Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78634 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78634 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
I was on a fake Parisian street, surrounded by fake trees, under a fake blue sky. This had been the perfect place to begin our fake marriage.
Time to find out if it could survive in the real world.
I ended up sleeping on the flight home. When we landed in San Francisco, another town car was waiting for us. The driver took us to the Pink Victorian, and Bryson came in to help me get Dusty and the two boxes I’d packed before the trip.
After I gave JoJo the macarons and thanked her for watching my dog, I grabbed her in a hug. “I’m not saying goodbye,” I told her. “That’s not what this is.”
“You’re right,” she said. “We’ll be seeing you real soon.”
Even though I knew that, I still felt emotional as all my housemates took turns hugging me. Then I scooped up my dog and held the door for Bryson, who brought my stuff to the car for me.
Once we got to his house, we left the boxes and his garment bag in the foyer and carried Dusty and my luggage upstairs. “When the house was remodeled, I had the main suite converted to a library,” he explained. “I just couldn’t see sleeping in what used to be my dad’s room, so I’m still using the bedroom I grew up in. It’s to the left at the top of the stairs, and your room is to the right.”
The guest room was gorgeous, like the rest of the house. It had pale blue walls, dark wood furniture, and a big bed with fluffy pillows and blue-on-blue bedding. There was also a comfortable-looking upholstered chair and matching ottoman, a window seat, and a small fireplace, which helped it seem cozy. It made me think of a fancy bed and breakfast. Not that I’d ever stayed in one, but I could imagine.
“Please feel free to change it,” he said. “Do whatever it takes for you to feel comfortable here.”
I murmured, “It’s perfect.”
“Your bathroom is through there.” Bryson gestured at a closed door. “I made sure there were fresh towels before we left for Las Vegas.” He looked around and said, “I feel like there’s a bunch more stuff I should be telling you, but that’s all I can think of right now.”
“This is great. Really.”
“Okay. I’m going to bring up the rest of your stuff. Be right back.”
With that, he hurried out of the room, and I hugged my dog to my chest. It was surprising that Bryson seemed as nervous as I felt. But then, this was almost as big a change for him as it was for me, since he was letting someone he barely knew into his home. He seemed to like structure and routine, and we both knew I was going to throw that off in a big way.
After he returned and stacked the boxes on the floor, he asked, “Would you like some help unpacking?”
“No, thanks. I’ve got it.” We both hesitated for a moment, unsure about what to do next. Then I pointed at the door and said, “I’m going to close this, so Dusty will stay in here with me.” The dog was squirming in my arms and more than ready to be set free.
“Yeah, of course. I’ll keep my phone on me, so send a text if you need anything. Oh, and I’m going to have some groceries delivered. Any requests?”
“I’d like some cereal, any kind that seems like it was made for a six-year-old.” I fished some money out of my pocket and tried to give it to him, but he stepped back and held his hands up, as if I’d pulled a gun on him.
“Meals and groceries are part of our deal,” he reminded me.
“But I can buy my own stuff.”
“It’s going to get too complicated if we start down that path. What am I going to do, charge you for an egg and a slice of bread if you make yourself breakfast? Just let me cover all the food.”
“You’re very stubborn.”
“I’m also right. It’s best to keep this as simple and straightforward as possible.” There was no point in arguing, because I was never going to win.
After Bryson went downstairs, I shut the door and put the dog down. Dusty immediately started running around and sniffing everything. I opened one of the boxes, gave him his squeaky toy, and set up his fluffy fleece bed. Then I filled his water bowl in the bathroom and put it on the floor next to the sink, and the dog was basically all set.
It didn’t take much longer than that for me to move in. I didn’t have a lot of stuff to begin with, and I hadn’t brought everything I owned with me. I wasn’t giving up my room in the Pink Victorian, and I planned on spending plenty of time over there, so it made sense to only bring what I thought I’d need.