Fake Summer Wife

ignored Vaughan’s calls and texts. Luckily he didn’t come to the diner, or I might have fallen apart. Bob and Taylor acted as if everything was fine, which made me want to cry all over again.

All I had to do was hold it together for another week, and train my replacement. Then maybe see if I could try to have some summer fun by myself before I started my new job.

I should be excited for the new chapter, but I was totally numb. Every single thing in my life would be better if Vaughan were with me.

But I wouldn’t be like my father. I wouldn’t selfishly put my needs above others’. The last thing I ever wanted was to be like him in any way.

No. Keeping my distance from Vaughan was the kindest, most logical thing I could possibly do. Even if it tore me apart in the process.

Chapter 14

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Vaughan

I wanted to give Claudia some space, so I forced myself not to send her any messages Thursday morning. It seemed to me like her reaction was quite a bit bigger than it should have been, but I didn’t know all the facts.

So I resorted to what I always did when I wasn’t sure about something: I called in an expert.

After putting every scrap of information I had into a rambling email, I sent it to my researcher, Theo. He had an entire team who did data analysis on all sorts of things before we ever broke ground on a project.

Yet he had implied several times that he had an extensive staff who were happy to look into other sorts of matters, should the need arise.

After working all afternoon on a backbreaking but under the circumstances therapeutic small demolition job, I left the rest of the team to clean up the debris while I went to my home office.

A short piping hot shower to soothe my shoulders and a quick coffee later, I sat down at my laptop. As always, Theo had gone above and beyond the call.

It turned out that Pierce Lorimer was a conniving bastard of the highest order. There was a meandering laundry list of businesses he had joined, promising to help, then bankrupted through his bizarre business practices, not least of which was his habit of giving himself ridiculous bonuses and perks.

He somehow managed to leave every city on a high note every few years, so that he could blindside the next round of investors.

And now he was here, attempting a second time to run for Mayor. From what Theo had gathered online, nobody in Kingsville was falling for his bullshit, and his popularity ratings were abysmal.

Yet it was true that being associated with this man in any way would indeed be bad for my reputation.

It didn’t concern me in the least. The only thing that mattered was Claudia.

Skimming the list of Pierce’s associates here, none of them was in the top tier of business people. They weren’t the powerful heads of advisory boards and presidents of banks that I was now getting to know.

Pierce wasn’t a threat, and it genuinely looked like he was going to go out with a whimper, not a bang.

So – problem solved. But how was I going to get Claudia to listen to me? My poor sweetheart was so completely focused on protecting my family business that she wasn’t thinking of herself.

Taking my coffee mug out to the backyard, I sat and stared at the trees for a while. There must be a way to make Claudia trust and believe in us. Even though her father was obviously scum. Even though she’d never had anyone to really rely on before.

She always seemed so strong and capable while she was at work, yet in private, I could see how vulnerable she was.

Then it clicked.

Women loved drama, if the few fragments I’d seen of those TV movies were to be believed. I’d have to resort to drastic measures. Ladies wanted grand gestures. Huge declarations of love.

Well, my darling wife was going to get one.

Chapter 15

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Claudia