Husband for Hire

“Tall, blond and handsome, like he’d just come out of the ocean with a surfboard under his arm,” Becca said as soon as Suki shut the door. “Intelligent. Easygoing. Good manners. Knows how to take care of a person. Jackpot.”

She started to laugh after that, feeling like a teenager, light and carefree.

“Wow,” Suki said, sitting back in her chair. “And he works as a temp? Something’s gotta be wrong with him.”

“I kept looking for flaws. I didn’t see any.”

“Did you make him strip down? Maybe it’s where you can’t see it.”

Becca grinned. “Why didn’t I think of that? I could’ve brought out my casting couch. I’m telling you, he’s one gorgeous man. And he intends to take care of my needs.”

“Do you have to pay more for that?” Suki waggled her eyebrows.

Warmth suffused Becca. She hadn’t intended to give things a sexual spin, but those visions simmered below the surface without conscious thought. She was more than a little attracted to Gavin. If she’d put together the man of her dreams, feature by feature, Gavin Callahan would’ve been the end result.

“I meant,” Becca said to Suki, “that he accepted the job, and I’m sure he’ll do a great job of being a pretend husband.”

“Can I have him when you’re done?”

Becca had no glib comment in return. She didn’t want to share him. He’s mine, she wanted to say. Then her phone rang, saving her as Suki slipped out of the room and the workday began.

Except it wasn’t work related.

“Hey, Bec,” her brother Eric said, his voice deep and sure.

Becca always felt safe when she heard him. He’d been her lifeline after she left home, even as she’d craved the independence. “How’s life in the Big Apple?” she asked.

“Dog-eat-dog. How’s everything with you?”

“Busy and good. I’m looking forward to seeing you. All four of you. Are your plans all set?”

“Our flights will arrive within an hour of each other. Sam and I will hook up in Chicago then fly to Sacramento together. Trent and Jeff will do the same in Dallas. So, only two flights to contend with in the end. We should get to your place around noon.”

“I’ll have lunch ready.” Or catered or something, she thought.

“Are you cooking these days? Have you become the little wife?”

She didn’t know why that stung, but it did. “Chauvinist. I think I can manage sandwiches.”

“Sounds good. We’ll take the newlyweds out to dinner Saturday night, though.”

“Thank you. I’ll let Gavin make reservations for us all.”

“Oh, he has a name finally.”

She’d referred to her mystery boyfriend as Doc whenever she spoke of him to her brothers. It had become a joke, although she knew they were annoyed at not knowing the real name of her fantasy man.

“And his last name?” Eric prompted.

“I’m not telling. You can meet him and form your own opinion, not whatever information you might dig up on him in the meantime.”

“Spoilsport. And you’ll share pictures from your wedding with us, too, since we haven’t received any either by mail or email.”

A statement, not a question, she realized. “Of course.”

There was a moment of silence. Then Eric spoke again. “Are you happy, Bec?”

“I am.” Except for lying and deceiving and being attracted to a man without any potential for a future relationship. “Don’t be too hard on Gavin, okay? Eloping was my idea.”

“He went along with it.”

She heard condemnation in his voice. “He’d do anything for me, Eric. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”

He sighed. “Of course it is.”

“Then just be happy for me.”

She hung up the phone a minute later feeling lower than low. What a sincerely stupid thing she’d done, even if for what she thought were the right reasons.

After a minute of remorse, she sat up tall in her chair. She would get through the weekend and the lie somehow, because it mattered. She’d made her decision for good reasons, solid reasons. She couldn’t backpedal.

Except … now she had another tricky situation to deal with. She drummed her fingers on her desk, debating, and then finally called Gavin’s cell phone.

“We have a new complication,” she said.

“The first of many, I imagine,” he said drily. “What’s up?”

“I just talked to Eric. He’s looking forward to seeing pictures of our wedding.”

There was a long moment of pause. “Okay. You find the right dress to wear. I’ll take care of everything else. I’ll pick you up around noon on Sunday.”

For a woman used to making decisions herself, she gave in easily to his taking charge. “Thank you, Gavin. Thank you so much.”

“It’s something any good husband would do.”

She heard the smile in his voice. “What about your weekend plans?”

“I can be done by then. See you on Sunday.”

“Gavin,” she said in a hurry before he hung up—and before she lost her nerve.

“What?”

“If your plans include getting a haircut, please don’t.” She wanted to run her fingers through it, had been hoping for a chance while they were “married.”

She could almost hear him frown.

“I should look my best for our wedding photos,” he said. “They last a lifetime, you know.”