“You’ve done such a good job reading, Logan.” She leaned down to Logan’s level, and Drew caught a whiff of the sunscreen on her skin. She always smelled so warm… “Remember what we said? We’d come see Daddy and his guests, and then we’d head to bed.”
“Yep.” Logan held up three fingers. “See Daddy. Head to bed.”
Penny held up two fingers. “Daddy. Bed. Like this.”
Logan copied her, laughing, and climbed down to the deck. He slipped his hand into Penny’s, and that was the signal, apparently, because Jack got to his feet.
“It was a lovely dinner, Drew.” He extended his hand for Drew to shake, and he channeled another burst of confidence into the gesture. “And good conversation, too. So kind of you to let us meet your family. We’ll let you get on with your evening.”
“Walk with us through the house,” Drew said, his heart climbing into his throat again. Now it seemed like a tactical mission, getting Jack and Lisa to the front door without letting him in on the truth.
Penny brushed past, holding Logan’s hand.
What would you do if she really was your wife?
Drew turned to follow her in, catching up in two long strides. Now he did put his hand on the small of her back, feeling her move through her shirt with every step she took. Something inside him sighed—almost a happy growl—and Penny looked up at him, dark eyes brimming with questions. But she also leaned in a little closer, a playful smile teasing at her lips.
At the door, Penny stayed close, holding Logan’s hand as they waved Jack and Lisa off.
There was nothing quite like a silent agreement to pretend to be someone’s wife when it came to sending Penny’s heart racing. It still beat fast and hard as she loaded the dishes from Logan’s dinner into the dishwasher. They’d lingered at the playground, then come back for a quick dinner, and then…
Then Jack Holloway had mistaken her for Drew’s wife.
It would have been so awkward if she hadn’t read his expression correctly. Another wave of tension spilled down over her shoulders. It had been a pretty close call, and she’d gone along with it.
And she had liked it.
“You don’t have to do that, you know. It’s fine to leave the dishes for Marta.” Drew stood across the island, watching her with a new intensity.
She made a face as she straightened up. “And leave them sitting all night? No way.” Penny crossed her arms over her chest—over her thudding heart—and leaned back against the kitchen counter. “So.” She kept her voice even, though it threatened to tremble. “What was all that? Besides the fact that your business associate mistook us for husband and wife.”
A smile quirked the corner of his lips, but he hid it quickly with a palm over his face. “And I didn’t correct him, because the deal is…really important to me. For Preston Logistics, but also personally.” His eyes never left hers.
“Oh, Drew. I mean—Mr. Preston.” She felt that, deeply. When her own father’s company had been for sale it had kept her up at night, wishing for everything to go smoothly. For everything to be legitimate.
Of course, it hadn’t gone that way, which was why she was standing in Drew’s kitchen and not still living in Toronto.
“No,” he said softly. “Call me Drew. You’ve earned the right, after pretending to be my wife tonight. You definitely didn’t have to do that.”
Oh, but I did. Maybe not technically, but the look in his eyes had gone straight to her core.
“I didn’t have to,” she agreed. “But I thought there might be more to the story. I’m guessing, by the look on your face, that there will continue to be more to the story. Won’t there?”
He screwed up his face for a moment. “The deal’s not closed yet.”
“Okay.”
“But I’m not going to ask you to keep up with this, if it’s not something you feel comfortable with.”
Comfortable? Not so much. There had been an element of comfort in his hand on the small of her back, sure…but it was more than comfort. Her mind had fixated on his touch, on the heat of his palm through her shirt, the way he rubbed his thumb up and down as if she really were his wife…
Heat came to her cheeks in spite of her attempt to channel a cool, casual attitude. Could she be any more obvious? Penny swiped the back of her hand across one cheek. “Honestly, I’m willing to do it. I understand what it’s like to want something to work out.”
His eyebrows went up, curiosity obviously flaring in his expression, but an ache in her heart warned her away. Coming clean with the whole story—that was mixing business and personal, and it wouldn’t help either of them.
“I would owe you.” An electric undercurrent tripped under the words owe you and arced across the air between them.
“I just need to know,” she said, standing up straight. It would be easy to say yes to Drew Preston, no questions asked. But not asking questions—not pushing hard enough—had landed her in this position in the first place. “This is only about keeping up your image as a family man, right? This isn’t a distraction from…you’re not hiding anything about Preston’s finances, right? Because if that’s what it is…” Her stomach turned over.
“Absolutely not.” Drew took a step forward, looking her straight in the eye. “Preston Logistics is in a great position to acquire Jack’s company. Honestly, it was a knee-jerk reaction back there, and I can go back to him and explain the whole thing.”
“No,” she said quickly. Maybe it was the result of an ill-advised crush, but she wanted to get closer to him. Literally. That hand on the small of her back had only made her want more. “I had questions, but I…I didn’t mind the roleplay.” Now her face burned. “Anyway, I’ve got a date with Netflix tonight, and he’s a fickle lover.” And now she’d just said the word lover in front of her boss, in his kitchen, after she’d accepted his fake proposal to be his fake wife. “I’ll see you in the morning, Drew.”
She turned and left without another word, a nervous laugh caught in her throat and adrenaline singing in her veins.
4
The text message from Jack Holloway came early in the morning, just after Drew sat behind his desk, coffee in hand.
Jack: Our dinner was a five-star experience. Ten! Thank your beautiful wife for letting us intrude!
Was it gratefulness that came, all in a rush? In an alternate universe, Drew was typing up a reply that included phrases like silly mistake and she’s a wonderful presence in Logan’s life. Things that would soften the blow for Jack while still getting the larger truth across: Drew was a family man, even if he wasn’t currently married.
But wow, if he was…
He could not get hung up on Penelope Fox, even if he’d felt like a lottery winner to hear her agree to go along with his charade for the sake of the deal. Under most other circumstances, he would have preferred total honesty, but the itch to buy Jack’s company was embedded deep beneath his skin.
Drew: It was great to have you. We’ll have to do it again!
Jack: Set a time and we’ll be there.