Wolf's Fake Bride (Shifter Marriage Service Book 1)

“You can sure tell on the inside. Honestly, I’ve never been in that side before tonight or I’d have suggested you look elsewhere to begin with.”

“I don’t think it is part of our agreement for you to dictate how I spend the money you are paying me. Trotting you out as my boyfriend to a member of the community only bolsters appearances for you. He is one of your club member’s brothers, after all. Speaking of which, I thought he knew you.”

“He knows of me. Very different from knowing me.”

“Then surely, he knows that you’ve been using his house for, um, your own purposes.”

“No. That was a deal between me and Paul. He and Saul don’t speak, haven’t for some time.”

“Paul and Saul? Twins?”

“No, several years apart. Weird parents.”

“Maybe explains a bit.”

"Well, Trey will be pleased, even if you aren't. And so will Turner. I can't believe you're going to pay him all that money for a dump like that."

Jo maintained her silence. There was no way for her to explain to him how this house had captured her imagination. How magical she found it all.

"Come on," he said, putting his arm around her, "don't pout. I'm sorry if some of the things I said went a bit too far. I admit, I couldn't resist, and anyway, it convinced him. He thinks we're going to live happily ever after with our computers and our children.”

On Friday, much to Jo’s amazement, everything went perfectly. Turner was more affable than she had ever seen him, though Holly was slightly subdued. The three of them met ahead of time in the café next door to the lawyer’s office to deal with matters his counsel preferred not to know about.

Turner and Holly were already waiting when she got to the café. They had chosen an isolated table at the back of the room. When she came in, they had their heads together talking, but as she approached, they looked up.

They shook hands. Everyone ordered coffee. Jo wrote a check for the full amount and gave it to Turner. He passed it to Holly without looking at it. She produced an envelope from her briefcase, placed the check inside, wrote our names on it and then sealed it before putting it away.

As it had been explained to Jo, Holly would retain possession of the check until after the sale and transaction was completed with his lawyer. Once that was done, Jo would make a cash payment to Mr. Turner. It would be exchanged for the check being returned to her. If everything went as planned, it would never be cashed.

It was her first encounter with high finance. In the realm of real estate, illicit transactions were, no doubt, a way of life. Holly, mindful perhaps of her attempt at betrayal, avoided Jo’s eyes, but Turner smiled at her, and insisted on paying for coffee. They left for their meeting with the attorney.

The lawyer was small and dumpy, and fearsomely efficient. She sat them around the table, read through the text they had to sign, answered their questions, and resolved any issues. Slowly, Jo began to relax. Whatever Turner was planning, it was not going to happen here. Not unless it was totally legal. There would be no demands for more money, and no unforeseen conditions. Nothing came up to delay the signing.

The whole process took about an hour. Jo was breathless with excitement. She was about to own her own home. She had always rented prior to Carter, and the home they had owned had always felt more like his than her own. She had decorated it, but it just felt like another rental.

The lawyer gathered her papers together, stood up and prepared to leave. Jo did the same. Turner and Holly were still in a huddle together at the table. Jo wondered if they had something going on besides real estate. Perhaps there was much more to all their oddness than she would ever understand. At any rate, she would be glad when the paperwork was rubber stamped and there was an official deed in her hand.

It was an odd situation. He seemed to have decided he liked her, and she felt that, under the right conditions, she could like him. It was unlikely that their acquaintance would go any further, but she was reluctant to spoil it. Especially as she didn't know exactly what she would be spoiling. Jo still hadn't figured out why he had agreed to sell when she hadn't met his conditions.CHAPTER SIXTEENSo, now, Jo’s life was full of distractions. Her job was to play girlfriend to King and her off hours were dedicated to the building of her new home. She had to decide on the shape of the windows, the slope of the roof, where the front door was going to go. It was all endless and intoxicating.