Body Double (5 page)

Will Sarah be there?
he texted back. He set the phone down and started eating.

Ha ha
, came the reply with its accompanying chime.
She might come if you invite her
.

He didn’t think Sarah would drop everything to spend time with her father. From what he observed, she preferred not to even acknowledge his existence. Blake didn’t know whether to be more worried about marrying a woman who might grow resentful toward him for entering into a marriage of convenience, or a woman whose father had behaved so poorly over the years that he’d alienated his only child. Either way, he’d sat at this table, and he would play the hand he was dealt.

After breakfast, he loaded his clubs into the Jag so he wouldn’t have to return for them later and drove to the main Spotters location. Though it wasn’t the first gym and personal training facility he’d opened, it was the largest of the three and had a conference room where he could gather all his trainers, sales staff, and gym managers in one location. With his two-week honeymoon coming up, he had a few things to go over to make sure they were ready for his absence.

As the trainers and sales team filed out after the meeting, they shook Blake’s hand and offered thanks and congratulations on his upcoming marriage. Again and again, they commented on Sarah’s beauty, which Blake accepted with a smile. Yes, Sarah was gorgeous, but she was much more than that. Not one person commented on the remarkable work she did with victims of the awful sex trafficking underworld. Maybe they didn’t know what she did for a living, or maybe it was easier to pretend such things didn’t happen in America.

With his business out of the way, Blake headed over to the Lakeview Country Club, the same place his wedding would be held in just four days. His life was about to take a huge turn. Part of him was more apprehensive than excited, though he knew Sarah well enough to know he was marrying a good person. The nonchalance with which she’d accepted his proposal and four-million-dollar engagement ring had been disappointing, as was her lack of physical affection. She let him hold her hand and tolerated a short kiss at the end of a date, but she never initiated anything. No flirtation, no encouragement, no reassuring pats on the arm. Hopefully, that would change on Saturday. Though he and Sarah both knew it was a marriage of convenience, he was determined to make it work. He didn’t have a choice.

While waiting at a stoplight, he checked the calendar app on his phone to make sure he wasn’t forgetting some wedding-related event he was supposed to attend. No woman, no matter how distant she seemed, would forgive her groom a transgression like failing to show up. He’d rather step back and let Sarah make all the wedding-related decisions, but he didn’t want to come across as not caring. Whatever she decided would be fine with him. The wedding was all about the bride anyway.
The groom’s reward is the wedding night
, he thought with a grin.

He parked at the country club and got out, and a valet ran to meet him. “Good morning, Mr. Thomas. Mrs. Thomas and Mr. Gentry just started. I’ll run you out to their hole. He let the valet load his clubs into a nearby golf cart and accepted a ride out to the first hole, where his mother was measuring her shot.

She looked good in a khaki skirt and green blouse. Healthy. Green was a good color for her—it offset her prematurely white hair. In fact, she looked better than she had in the four years since his dad passed away—smiling, radiant, free of the grief that had left her broken-hearted. With a strong swing, she let the ball fly.

“Great shot, my dear,” said Harold Gentry. He was a stern-looking fellow in his late 50s with graying hair and a slight paunch. From a distance, he didn’t look any different from any other guy his age, but close up, there was something predatory in his eyes.

“I warned you, Harold. I’m going to hand you your— Blake! Darling, I’m so glad you made it.”

Blake walked up and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. “Hi, Mom. You look as beautiful as ever. Harold, good to see you.” He offered his hand, and Harold shook it.

“Hello, Blake. Gotta respect a man with a firm handshake.” Harold grasped Blake’s upper arm with his free hand and grinned fiercely. “Damn, those are nice guns. I knew a man like you could set that girl of mine straight. You about ready for Saturday? Not going to get cold feet on me, are you?”

On him? Who did the bastard think Blake was doing this for? “No, sir. I’d have to be a fool to leave a woman like Sarah at the altar.”

Gloria Thomas smiled and put an arm around Blake’s waist. “It’s so romantic. Reminds me of when I met your father. We knew on our first date we were meant to be together. I’m so happy for you and Sarah.”

“Thanks, Mom. We’d better get to it. There’s another group waiting.”

Harold peered through his bifocals as if inspecting Blake. “Take your shot, son. The question is do you play your best or let your future father-in-law win? Let’s see what kind of balls you’ve got.” He cackled, setting Blake’s lips into a half-snarl.

This was going to be the longest two hours of his life.

Chapter 3

Andrea drove to the Kokopelli Cafe as Sarah had recommended, arriving at eleven twenty. She asked for a table in the back corner, letting the hostess know she had a big decision to make and needed a bit of quiet to think things over. She settled on a chicken sandwich with an ancho chili mayonnaise and a side salad.

Andrea ate slowly, chewing every bite carefully but barely tasting it. To do her job, Sarah had to be good at convincing people. She’d nearly convinced Andrea to do the most outrageous thing in her life. Was it a scam? Andrea couldn’t imagine it was. This was a prominent person, the CEO of a well-regarded non-profit organization. What woman would skip her own wedding unless she had something really important? Those girls were important.

Her cell phone rang the Looney Toons theme song—Monica’s ringtone. She pulled it out of her purse. With a deep breath, she answered.

“Hey, girlfriend,” Monica said. “You never called me back. Did you get an offer?”

“Yeah, I got an offer all right,” Andrea said drily. She wished she could tell Monica everything. The information threatened to burst through her lips, dragging tears along with it, but this wasn’t the time or place. Besides, she couldn’t divulge the details of her arrangement without Sarah’s permission. Sure, Sarah would never know if Andrea told her best friend, but some things Andrea took seriously. Making a vow was one of them. Her signature on that non-disclosure agreement was a vow.

“What’s that mean? Aren’t you going to take it?” Monica asked.

Andrea sighed. “It pays about twelve hundred a year less than I was making at Delmar, but it’s more than I’m making right now, and I don’t have any other leads. Rent’s due in less than three weeks, and without this job, I’ll be looking at late fees at least and possibly eviction, selling what little furniture I have, and moving to Arizona to mooch off my parents until I get another job and rebuild my pathetic life.”

“Andie,” Monica said with a sigh. She was the only person in the world who called her Andie and got away with it. “I told you you won’t have to move to Arizona. If you don’t want that job, don’t take it. We’ll put your stuff into storage, and you can live in our spare room until you find something better.”

“Well, I do have this lottery ticket in my back pocket,” Andrea said.

“Now’s the time to cash in, baby.”

Andrea considered a hypothetical question for a second. “Mo, what would you do for a million bucks?”

“Wow. Well, I guess it depends on who was offering.”

Andrea laughed. “I didn’t ask who you would do. I asked what.”

“Oh. That’s different.” Monica giggled. “Nothing illegal. Prison ain’t worth it, and I suck at lying. I might bungee jump off the Golden Gate Bridge for a million dollars.”

“What if you were single? Would you marry a complete stranger?”

“Hmm. Does he get half of my million when I dump his ass?”

“No. It’s all yours. He gets a million also, and you have to stay married for... say, at least three months to get the money. Live together, sleep in the same bed, all that.”

“Does he get to hit me?”

“Of course not. He has to behave like a decent husband, and you have to behave like a decent wife. And you can’t tell a soul about the deal. You have to act like blissfully happy newlyweds in the presence of all your friends and relatives.” She didn’t know whether Sarah’s fiancé fit this bill, but it was a hypothetical question anyway.

“Is he good looking?” Monica asked.

“Yes, he’s handsome and supposedly nice.”

“Pfft. No brainer, then. Of course I would—if I were single, which I’m not. Because Pete is the best husband in the world.”

Andrea laughed. “You’re right. You found a good one.”

“So who’s offering you a million dollars to marry some nice, handsome guy for three months?”

Andrea coughed, choking on her water and spitting it all over her empty plate.

“Andie? You okay?”

“I’m fine,” she choked. “I was just asking hypothetically.”

“Uh huh. Spill.”

“Look, I gotta go. I’ll call you as soon as I can, okay? Bye.”

“Andrea! Don’t you dare hang—”

Andrea pressed the End Call button, cringing as she did. “Sorry, Mo,” she whispered. Looney Toons played again almost immediately. Andrea let it go to voice mail, but only a moment later, a text message came in:
I know you’re reading this. Call me!

Keeping this a secret from her best friend would be the hardest part. No, she thought, shaking her head. Marrying a guy she barely knew would be the hardest part.

After paying her bill, Andrea returned to The Lighthouse office but paused in front of the building, her hand on the door’s wooden handle, but still not entirely certain she was ready to walk through. She needed more details, maybe some reassurance. Part of her wanted to be talked into it, but she couldn’t say yes quite yet. Tracy took her up to the CEO’s office, where she was greeted by a wary yet hopeful Sarah.

“You’re looking a bit more settled than you were when you left,” Sarah said. “Have you come to a decision?”

Charlotte rapped on the open door with her knuckles and came in, closing the door behind her. “Ladies. Where are we at?”

“I’m not sure I can do this,” Andrea said. Her whole body trembled with nervousness. Would Sarah retract her job offer at The Lighthouse? “I’ve never been good at lying.”

“Have you ever been in a play?” Sarah asked.

“Sure,” Andrea said. “I was a theater geek in high school.”

“Think of this as a role. You know the opening of Pretty Woman when the Julia Roberts character is waking up and getting dressed, pulling on the thigh-high boots?”

“Yeah.”

“That wasn’t really Julia Roberts. That was a body double. You’d be my body double, except that you also happen to be my facial double.”

Andrea smiled. She could play a role, but this was more than just a role.

“The marriage license will be real. My vow, said with your lips, will be real, and I’ll honor it. I really will be married to Blake Thomas, so it’s not like we’re out to fool anyone.”

“You’re out to fool all those people who think they’re witnessing your marriage. What about your fiancé? He thinks he’s marrying one woman when he’s actually marrying another. A million dollars would be nice, but—”

“Andrea, listen. He’s not marrying a stranger. He’s marrying me. All the guests would be witnessing my marriage to Blake, regardless of whether I say ‘I do’ with your lips or mine.”

Several long moments of silence ticked by while Andrea considered her words. It just felt wrong to deceive someone like that. He’d be going on his honeymoon with a complete stranger, not the woman he thought he was marrying.

Tracy knocked on the door, pushing it open. “Courier package for you.” She stepped into the office, offering a thin envelope to Sarah. The logo for Avianca airlines was printed on the exterior.

“Great, thanks. My tickets.” She set the envelope on her desk, and Tracy left. “Listen,” Sarah said, taking Andrea’s hands. “When the business deal is finished, my father’s going to reward me not only with a pledge to keep The Lighthouse running, but with a ten-million-dollar wedding gift. What if I pay you half? Five million dollars. Would that make you feel better about taking this job?”

The thought of that much money was enough to make her head swim. She would never have to worry about money again. But was her integrity worth five million bucks? No. It wasn’t. Not five, not ten, not one hundred million dollars. The guy deserved to say his vow to the woman he was marrying, not some doppelgänger.

What if he knew?

Andrea chewed her lip. They could tell him. “The money isn’t the issue, but listen. What if we sit him down and explain everything? Tell him your plan and my part in it. If he’s willing to accept a stand-in at his wedding and on his honeymoon, I’ll do it.”

Sarah and Charlotte shared a glance. “What if he’s not?” Sarah asked.

“I won’t do it if I have to deceive him. Either he’s on board, or I’m out.”