Fake Summer Wife

I tossed Claudia in the air with her hair flying. Carrying her to the edge of the water, I pretended to nearly drop her in. She sat on the stone wall at the edge of the sand so that I had to look up at her, holding her hand.

As we flipped through the shots, there were a few that looked like they were taken in an entirely different place.

“How hard would it be to lighten my shirt and make her dress green or something in this one?” I said, pointing. “So that it looks like it was taken on a different day.”

Evan took a closer look. “Oh yeah – no problem. That’ll take a few minutes, tops.”

We shook his hand then began to walk slowly back to my truck.

“I wasn’t expecting a photo shoot,” Claudia said.

“Sometimes things just work out,” I said. “Imagine if it had taken me a few days to ask you out. Taylor might have beaten me to it.”

Her tinkling laugh was so sweet.

“Sugary slush drink, roasted fruit, sunset on the beach, and an impromptu photo shoot. I think we packed a lot of summer into the day for you,” I said.

“Not to mention that over-the-top shopping trip. Thank you for that. I’ve never been anywhere so ridiculously posh.”

I wanted to tell her that was just the beginning. That I wanted to spoil her and treasure her for a very long time. Yet it seemed too soon. I didn’t want to burden her with plans for the future at the end of our very first evening together.

Just before I helped her into the truck, I pointed to a new condo tower under construction down the beach. “That’s one of our projects.”

“Wow,” she said, looking around. “That place is going to have an incredible view.”

“That’s the idea. It’s going to be the tallest building in the area for a very long time.”

On the drive home we chatted about our favorite websites, how we liked to decompress after a hard day of work, and important comfort foods. Once again, we had so much in common.

The bright, animated way she spoke revealed a softer side than the one she showed at the diner. As if she were letting down her walls and allowing me to see her true self.

Every single version of Claudia that I’d seen so far made me excited to see more. This beautiful, thoughtful girl already had my heart more than any other woman had before in the space of twenty-four hours.

I couldn’t imagine how smitten I would be once I saw her all glammed up at the opening.

Chapter 5

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Claudia

After that completely magical date, it was hard to go back to the real world. But I needed to stay ahead of my work. On Wednesday I finished writing a paper so that I could proofread it on Thursday, and got caught up with some of my freelance work.

All the while, Vaughan and I were continually texting each other tiny details of our days.

He sent me a photo of the sunrise from that beach condo tower. I sent him a photo of the steam coming off my morning coffee. We went through our do lists for the day, awarding each other stars for getting everything done.

I loved that such a big, rough guy was so sensitive and playful. Vaughan was honest, too: he didn’t try to edit his life to just show me the best parts. He was open about being hooked on construction disaster shows so that he could both learn and gloat. He confessed that once a month he allowed himself to eat a whole pizza on his own while watching action movies. His version of self-care was remarkably relatable.

I also loved the photos he sent to me of us on the beach. I couldn’t resist making the silhouette shot my laptop background, since it filled me with joy every time I saw it.

Thursday I was able to turn in my paper just before leaving for work, and by the time Taylor and Bob rolled in, my smile wasn’t artificial at all.

“Hey, Claudia,” Taylor s

aid as he lounged back in the booth. “How’s the new husband working out?”

Bob shot him a glare, then smiled at me, lowering his voice. “You two are going to be a hit on Saturday.”