it was more than a cabinet.

  “That’s pretty cool,” I said with a smile as we settled into his plush couch. “Are you sure you’re okay with me eating on here?”

  “Oh yeah, I do it all the time. I do have a small laptop table if you’d feel more comfortable with that.”

  “Sure, that would be great.”

  He placed his plate on the side table, then went to the closet and pulled out a small foldable table and placed it over my lap.

  “Thank you,” I said easily, resting my food on top of it and easing back, deep into the cushion.

  “So,” Noah began, his voice tinged with excitement. “Here are your movie choices … Pride & Prejudice, the two thousand five version, A Quiet Place, or Inception.”

  “Th
ose are very different,” I replied, eyeing him curiously. “Why do I feel like this is a test.”

  He chuckled and shook his head, his expression sheepish and utterly adorable.

  “No, not at all. These are simply three of my favorite movies and I’m curious which will appeal to you.”

  Still worried my answer was part of a test, even if he didn’t realize it, I thought over the options. I’d actually already seen all the movies but wondered if Pride & Prejudice was too obvious a choice, or Inception too weird. A Quiet Place had given me nightmares, so I wasn’t going to pick that one.

  Deciding to simply be honest and choose the one I wanted to watch the most, I said, “Pride & Prejudice.” Then asked in a rush, “Is that okay? Is that right?”

  Noah smiled and said, “There’s no right answer, and yes, Pride & Prejudice is perfect. It’s a great retelling.”

  “Do you teach it as part of your curriculum?” I asked, curious to know more about him and his work.

  “I have. This year I had them read and watch the most recent adaptation of Little Women. It felt more timely, since that movie is more current. I find the students can relate better and enjoy the assignment more if the adaptation is current.”

  “I bet they love it.”

  “I hope so,” he said, going through the apps on his TV until he found the one he was looking for. “I think most of them do … Of course, there are always outliers. People who take my class thinking it’ll be an easy grade.”

  “I bet that’s frustrating.”

  I picked up my chopsticks and fought with them until I had the correct hold, which usually took me a few tries, and then I took a small bite of my orange chicken. I didn’t want to look like a pig at the trough and start mowing through my plate; instead, I would take small bites and be careful not to make a mess.

  It was hard though because I was starving.

  I looked up and over at Noah and I could swear he was trying to be just as delicate as I was.

  “Is the food okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah, it’s great. I’m trying not to offend you by shoveling it into my mouth,” he said with a wry laugh. “I forgot to eat lunch and I’m actually famished.”

  “Oh my gosh, me, too. And I was trying not to eat too fast,” I admitted. “But what I really want to do is pick up this plate and pour it into my mouth.”

  We grinned at each other and when he said, “Let’s not worry about being polite and simply eat how we normally would, all right? We’d have to eventually.”

  I felt warmth spread through me at his inadvertent suggestion that we’d be sharing more meals together and nodded in agreement.

  “You’re on.”

  Noah started the movie and we both finished our dinner.

  After he’d cleared our plates and brought me a glass of wine, he showed me how to lift the recliner and we both settled in to enjoy the movie. When Mr. Darcy helped Elizabeth into her carriage, Noah reached for my hand and held it, causing my heart to skip a beat, and kept it in his through the rest of the movie.

  Once the movie was over, we chatted about it briefly, before I caught his gaze with mine and said, “I wanted to thank you for your words the other day … when we were discussing my sketches and you told me how it felt to you to publish your writing.”

  “I was simply being honest, there’s no need to thank me.”

  “Well, because of that, I showed Whitney and Margo my sketches for her wedding dress.”

  “That’s wonderful. I’m sure she was pleased.”

  “Very. Actually, she loved one of them and wants to wear it for her wedding.”

  I was smiling so hard my cheeks hurt. “I broke down and showed Helen as well, who chastised me for hiding my light under a bushel, and she is meeting with Whitney next week to take her measurements and start working on the dress. The wedding is in six weeks, so there’s not a ton of time, but I know if anyone can make it happen, Helen can.”

  “Congratulations!”

  “Noah, uh, I know we have only been seeing each other for a short while, and I don’t want to sound presumptuous, but if we’re still dating when the time comes, I’d love it if you would go to the wedding with me.” I bit my lip and met his eyes. “I hope that doesn’t freak you out.”

  He brought the hand he was still holding to his lips and kissed the back of my wrist.

  “I would love to.”

  16

  Noah

  I watched the joy spread over her face and felt pride in the fact that I had made her happy.

  Summer was nothing like I’d expected when I’d first seen her in the bar. She’d seemed so unattainable and way out of my league. But being with her was fun, and easy, and I found myself looking forward to our every interaction.

  I also found myself not wanting to let her go.

  With a deep breath and a little mental pep talk, I opened my mouth to ask her something that was out of my comfort zone. I wasn’t sure if she followed any of the dating rules some people seemed to abide by these days, or if she would think I was being too forward, but she’d taken a chance on asking me about the wedding, so I was going to take a chance as well.

  “Summer, would you stay?” I said, losing my nerve halfway through and having to pause to breathe. “I mean, the night … here with me.”

  Summer’s lips turned up and she said, “I’d love that. Thank you for asking me.”

  “I want to be truthful with you and let you know this isn’t a request I make often or take lightly. It’s been a few years since I’ve made love with anyone. It’s not that I don’t enjoy sex, I do, but I’ve always needed a personal connection. I’ve never been one to hook up for the sake of doing so, not even in college. It just never appealed to me.”

  Once I’d gotten out everything, I took another cleansing breath and waited for her response.

  “I’m the same way,” Summer said, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. “I haven’t been with anyone since my ex-husband. And, honestly, he was only the second man I’d even been with, so I don’t take this lightly either.”

  Her admission made me gulp. I’d be the third man she’d ever been with. I wasn’t sure if that knowledge made me feel more, or less, pressure.

  “So, it’s been a while since you were in a serious relationship?” she asked, her tone curious.

  I ran my free hand through my hair and admitted, “I guess I’ve never been in anything really serious. I had a girlfriend in high school, but I was a bit of a nerd. Always worried about keeping my GPA up so I could get into a good school. Plus, my dad was a professor, so I was always worried about letting him down.”

  “That’s sweet. He seemed very nice.”

  “He’s the best,” I agreed with a grin. “And I must note, he didn’t pressure me about my grades, it was all internalized. Anyway, then I was focused on doing well in college, and then work, so although I’ve dated, those relationships were never a priority.” I winced as I heard my own words and said, “And that doesn’t make me sound like a catch, does it?”

  Summer gave a soft laugh.

  “I think you’re a man who knows what he wants and focuses on getting it. That’s a good thing. Great, actually.”

  “Very astute,” I said, enjoying how well she seemed to get me. And still want to be around me, anyway.

  “How’s your niece doing? Still feeling better, I hope.”

  “Yes, much. Thanks for asking. She really scared all of us for a minute there.”

  “It’s sweet how enamored with her you are … I could tell you all dote on her.”

  “Well, she’s the first for all of us, so of course she’s going to be a bit spoiled. It’s the same with my friend Trent’s son Tucker. He and Suzy were born weeks apart and they are really two of the most adorable, and brilliant, babies you’ve ever seen.”

  “I only saw her for a moment, but she was absolutely beautiful.”

  I nodded in agreement because it was the truth.

  “It’s so wonderful
to be able to watch their development. Of course, I can’t be there every day to see every little discovery, which is one of the reasons I can’t wait to have kids, but I swear each time I see them, they’ve learned something new. It’s amazing.”

  “I love that.”

  “Would you like another glass of wine?” I asked when I realized her glass was empty and probably had been for some time.

  “Only if you’re joining me.”

  I nodded and stood, grabbing both of our empty glasses and moving toward the kitchen.

  I’d expected to be nervous to have Summer sleep over, but funnily enough, it felt right. Normal even, like having her in my home, talking and drinking wine, was a regular occurrence.

  It was nice. Comfortable. Right.

  When I joined her back in the living room, two full glasses in hand, I asked, “Shall we adjourn to the sitting area in my room?”

  Her eyes widened momentarily, before she stood up slowly, deliberately, and a downright seductive look came over her.

  The first stirrings of nerves hit deep in my belly.

  Good Lord, she is gorgeous.

  “Sounds perfect,” Summer said, crossing to take her glass from me, before walking past me and leading me to my room.

  When she glanced at me over her shoulder, I was sunk. It was like my mind was no longer driving this train, and I could barely string together two words as my body reacted to everything she was putting out.

  “Music?” I managed to spit out inelegantly as I pushed aside some papers to put my glass down.

  “Music sounds lovely,” she said, and I swear her voice sounded like a purr. One I felt vibrate right through me.

  I opened the lid to my record player and pulled out a record from the stack, turning toward Summer, my mouth open ready to speak. But when I saw her perched on the edge of my bed, no sound came out.

  Summer gave me a knowing smile and patted the bed next to her in invitation.

  “Jazz?” I asked and was mortified when it came out as a squeak.