by Allie Hayden
She collects our menus and Carlyle watches as she walks away.
He turns back, slowly. “Where are we going?”
“I’m going home, and you’re going wherever you’re going.”
“Oh. Are you in a hurry?”
“Well, no,” I huff. “I just thought that because our business here is done, there’s no reason left to stay. So, we’ll just head home.”
“Home? I have a meeting after this. I’m here to eat, I don’t know about you. But if you care to join me, I wouldn’t mind some company.”
I hate the way he stares at me. Eyes narrowed, like he wants to tear off all my clothes. I’m not wearing anything revealing at all. Considering it’s still winter, and I get cold easily, I’m bundled up in a cashmere sweater. He doesn’t even seem to notice the waitress or how much cleavage she’s revealing.
“I suppose I could stay for one meal.”
“Great.” He smiles. “Let’s order.”
He orders a pancake platter and I order the same. We’re the youngest people in the diner besides the waitstaff. There aren’t many people for brunch at this hour. It’s an awkward time where everyone is at work, and it’s too early for regular lunch.
We talk about the weather, about the news in Cali. He tells me about doing business in China. About the different mannerisms, especially in business culture. He’s actually a really good storyteller, and he’s got a good sense of humor. I stop myself from laughing, even though I want to burst into tears.
Our hands are out on the table, our rings are out in the open for everyone to see. For a moment, it feels like we’re really husband and wife, to be. The entire time, his full attention is on me. I’m actually enjoying the conversation.
“So, tell me a little about yourself, Molly.”
“What would you like to know?”
“Well, let’s start with the important stuff. Why bother with this whole fake engagement thing in the first place?”
“That’s a really loaded question.”
“It is. But you need to tell me.”
“My father has been trying to set me up for a while. He wants me to get married. He’s a really traditional guy. Do you remember the New Year’s party? He thought it was a brilliant idea to present me like a platter of food for all the eligible bachelors to see. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great guy, and he wants what’s best for me. But for someone who’s able to see every side of a business deal, he can sure be blind to what his daughter wants sometimes.”
Carlyle folds his arms over his chest. “Well, I’m confused here. How are you not able to find a guy? You’re cute. And you come from one of the wealthiest families in the world.”
“I just haven’t found anyone I like yet.”
“Well, you could’ve just asked me out.”
I blush. It’s much more complicated than that. If Carlyle knew what I’d already been through with my dad, he would understand why I had to take such drastic measures. On the outside, my dad is a friendly, happy guy, but he can also be the most stubborn person on the entire planet.
Carlyle taps his fingers on the table. “We haven’t set any boundaries yet. Since I’ve kissed both your lips, what would you say about sex?”
I come to a standstill. “What about sex?”
“Is it off limits?” He raises his eyebrow.
I purse my lips but look away. I’m not sure if sex is off the table, but I’m not about to let him know that! He smiles and waves the waitress over to grab the bill. It’s clear that she’s shy and a little starstruck by him, but he takes off the pressure by being playful. It’s interesting to watch. It’s like he has two sides—a public one and one only I’ve seen.
“Think about it.” He gets up and puts on his jacket. “After all, we are engaged now.”
8
Carlyle
Ma is waiting for me at the hospital’s ICU with Dad. I told them I would visit today because I’ll be busy in the coming weeks. The clouds look a little heavy as I pull up to the third-level parking garage. I clutch my trench coat tightly around myself as I make my way out onto the chilly sidewalk across the road from the hospital.
The nurses check me in and direct me to the third floor. My dad’s room is the last one down the hall. In the elevator, I’d slipped the ring off my finger and put it into my pocket. I wasn’t ready to let my parents know about my leisurely activities.
Ma has been a soldier through this entire thing, keeping watch over Dad the entire time he’s been at the hospital. She’s come and sat with him every day since he’s been in a coma. I see her sitting in the hallway outside Dad’s room, waiting for me.
She gets up when she sees me. “You made it, sweetie. How was the drive?”
The lights in Dad’s room are dim, but I can still make out a figure lying on the bed. Ma usually keeps a positive attitude, which I bet helps her during times like these. In spite of having a lot on her plate, it seems like she’s been keeping her spirits up.
“The drive was fine. He looks like he’s sleeping.” I tap the glass on the room’s window.
“He does, doesn’t he. Shall we say hi to him?”
We enter the room quietly, making sure not to disturb the hospital equipment. We sit together on the same side of the bed. My blood boils watching the machines beep. There are more gray hairs on Dad’s head than I remember. He’s a champion, a conqueror, and it’s aggravating to see him on life support.
The doctors told us patients who suffer stroke-induced comas usually don’t come out of them without some kind of complication. So we’ve been preparing for the worst, especially my mom.
My moving back to California was her suggestion. When Dad’s health suddenly took a turn for the worst, she acted fast and decided I’d take on his main responsibilities immediately. The doctors say his high blood pressure was a result of stress. Poor Dad worked himself to the bone. He needed me much earlier, but he never reached out. He didn’t want to drag me into it—he knew how much I was handling as it was. But now, the cost of the stress might very well kill him.
“We’ll get through this.” I grab Ma’s hand and squeeze it. “Everything will be alright.”
She smiles. “What did I do to deserve such a good son? Be strong for the both of us, okay?”
“You be strong too.”
Our voices are in a low whisper. Raising my voice wouldn’t wake Dad from his coma, but it feels natural to respect his peace. The doctors are taking good care of him from what Mom tells me. She says they’ve been making sure he gets his fluids and medicine.
We sit in the deafening silence. I want to ask her about a pressing matter, about Phillip’s recent visit. But I figure it’d be better to have that conversation elsewhere, not in Dad’s hospital room.
“Let’s go to the cafeteria,” I say and turn to Ma, who looks like she’s about to break down in tears. “You look like you haven’t eaten in a while.”
She looks up at me and smiles. Judging from the last time I saw her, not only a week ago, she’s lost a bit of weight. Being by someone’s side through so much turmoil can put a major strain on the body. I know it’s hard on her, despite her tough exterior.
The hospital cafeteria is surprisingly lively for an afternoon. Families sit all around us, all together. They don’t realize how lucky they are to have their loved ones sitting with them. Ma finds a spot for us, so I go look for food for her. The sandwiches look appetizing, and my mom will need some vitamins, so I also grab an orange.
Ma and I sit across from each other at the table.
“Eat,” I say then push the tray of food toward her.
She starts eating the sandwich, absentmindedly staring off into space. At this point, food is just sustenance for her. More than once since Dad’s been here, she’s forgotten to take care of herself. After she takes a few bites, I figure now’s a good a time as ever to unload my pressing question.
“So, did Phillip visit you recently?”
She exhales. “He went to visit you, di
dn’t he?”
I shake my head and sigh. “Yes, Mom, he did. You know how I feel about you keeping him in the loop.”
“I know, honey. But he’s my son too. I love you both. He’s done some things in the past, but people change, honey. He’s part of our family.”
“But Mom—you’re enabling him. When is he ever gonna learn if we always welcome him back with open arms? It’s not like leaving us high and dry was the first offense for him.”
“I know, I know.” She looks away while still chomping down on her sandwich.
There’s an awkward silence. Flashes of people pass by our table, but I ignore them and look at Ma for an explanation. Maybe I’m pushing too hard. She’s right, Phillip is her son. To me, he may very well just be another stranger who was once part of my life.
“Do you have something else you want to tell me, Carlyle?”
This question catches me by surprise. There’s nothing I haven’t told her.
“Like what?” I ask cautiously.
“You’re engaged? Sweetie, why you didn’t tell me about this?”
Shit—she caught me. She’s the last person I was planning on telling. I know things will get out of hand if I bring my family into it.
“How did you find out?”
“Well, Phillip called and told me. He told me right after he came to visit you. I thought you knew?”
There is no way Phillip could have known about my engagement to Molly. It’s not like we were the most talkative people when he visited. I never told him.
Mom folds her arms on the table. “He told me the wedding is in August. That’s huge news. When were you going to tell me?”
“I guess I didn’t want you to have to worry about anything else right now. I thought I’d tell you when all of this blows over,” I lie.
Now was not the time to come clean. Honestly, it’s none of her concern, anyway. It would all go away soon. I was hoping not to get my family involved at all.
“I’m excited to meet the lucky girl. Who is she, anyway?”
“Molly Stanley.”
“The Stanleys’ daughter? I didn’t even know you two were dating. How can you be all of a sudden—Are you serious?”
“Mom. I’ll talk more with you about this.” I look at my watch. “But I need to go now. I need one thing from you. Can you please give me Phillip’s number? I’d really like to talk to him.”
“Well sure, honey. Here you go.”
I put the phone number into my phone and escort my mom up to my dad’s room. I tell her to go home, but she insists on staying for a few more hours. She wants to the stay the night again. I leave only after she assures me she’ll take care of herself better.
I trust she’ll be okay.
After leaving the ICU and walking to the hospital parking lot, I get to my car and pull out my phone. I dial Phillip’s number and put the phone to my ear, angerly waiting for him to pick up.
After a few rings, I hang up. He’s ghosting me.
It can’t be helped. I have a full day of meetings ahead of me. Lots of clients and internal meetings. When I get home tonight, I’ll make sure to get to the bottom of all of this. There is only one plausible explanation. He must’ve seen the contract when he was at my house.
Mom didn’t mention anything about the engagement being fake. So I can only imagine how much Phillip actually disclosed to her. Either way, there’s a reason she doesn’t know the whole story.
Whatever it is, I’m going to find out.
9
Molly
Jane insists I do something for my birthday coming up. Considering the absurdity I’ve gotten myself into, it’s the last thing on my mind. But it seems that this whole fake engagement thing is working out as expected. My dad is off my back about relationships and he’s more than happy I’ve chosen someone.
Jane helped me plan a night for the weekend. She asked her family to lend us their beach house out in Malibu, and we planned a small party with only our closest friends. I’m sure we won’t get too rowdy. I volunteer to drive me, Jane, and Jesse for the two-hour road trip. I catch them sending flirt-eyes back and forth to each other periodically, which is entertaining to watch.
We drive along the beachy coast to a little neighborhood in the oceanic suburbs. Trees envelop our surroundings. The light dances in between the tree branches. I bob my head to the chill beat Jane plays.
“We’re here!” Jane gushes as we veer into the parking spot out front.
Jesse hops out of the back seat and stretches his arms. “Hmm. Not bad, Jane. This might be a really fun weekend.”
We have a hedged private entrance that leads up to the beautiful wooden house. The inside is captivating, and everything is made up for us. Someone must’ve decorated the place before we arrived. There are streamers and balloons strung from the ceiling. There is food and drinks already on the table.
“Let’s call our rooms.” Jane laughs as she runs up the stairs.
I run up after her thinking I want the best room, only to be beat by Jesse running past me on the stairs. Jane has disappeared and I’ve lost her, but Jesse goes to the first room we see after the top of the stairs. I go toward the end of the hall, which looks more promising. The hallway gets narrower, and there appears to be a single room with arguably the most privacy.
I hear Jane and Jesse’s voices as they go from room to room. Good thing they haven’t gotten to this room yet, because it’s got the most breathtaking view. The balcony faces the water. I bet at night, it’s even more amazing. Just imagining what the sunsets would look like gets me motivated.
The bed has this beautiful pink chiffon canopy around it. This must be the master bedroom, judging from the size of it. I spread my arms wide and fall backward onto the bed, letting my hair bounce into the bedcovers. With the window open, I can hear the waves of the ocean.
Jesse’s head pokes through the door, and he’s out of breath. “Yo, sis. Did you pick this one? Pretty sick.”
Jane runs in and jumps on top and tickles me. “I knew you’d pick this one!”
The doorbell rings.
We all run down the stairs to see who’s at the door. A couple of our closest friends all come in with drinks and booze in their hands. This might be a pretty damn good night. I guess I need to let go every once in a while.
Jane’s family has rigged the house for a good time. All the rooms have a view to amazing oceanfront scenery, making it a pretty magical getaway for everyone. As our friends come through the door, they’ve all brought me a small gift or some booze. We wanted to keep the party attendees to a minimum, so Jane kept it to our inner circle.
After everyone finds their rooms and settles in, we all sit outside in a semicircle by the firepit to share some drinks.
“Let’s play truth or dare,” Helen, my most free-spirited friend, says to start the first game.
We all eyeball each other.
Nick is my bodybuilder friend. He and Helen have had a thing for each other for ages. But they’ve always been too afraid to admit it. I look over at them but before I can say anything, Jesse gets there before I do and dares Nick to kiss Helen.
This is turning into one of those parties. Why can’t we all just keep it in our pants and have one night where there’s no sexual stuff involved. I guess that’s humans for you. Here, I thought booze would be enough.
“Ohh, I’m going next.” Alec raises his hand. “This one’s for the birthday girl.”
“Ooooh, the birthday girl.”
Everyone turns their gaze toward me.
Alec leans forward. “Alright, Molly. Looks like we’ve all decided, it’s your turn next.” He makes his fist into a microphone and holds it up to my mouth. “Truth. Or dare?”
I shift side to side. “Truth.”
“We heard that you’re getting married, is that true?”
My friends burst out in excitement.
My eyes widen. Why would he ask me that? In front of everyone.
And just when I’m abo
ut to sink, Jane chimes in. “It’s a secret, guys. We can’t tell anyone…because he’s an illegal immigrant.”
Illegal immigrant? Really? That’s what she came up with? She steps on my foot.
“Right.” I think fast. “His name is…George, and all I can say is, he’s from the UK. I need you guys to help me keep it hush-hush.”
Cherry looks at me in disbelief. “Seriously? Are you actually getting married, though? I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone.”
Jane subtly elbows Jesse in the ribs.
He takes the hint. “Yeah, yeah, love life. I don’t want to hear about my sister’s boyfriends or whatever, can we please move on?”
“Oh, booo!”
Jane claps. “Alright then, who’s next?”
We really should’ve prepared something earlier, but it didn’t cross my mind that they’d ask. Technically, I’m not legally allowed to say anything about it anyways. We go back to playing drinking games.
A few more drinks in and much later into the night, Nick and Helen go inside to find a couch somewhere. The rest of my friends go up to their rooms and have all paired themselves up. Just me, Jesse, and Jane, are left sitting around the firepit, looking into the night.
I grab a blanket and drape it over myself. “Thanks for saving me back there, guys.”
Jane grabs her water. “Don’t sweat it, Molly. What’re friends for?”
I look over at Jesse when he burps. “Hope you had a nice birthday, sis. Let’s call it a night, though, I’m pooped.”
We help him inside. The house is quiet. Everyone must be in bed or passed out for the night. I’m a bit too tipsy to really care, but Jesse and Jane have been grabbing each other since we got here. I may be intoxicated, but I’m not blind. Passing out for the night sounds like a good plan if it means I’ll stop seeing my brother and my best friend flirting.
“Happy Birthday, Molly.” Jesse pats me on the shoulder before I walk up the stairs. “You know, I just have one more birthday present for you.”
“Can it wait until the morning?” I grunt, eyes half closed.
