A Family Circle 1 - A Very Convenient Marriage by Dallas Schulze Page A
Authors: Dallas Schulze
Ads: Link
ago.
❧
"So, how's married life?" Liz's eyes were bright with curiosity. "I don't see any wounds, so I assume you and your new hubby haven't come to blows yet."
Once a month, she and Nikki got together to have lunch, go shopping or catch a movie together. Liz deposited Michael with a baby-sitter and, as she put it, escaped long enough to confirm that the real world still existed. Nikki thought that Liz's husband and son were the real world, but she enjoyed a chance to spend a few hours with her friend. This was the first time they'd seen each other since the wedding and Liz was bursting with a curiosity she didn't even try to hide.
"He's not my hubby and married life is just fine, especially since it's not really a marriage."
Liz clicked her tongue in disgust at this boring response. "Details. I want details."
"What kind of details are you hoping for?" Nikki asked. She gave her friend a stern look. "As if I didn't know. You're hoping for some lurid tale of passion."
"Lurid tales have gotten a bad rap in recent years. And what's wrong with passion?"
"Nothing. But that's not why I got married. For heaven's sake, Liz, I'm not going to jump into bed with a man I barely know just because we share a marriage license."
"You've thought about it, though, haven't you?" Liz asked wickedly. "I mean, there he is. And there you are. All alone together in that big house."
"I think you've been spending too much time watching soap operas. Things don't work the same way in real life as they do on TV. Maybe we should get together more often so I can give you a reality check," Nikki said, giving her a concerned look. "There's nothing going on between Sam and me."
"If I were living with a man as gorgeous as Sam Walker, I don't think I'd be boasting about the fact that nothing was going on."
The waiter's arrival with their meals gave Nikki a momentary respite, but she knew Liz too well to think the topic would be forgotten. She was right. The moment he was gone, Liz pinned Nikki to the booth with an intense look.
"And you can't tell me that you haven't given some thought to the possibilities inherent in this whole setup."
"I hardly even know he's in the house," Nikki said, lying through her teeth. She gave Liz a quelling look as she reached for the saltshaker. "This is strictly a business arrangement and that's all it's ever going to be. Enough said. Now, can we please change the subject? How is my adorable godchild?"
From Liz's expression, it was obvious that she didn't think there'd been nearly enough said, but she accepted the change of topic. And in a gesture of true friendship, she refrained from bringing up Sam's name for the rest of the afternoon.
Nikki appreciated her restraint. She only wished that he'd stay out of her thoughts as well as the conversation. And she wished she'd been telling the truth when she said that she hardly knew he was in the house. But if she'd told Liz the truth, she'd have had to admit to thinking about her new husband more than she liked.
It had been a week since they'd agreed to a cease-fire. As she'd crawled into bed that night, she'd wondered if it was possible that she and Sam could really get along. From the moment they'd met, they'd struck sparks off one another.
Now, driving home after her time with Liz, she found herself considering the possibility of a whole new kind of sparks between them. She dismissed the idea almost immediately. Even if she were to become attracted to Sam, and assuming the feeling was mutual, it wouldn't make any difference. This was still a business arrangement and, if there was one thing she'd learned from her grandfather, you did not mix your business and your private lives.
"And you forced me to break that rule, Grandfather, when you came up with that ridiculous clause to put in your will," she said out loud as she turned into her driveway. "Because you forced me to mix business with my private life in a major way."
Sam's truck was parked in front of the
❧
"So, how's married life?" Liz's eyes were bright with curiosity. "I don't see any wounds, so I assume you and your new hubby haven't come to blows yet."
Once a month, she and Nikki got together to have lunch, go shopping or catch a movie together. Liz deposited Michael with a baby-sitter and, as she put it, escaped long enough to confirm that the real world still existed. Nikki thought that Liz's husband and son were the real world, but she enjoyed a chance to spend a few hours with her friend. This was the first time they'd seen each other since the wedding and Liz was bursting with a curiosity she didn't even try to hide.
"He's not my hubby and married life is just fine, especially since it's not really a marriage."
Liz clicked her tongue in disgust at this boring response. "Details. I want details."
"What kind of details are you hoping for?" Nikki asked. She gave her friend a stern look. "As if I didn't know. You're hoping for some lurid tale of passion."
"Lurid tales have gotten a bad rap in recent years. And what's wrong with passion?"
"Nothing. But that's not why I got married. For heaven's sake, Liz, I'm not going to jump into bed with a man I barely know just because we share a marriage license."
"You've thought about it, though, haven't you?" Liz asked wickedly. "I mean, there he is. And there you are. All alone together in that big house."
"I think you've been spending too much time watching soap operas. Things don't work the same way in real life as they do on TV. Maybe we should get together more often so I can give you a reality check," Nikki said, giving her a concerned look. "There's nothing going on between Sam and me."
"If I were living with a man as gorgeous as Sam Walker, I don't think I'd be boasting about the fact that nothing was going on."
The waiter's arrival with their meals gave Nikki a momentary respite, but she knew Liz too well to think the topic would be forgotten. She was right. The moment he was gone, Liz pinned Nikki to the booth with an intense look.
"And you can't tell me that you haven't given some thought to the possibilities inherent in this whole setup."
"I hardly even know he's in the house," Nikki said, lying through her teeth. She gave Liz a quelling look as she reached for the saltshaker. "This is strictly a business arrangement and that's all it's ever going to be. Enough said. Now, can we please change the subject? How is my adorable godchild?"
From Liz's expression, it was obvious that she didn't think there'd been nearly enough said, but she accepted the change of topic. And in a gesture of true friendship, she refrained from bringing up Sam's name for the rest of the afternoon.
Nikki appreciated her restraint. She only wished that he'd stay out of her thoughts as well as the conversation. And she wished she'd been telling the truth when she said that she hardly knew he was in the house. But if she'd told Liz the truth, she'd have had to admit to thinking about her new husband more than she liked.
It had been a week since they'd agreed to a cease-fire. As she'd crawled into bed that night, she'd wondered if it was possible that she and Sam could really get along. From the moment they'd met, they'd struck sparks off one another.
Now, driving home after her time with Liz, she found herself considering the possibility of a whole new kind of sparks between them. She dismissed the idea almost immediately. Even if she were to become attracted to Sam, and assuming the feeling was mutual, it wouldn't make any difference. This was still a business arrangement and, if there was one thing she'd learned from her grandfather, you did not mix your business and your private lives.
"And you forced me to break that rule, Grandfather, when you came up with that ridiculous clause to put in your will," she said out loud as she turned into her driveway. "Because you forced me to mix business with my private life in a major way."
Sam's truck was parked in front of the
Similar Books
![Vampires Among Us [Vampires Among Us 1] (Siren Publishing Classic)](https://fs.ageofbook.com/186821/thumbs/152x264/vampires-among-us-vampires-among-us-1-siren-publishing-classic.png)
