Page 36 of The Maverick
Nessa:Really?
Vivian:Don’t doubt us, babe.
Audri:You’re in trouble now.
Elena:Come over on Sunday. The boys are meeting up. We can have our gathering.
Natalie:Be prepared to answer questions.
Michelle:I’ll bring appetizers.
Natalie:Got some sexy lingerie for you ladies.
Audri:Make Nessa a lingerie package because of her fiancée status.
Natalie:Glad to. (heart emoji)
Nessa:See you soon.
Audri: You make a great couple, just saying.
Kiera:See ya. Gotta go now!
Oh my gosh. This was getting so complicated. I didn’t want to lie to them. These were my friends. Was there a halfway point? Could I tell them part of the truth and leave the other part out? Would that be lying? I didn’t want to involve more people than I had to.
I could tell them about my attraction and how it was getting stronger every time I was with him. And that this fiancée thing was . . .What?
Shit.Why couldn’t my life be simple?
I turned to my rack of plants in simple pottery. Looking at them placed me at ease. Nature had a way of soothing you with its uncomplicated presence.
I prayed I’d come up with a brilliant idea before Sunday.
After I packed, I sat down to check out Emmanuel’s social media. Did something happen to him recently to make himerratic and violent? He wasn’t like this when I dated him. But then again, maybe this was his true character. His roving eyewas why I had to end things. No woman would settle for that. Did Emmanuel take drugs?
I browsed his DailyThoughts feed and saw selfies of him with various girls at wild parties. He looked drunk or on something. The women did too. I scrolled past several pictures of him with a woman with massive red hair. She was all over him. Maybe she was his new girlfriend. I recognized his friend, Nico Messina,whom I met once.
I scrolled to the pictures of him before we met. He posted photos of him hiking and swimming with a different group of friends. I found an old image of him with his sister, Thea. I’d never met her, but he’d mentioned her to me. Why did he stop posting pictures of him and his sister? It was like he had two different lives.
What happened to him?
I didn’t know why, but I searched for Thea Valencia. Maybe she could stop him from blackmailing me. Then I wouldn’t need to go through with this marriage. This option hadn’t occurred to me until now. It would save Attikus and me time and energy.
My heart leaped when I saw Thea on the JobNetwork. She was a manager for Elegant Cosmetics in downtown Providence. I’d been there a few times for makeup products. Excitement and confusion rushed through me. If his sister was in town, why hadn’t he posted any current pictures of him with her? What happened to their relationship?
I knew I shouldn’t go out right now. Attikus’s words rang in my ear, but something nudged me to go. He was being overprotective, which I appreciated and loved. But right now, I had to trust my intuition.
Before more doubts could enter my brain, I grabbed my purse, put on a casual jacket, and slipped on my sneakers. I could pick up some new makeup while I was there. This was my self-care trip to the beauty store.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ATTIKUS
Instead of driving home,I pulled into the Mount Museum garage, parked, got out, and walked through the main entrance. The popular Japanese Silk Painting Exhibit had ended yesterday, so the museum wasn’t as crowded. This quiet time between events provided the staff with an opportunity to catch up on administrative tasks.
I had a few projects to review and documents to approve. I could get everything done today and clear my slate for the next few days. Arranging for a fake marriage required more work than I had expected.
My lawyer could complete the legal documents once I gave him the terms and conditions. But the other details like the living situation, wedding photos, and how to deliver this information to the media had to come from me. The fewer people who knew about the truth of our marriage, the better. Most of all, how would I share this information with the boys? They weren’t like my mother or sister. They’d know something was up.
