Corinne gapes at me. “I told you I was kidding when I said I needed a fiancé.”
“You did, but it makes sense.”
“What makes sense is a loan. I don’t need a scheme that merely might net me my inheritance.”
“You’re underestimating how much Parker hates me. He’ll give you your inheritance to keep us from getting married. And in the meantime, the press and public will wonder how evil I can possibly be if Parker’s sister is planning to marry me.”
She bites her lip like she’s thinking. It takes everything I have not to rush her. And not to kiss that rosy, lush mouth she keeps abusing with her teeth.
“My brother might dig in his heels and wait us out, see if we’re pretending. He knows damn well we haven’t been dating. I haven’t dated anyone since Riley.” A sadness I don’t like crosses her face.
Owen’s report says the guy is the son of a schoolteacher and a plumber. Corinne met him in college during summer break two years ago. While she was matriculating in San Diego, Riley attended NYU’s Stern School of Business, funded by scholarships and a mountain of student loans. He came to the West Coast with buddies to blow off some steam. The two met by chance in a restaurant and maintained a long-distance relationship for eleven and a half months. After graduation almost a year ago, Riley found a mid-level job at a decent brokerage, where he isn’t highly regarded and has a client list of modest suburban investors. He purchased an engagement ring with his first paycheck…then returned it a week later. Apparently, his phone call to Corinne the following day was his last.
“Parker thinks you haven’t been seeing anyone for a while. Tell him we’ve been sneaking behind his back and that I proposed. We’re madly in love, so you said yes.”
“He’s going to want proof of that.”
I smile. “I was counting on it. We’ll lay the PDA on thick and—”
“That’s not going to work. I’m leaving for LA in twenty-four hours.”
“If you agree to this plan, you can’t.”
“But I have a life and a business and—”
“If you want to keep them, you’ll let me slide this ring on your finger and postpone your return to LA indefinitely.” When Corinne gears up for another objection, I cut her off. “Look at it this way, if we were actually engaged, if you truly pledged to spend the rest of your life with me, why would you be returning to Cali and leaving me behind? Unless it’s to pack up your apartment and move here—”
“Why wouldn’t you move to LA?”
“My business and my family are here, I bought a house as an investment last year, and it’s paradise. Why wouldn’t you move to Maui, where you’ll be farther away from your brother, making it harder for him to control you?”
Her expression tells me she sees my point, but she’s still unconvinced. “I don’t see how this will work. I have orders to fulfill. Responsibilities. Where would I even stay? The crappy room I had was at the top of my budget. This one… I don’t even want to ask how much it costs.”
I lean even closer. “Move in with me. I have a six-bedroom house. Pick one as your office. A bunch of my family have volunteered to pitch in to help you with things like customer service and packing up your orders. I’ll do your accounting and taxes. While we’re ‘engaged,’ you won’t have to grocery shop, cook, clean, or run a single errand. I’ll manage everything. You only have to make watch bands…and be seen with me.”
Corinne gapes at me for so long, I’m sure she’s going to say no. She doesn’t. “You’re insane.”
“Or hell-bent on not letting Parker win.”
“He’ll be furious,” she warns.
That’s icing on the cake. “Are you really prepared to give up your business because your brother will have a hissy?”
“No. But you’re not the one he’ll yell at.”
Oh, I’m sure I’ll hear from the little bastard, but that will be my pleasure. “You didn’t come all the way to Hawaii to ask me for help only to give up at the first sign of trouble, did you? When Parker withheld your inheritance, he didn’t seem to care much about your feelings. If you had wanted the money to party your way through Europe or to give to some internet scam, I could understand his decision to let you grow up before he turns you loose with millions of dollars. But you’ve been succeeding for four years. You’re ready to expand. What real reason does he have to hold you back, other than he doesn’t like your choice of jobs?”
“My brother can be stubborn and annoying. His methods suck. But he wants what’s best for me.”
Corinne sounds desperate to believe that Parker loves her and is merely guiding her to the best possible future. I get it, but she’s being naive. “He wants to control you.”