Fake Marriage Box Set

I rolled my eyes. “I'd like to think that I'm the same person around him as I am with you or anyone else,” I said.

“Oh, you are,” Mina said, frowning a little. “But you're cutesy with him. And more relaxed than I've ever seen you. You smile so easily, and I can tell that you're truly happy. It's good to see.”

I smiled at her. “Yeah,” I admitted. “He does make me happy. In ways that I would never have expected, honestly.

“That's good,” Mina said. She paused, and I could tell that there was something more that she wanted to say. “I'm sorry that I kept going on and on about love not existing,” she said after a moment to collect her thoughts. “I think I was wrong about that all. I can tell that with you and Christian that it's more than just attraction there.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, who said anything about love?” I asked, holding my hands up.

Mina gave me an unimpressed look. “Oh, get over it,” she said, rolling her eyes a little. “You know that you love him. And you know that he loves you too, or else he wouldn't be here in Hawaii with you.”

I blushed a little and ducked my head. “You're probably right,” I admitted.

“I'm right,” Mina said. “Anyway, I'm glad that he came back for you. And I'm glad that you got The One like you always wanted. I can tell that he treats you well, way better than Lino ever did!”

I shook my head. “It's not about being treated better,” I said slowly, chewing at my lower lip. “It's just…” I shook my head again. “I don't know how to explain it.”

“I can see it in the way the two of you interact,” Mina insisted. She smiled and then leaned in for a hug. “Anyway, congratulations on continuing to have hope and on eventually finding your Prince Charming.”

“Now we just have to find your Prince Charming,” I said, grinning at her.

Mina laughed. “Maybe Christian has a hot billionaire friend who you can hook me up with?”

“Never hurts to ask!” I said. “Anyway, I've got an appointment in a couple of minutes that I need to get ready for.”

“Yeah,” Mina sighed, slipping off the stool that she'd been perched on. “I should get back to the pineapples. I can't wait until we're working in the same building and I don't have to disappear every time you have a client.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Not long now, though!” I gave her one last hug before she went on her way.

Even though I only had Mrs. Miller on the schedule for that morning, Mr. Miller accompanied his wife in, and I wondered in a panic if I'd gotten something wrong and if Sandy might be working that morning so that I could steal Mina back for the second massage.

“Don't worry,” Jerry said, accurately reading my worried expression. “The massage is just for the Missus here. But I was hoping that you'd let me be in the same room as her while she gets her massage. I don't like to be too far from her if I can help it.”

I smiled at the two of them. “That's sweet,” I said. “Usually I have couples on their honeymoon who say things like that, but the hotel told me you're here on your fiftieth anniversary!”

Betty blushed demurely, and Jerry cackled. “If you marry the love of your life, every day of your life is part of your honeymoon,” he said firmly.

I raised an eyebrow at him. Betty scoffed. “You only say that because I never made you change the babies' diapers,” she said. “And I always made you breakfast in the mornings.”

Jerry shrugged. “I'm a simple man, and my wife takes good care of me,” he said.

I smiled. “It's no problem if you want to sit in the room with us,” I said. I held out a massage outfit to Betty and directed them back to the room. When I entered the room a few minutes later, Jerry had arranged himself near his wife and was holding her hand, lightly stroking the back of it with his thumb.

“You know, I almost didn't end up with this lovely lady here,” he told me pensively as I started the massage.

“No, you didn't,” Betty agreed. She laughed. “I almost ended up with Mick Forrester!”

“You would never have ended up with Mick Forrester,” Jerry grumbled. He shook his head and turned to look at me. “I turned my back for one moment, and the next thing I knew, this little doll was practically engaged to the town flirt!”

“I was the town flirt,” Betty corrected. “And you did not turn your back for one moment. You told me that you were going away to university and that you wanted to date some hot co-ed there! I wasn't just going to wait around forever for you.”

Jerry sighed. “Stupidest thing I ever said to a girl,” he told me. Then, he grinned wickedly at me. “Quite a lovely lady, was Katrina Laviolette, though.”

“She was not,” Betty grumbled. But their slight bickering was affectionate in the way that only two people who truly loved one another, and for five decades, at that, could manage.

“You had better legs, though,” Jerry said thoughtfully. “Lord knows, I loved your legs. Watching you dance was a real treat.”

Betty laughed. “I haven't danced in years, Jerry. I'm too old for that.”