The Convenient Wife

You can’t impress him. He’ll never see you as equal.

“Maybe. He’s a hard man to please.”

The air between us is tense, and I know she can sense it. I just don’t want to get any deeper in this shit than I already am. Pulling away is the only thing I can do. We’re acting, and actors don’t practice off screen on their own time.

When she meets my father, I’ll turn on the charm, but that will be the only time we need to play pretend. I don’t know why I let it go on for this long. We took it too far.

“Well, I’m a hard woman to break. I’m going to make him love me.”

No you’re not. Keeping the thought to myself, I take a second to look at her. “Good luck.” Something hard hits my foot, causing me to look down. Starla follows my eyes and leans over, coming back up with a toy plane. “Where did that come from?” I ask.

“A child, I’m guessing.” She looks around the seats, until she finds a small boy on his hands and knees, tears running down his face as his mother tries to comfort him.

“Think I found the owner.” Starla stands up and starts making airplane noises. “Nyeeeeeeerm.” Her hand is moving, flying the plane through the cabin towards the child. “Nyeeeeerm.” Her voice deepens as she dips the plane drastically and brings it back up high.

The boy, who looks to be about three, perches himself up on his knees, wiping the tears away from his eyes. And when he sees his plane being flown to him, a huge smile explodes across his face.

Starla is vrooming and roaring, her voice loud and sharp, causing the people around us to stare at her. A few of the women have small smiles, but other passengers are shaking their heads like they think she’s crazy.

But what I see is different.

I see a woman who doesn’t care about anyone else right now, except making that little boy happy. I see a woman who finds happiness doing things for others.

My heart swells as she hands the plane to the boy and ruffles his hair. She says something to his mother, and the boy is playing with his toy with a huge smile on his face.

That’s when it hits me. All this time I’ve been focused on the wrong things.

What I thought I wanted, and what I truly need, are two different things.

I want to own our family business, but I need Starla too. I need her in my life.

I want the real thing. I want it all with Starla Bishop.

11

Starla

The plane hits the runway, and I want to feel the adrenaline of this trip. I’m in Hawaii, not some boring city filled with suits and briefcases—Ha. Freakin. Waii.

But instead of being excited and giddy, I feel like the air is being pulled from my lungs and not because Bolt’s taking my breath away.

He’s being weird and distant, almost like he doesn’t want me around. He barely said two words to me on the plane, keeping his eyes out the window practically the entire time.

He’s not acting like himself, and I’m not sure how to respond to it. My brain is trying to dissect every little movement, every little twitch and blink.

He’s got to be nervous, that’s what it is.

I’m nervous too, meeting his parents is kind of a big deal. They will be learning the good news, that they gained a daughter-in-law, without ever having met me. My mother would freak if I was doing this to her, and not knowing them—who knows what they’ll say.

It’ll all be fine. Bolt likes me, why wouldn’t his parents?

I’m trying not to work myself up, so when he reaches out to take my hand, and we walk off the plane with our fingers tangled together, my worry subsides. It feels like he hasn’t touched me in ages, so his hand is a welcome weight in my palm.

Every muscle relaxes instantly, letting my arm hang loose and a smile emerge on my face.

He likes me, that’s all that matters.

“Are your parents meeting us here?” I ask.

“No, they’re meeting us at the resort.” His face is set forward as he speaks, but I feel his thumb circle my knuckle, making my heart flutter.

I know we’re not a real couple, but I think somewhere along the way I crossed a bridge, and I’m not sure I know how to get back over.

Maybe it’s childish for me to view our situation as two star-crossed lovers who stumbled upon each other while caught in the rain. But my feelings for him are real, and inside I’m hoping his are too.

Bolt seems to enjoy being with me. He smiles when he sees me, and his skin blushes when I get naked. He has to like me more than just a friend or employee, more than just a prop on his arm.