“Why?”
“It makes more sense. I only need fifteen minutes in the morning. I can just come in after you’re done.”
Well, hell. I’d have that enormous room all to myself?
“What’s that?” he asked.
I caught myself smiling from ear to ear. “I might be imagining myself in that king-sized bed of yours.”
“So, we have a deal?”
“Yes. Can I buy a vanity table? So I don’t have to do my makeup in the bathroom? There’s no natural light.”
“Sure.” He blinked. “I know you wanted Leonie to take care of everything, but... obviously if you want to redecorate any part of the house, you’re welcome to do it. I want you to feel at home.”
The dangerous part? I was already feeling as if I was at home. And yet, I couldn’t help hanging on to that feeling of wanting more.
“I don’t want to redecorate per se, but I was thinking that I can make a reading nook under the window next to the fireplace. There is enough space for a window seat and a shelf.”
“You gave this a lot of thought already.”
I blushed. “I’ve just looked around on Pinterest. I’m not very design savvy.”
“I’ll ask an interior designer to come help us.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Oh, and those two weeks I told you to take off? We’re going on a honeymoon.”
“Wow. Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“You would have said two weeks is too long.”
“It is.”
“It’s just enough to relax.”
“You’ve already arranged it? What if I I’m changing my mind about taking time off?”
He tilted his head playfully, placing one hand on the counter, right next to my hip. “I’d change your mind right back.”
I exhaled sharply. “Where are we going?”
He dug a hand in the inside breast pocket of his jacket, taking out a folded sheet of paper and handing it to me. I set my bowl on the counter and carefully unfolded the paper.
He’d printed out the flight itinerary. We were flying via Dubai to... I scanned the rest of the page, zeroing in on the destination. We were flying to the Maldives.
I blinked repeatedly. My eyes were burning as I looked back up at him.
“Shit, you’re crying. Did I do something wrong? You’ve been wanting to go there since high school.”
I chuckled through the tears. By way of answering, I wrapped my arms around his neck, rising on my tiptoes and burying my face in the crook of his neck. I warmed all over when he brought his arms around my waist.
“When have you gotten so good at surprises? Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
I had always wanted to go, but one thing or the other had always gotten in the way. Law school, then getting a job, then working long hours to make senior, now working toward becoming a partner, always worrying that it would count against me if I took so much time off, always wondering if I wasn’t better off saving more instead of spending money on extravagant vacations.
“Why didn’t you tell me until now, though?” I asked, pulling back.
“You would’ve tried to convince me to go somewhere nearer, cheaper.”
I grinned. I definitely would have.
“How much—” I began, but Hunter shook his head.
“Everything’s already taken care of, and you’re not allowed to give me shit about it.”
“Not allowed? We’ll see about that.”
On Friday, I went to work with one thought in mind: that Jacuzzi was going to be all mine this afternoon. All mine.
My family was arriving tomorrow morning. They were supposed to arrive yesterday, but their flight got canceled because of a technical problem. They’d been rebooked for tomorrow.
I’d planned to take Mom, my sister, and my brother’s girlfriend to a spa this afternoon, but that had fallen through.
I wanted to do something nice for them, and tomorrow we’d all go, but it wasn’t the same thing. I’d wanted to spend some quality time with them today—my last full day as a single woman.
I got strange looks from my coworkers, but I didn’t put two and two together until someone straight up asked, “We weren’t expecting you here the day before your wedding. Brides usually take the day off.”
“Oh.” Shit. Shit. Shit. That hadn’t even occurred to me. I tried to sound casual. “Everything is already taken care of. I just wanted to finalize a few things. Besides, my fiancé is taking me to the Maldives for two weeks. Need to sort out a few things.”
There, that sounded like a solid reason. Katherine didn’t look like she was buying it. Cold sweat broke out on my neck as I wondered if the immigration services would question my work colleagues. I hoped not, because this would be a red flag. Besides, if my boss found out I was being investigated by the USCIS, I could kiss that promotion goodbye.
“And I’m only here for a few hours anyway,” I added.
Katherine smiled at last. “Excited about the honeymoon?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Ironically, I didn’t get much done, because I was too busy obsessing over whether my colleagues were suspicious or not. I ended up leaving right before lunch.
I began unbuttoning my shirt as I stepped into the house. That Jacuzzi would be so welcome right now. I had two hours before I went to get my pedicure. I didn’t have time for it tomorrow, when I also had a manicure, hair, and makeup scheduled.
When the tub was full, I slid in the hot water with a sigh. I propped my head on the edge of the bathtub, plugging in wireless earphones. My phone was safely on the cabinet next to the towel rack.
I hummed the lyrics, closing my eyes as the Jacuzzi’s jets of water massaged my tense body. This was the best relaxation money could buy. When I moved back into a place of my own, I’d definitely get my own Jacuzzi.
I shuddered thinking how much it would cost to have one installed, but honestly, I could invest in myself.
I couldn’t wait to see my family tomorrow. I saw them so rarely. We were all spread out, and seeing everyone at the same time was a perk.
As a little girl, I’d dreamed Dad would walk me to the altar, that Mom would fuss over my dress and makeup... I wondered what they would think if they knew tomorrow was just a sham.
I was helping out my best friend. Surely they wouldn’t be disappointed. Yet I was lying to them. There was no other way to phrase it. Could I tell them the truth? At least tell Mom and Dad? The chances of any immigration officer interrogating them was slim. Still, they’d have to keep it a secret too, and that increased the risk. What if they slipped and told someone?
No, I couldn’t tell them, as much as I wanted to.
I focused on the music and my breathing, clearing my mind, as I did during my daily yoga sessions. Yoga had been one of the things that had kept me from going crazy since starting law school. Before that, I’d laughed it off, thinking it was just a fad.
I was so relaxed, I almost dozed off. I had no idea how much time had passed before I heard a faint groan over the music in my headphones. I blinked my eyes open and froze.
Hunter was standing in the doorway, a towel wrapped around his lower body. My breath caught as I willed myself not to look below his face, but that wasn’t helping much.