The idea of that made Ellie’s stomach flip over. That was a lot of Jamesons in one house. She hoped they didn’t kill each other. Even she thought about punching Derrick’s father. The man had made a big mess of his family then snuck away to let Derrick clean it all up. What kind of man was that?
Friends and relatives officially would start pouring into town in two days. The party, the sheer scope of it, made no sense to Ellie. A hundred people. She didn’t know five people she’d want in her house. This family had business associates and relatives everywhere.
This was the kind of shindig you threw when you really planned to walk down the aisle. Family met family. Friends traded stories. The happy couple showed off photos of their time together so far. None of that fit their situation, yet Derrick insisted.
He still hadn’t filled Spence in about the truth of their relationship. Ellie hadn’t because she no longer saw any part of what they shared as fake.
Jackson and Derrick had been trapped in the library all morning. There was talk of moving the party to the Jameson’s Virginia property and holding it outside under the most expensive tent she had ever seen in her life. The thing had actual doors and windows.
She’d never seen the farm in person, but from the photos she thought it looked like a school. The idea that Derrick grew up there without his mom and with a distant father made her ache for him. The loneliness had to have been unbearable. Her parents had made a lot of mistakes, but they’d been around. Broke and confusing, but present.
She grabbed a mug of tea and headed for the library to see what ridiculous plans the men had dreamed up while she’d dressed this morning. She’d been dragging all week. She’d only ever needed about six hours of sleep each night. She’d swear she could use twice that much right now.
The stress was working on her. There was no other explanation. It also messed with her stomach. Coffee made it grumble these days.
If she were honest, she’d have to admit she didn’t feel great. A terrible cold might be headed her way. When she’d mentioned that to Derrick last night he’d made her promise it would come after the party. As if she could control life like that.
She sipped on the herbal mixture of lemon and peppermint. The warm liquid poured through her on the chilly spring day. She’d thrown on one of Derrick’s sweaters and it swamped her. She didn’t care. The soft material made her think of a blanket.
The closer she got to the room, she expected the voices to grow louder. They didn’t. The door was open an inch or two. She pushed it open a smidgen. Took the opportunity to watch them.
Even at home, Derrick stayed in command. He wore black pants and a simple white shirt. On him, the combination proved stunning. She was about to tell him that, maybe embarrass him a little in front of Jackson, which was always fun, when she heard the ominous sentence.
You have to stop lying to Ellie.
She pushed the door open the whole way. Immediately she was greeted by the stares of the two men and Jackson’s mouth dropped open. Derrick didn’t show any reaction at all but his watchful eyes followed her.
“Lying about what?” That was the only question that ran through her head so she asked it.
Lies. The word stuck in her throat. She turned it over and tried to make it fit with everything she knew about Derrick and the upcoming party. Nothing matched the urgency she’d heard in Jackson’s tone.
She couldn’t ignore the comment. She’d grown up with lies. She’d lived with so many over the years and knew how they could burn away all the other good things in life. They stole security. She’d lost her job over one.
But Derrick had promised not to lie to her. He’d said it more than once. It was one of the underlying principles of their agreement.
Time ticked by and neither man answered her.
She stepped closer. For a second the room began to spin. The walls of books blurred and she would have stumbled but she fought for balance.
“Someone answer me,” she said in a louder voice. She would yell if she had to.
Jackson looked at Derrick. “I should go.”
“Don’t move.” She wasn’t letting either of them off the hook because this was clearly big. “Someone start talking.”
“There was another reason for our agreement.” Derrick’s deep voice broke through the otherwise quiet room.
“The fake engagement.” The words scraped against her throat.
“What started out as that, yes.”
She ignored the comment. Pretended his words didn’t echo what she’d wanted for the past few weeks—a real chance with him.
Her head started to pound. The drumming sensation started at the base of her neck. After a few more steps, it moved up to her nape. Her footsteps faltered. At first she thought her shoe had snagged the carpet, but no. Her balance was off. The room tilted on her.