“When my father died,” Lex started, “he asked me to watch over my brothers and sister, make sure they settled in their chosen careers.As years went by, cousins joined my immediate family because they either lost their parents or because their parents got divorced.”His expression softened.“My mother can never turn anyone away.She welcomed them into our family, and they became my responsibility.I’ve spent the last seven years making sure each and every one of them realized their dreams.”
She was impressed.“How old were you when your father died?”
“Eighteen.I grew up fast.I had to be there for my twin brothers, Chase and Baron, and my sister Jade.Then there are my cousins—Ashley, Faith, and Eddie.Everyone is settled in their lives, except Eddie.”
Greg had mentioned various Fitzgerald playboys earlier before they left her place.There were even a few scandals in the family involving some of them, but Lex’s name wasn’t one of them.Obviously, he was the one in the background holding the family together.
“He was with the LAPD until he left the force two years ago to follow his passion—building motorcycles.”
“Leeds?”Jillian whispered.
“Yes.Eddie is very gifted.”There was affection and admiration in his voice as he continued.“There’s no engine he cannot pull apart and modify, but he’s still learning the business side of things, so he asked me to be his partner.I handle contract negotiations, while he handles the production.He has assembled the best engineers to perfect the designs of his engines.”
Where did being his wife fit into all this?“So Leeds is really a combination of Eddie and your name?”
“Yes, but Leeds is his dream, his livelihood.He’s newly married, a father to a little girl, and has another on the way.For a large-scale production of the bikes, we need parts.Most are produced by companies around the world.”
Jillian understood only too well.She grew up listening to bike talks.Chinese or Australian wheels.Showa forks from Japan.Brakes from Italy.
“I’m in negotiation with a distributor run by a very old-fashioned man.”Lex pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned back.For the first time since they sat, he seemed uncomfortable.“He equates marriage with stability, reliability, and productivity, so he doesn’t do business with unmarried men.”
Jillian gave an unladylike snort.“What if Leeds was owned by a woman?Where did this Neanderthal crawl from?”
“Yoshi Hujimura is from Japan.”Lex’s face tightened, his eyebrows slamming down.“In a way, I understand where he’s coming from.Single people are vulnerable, and a scandal can have a ripple effect, stalling negotiations, causing mistrust, and even affecting the reputation of businesses.Hujimura is thinking of taking his business to our competitor instead.”
There weren’t many bike companies in the country.Harley-Davidson was the most famous.“Who?”
“Montenegro,” he said.
“What?That company produces third-rate bikes.Their Monte XD could be the last bike on a lot and I wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole.”
His gray eyes warmed with genuine mirth.“When we unveil the next bike, I should hire you as a spokesperson.”
Jillian laughed.“If it’s a stunt bike, maybe you should.I’d like to meet Mr.Old-Fashioned Japan and show him what a woman can do with a bike.”
Lex sobered.“If you take this job, you might just get the opportunity to do that.Montenegro brothers are all married with families.I’m not.Mr.Hujimura is visiting the U.S.next month, and he plans to tour Leeds and Montenegro.”
“Sounds like you only need someone to pretend for a month.”
“A year.The Hujimura contract will be renewed a year from now.Marriages don’t last a month.Twelve seems feasible.After a year, we’ll get divorced and go our separate ways.”
Jillian’s breath caught.He couldn’t possibly be serious.“You want us to actually get married?Justice of Peace, vows, the whole nine yards?”
“No justice of peace.”Lex spoke with resolve.“A wedding dress and a walk down the aisle.My family must never suspect our marriage is not real.My mother has a thing about marriage and about men like Yoshi Hujimura.The last thing I need is my mother coming out of retirement to prove something to the old man.We have to make everything look real.That’s why I needed an actress.Three weeks of visible courtship, a quick talk with Father O’Malley, and a wedding.”
Jillian blinked, her mind processing everything at a snail’s pace again.Before she’d discovered bikes, she’d played wedding with her dolls.Fairy tale weddings.Then her mother had gotten married and it had zero resemblance to what she’d imagined.A local county clerk had performed the ceremony, and the only attendants had been people who worked for the Finnegans.Her brothers and cousins had followed the same tradition, so Jillian had stopped dreaming about walking down the aisle with her family watching, flower girls, her husband-to-be waiting at the front and staring at her like she was a princess, his queen…
Get it together, Jillian.
Her throat tight, Jillian reigned in her overactive imagination.This wasn’t real.Lex wanted a fake wife, so the wedding would not be real.Still, it was a perfect solution to her financial problems.
“You think you can fool your family and this, uh, Mr.Hujimura?”
“With your help, yes.”He leaned back, confidence written on his face.“I’m willing to pay whatever you ask.”
Jillian blew out a breath.This could be an actress’ dream, a nest egg.She could retire and never do stunts for some snooty Hollywood bitch ever again.Bottom line was she needed the money and he wasn’t doing this for selfish reasons either.His cousin needed him.
“Okay, Lex.I’m in.I’ll do it.I’m okay with the figures we discussed, but I’d like to discuss other terms.”
