Unexpectedly His(58)

Their business deal had grown into passion and friendship. Yes, Nick had freed her inner siren and encouraged her sexuality, but she wasn’t trying to get over the best sex ever—although sex with Nick was the best ever—no, she was trying to get over the one man she’d always love.

Drawing in a shaky breath, she snapped the cover of the tablet shut in one swift motion. No calculation could change her decision. Marianne wanted a lifetime of Nick Wright, but not if being with her cost him everything. She slid her hands beneath her glasses, pressed the heels of her palms against her eyes.

Statistically, only two percent of people suffered from broken heart syndrome, a small, but real, number. And she was among them. Glasses askew, her skirt wrinkled, her hair a mess, she was melting down in a way she never thought possible, and no Marilyn marathon could change the fact that her heart was completely shattered, literally aching from the pain. She’d agreed to a temporary engagement and committed the worst possible sin. She’d fallen permanently in love.

The click of Jane’s heels against the tile caused her to smooth her skirt and straighten her glasses. No more sexy dresses. No more fishnets. No more scandalous shoes. Her inner siren’s run was over. Back to plain, achingly serious Marianne.

Jane stopped in front of her desk, deposited a cup with the words Grande. Passion. Marianne scrawled in black Sharpie across the front, and got straight to the point. “Nick was offered his partnership, but he turned it down.”

Marianne eyed the paper cup as her splintered heart started cautiously to collect its pieces. “Why?”

A sympathetic sound of impatience erupted from Jane’s throat. “Because Nick is a good man with a heart of gold, okay? He’s not just the guy whose serial relationships are always short-circuiting.” She pushed the tea cup closer, and the words stared Marianne in the face. “But I think you already know that.” She opened her mouth to object, but Jane waved her off. “Do you know he worked nights to get through college?” She shook her head. “Well, he did, and when he finally got a scholarship, he kept his night job to put Jake and me through school, too. Do not let go of this wonderful man, Marianne. Do. Not.”

Marianne looked away, tears burning her eyes as she smoothed her wrinkled skirt. “He is wonderful, Jane—so, so wonderful, but our relationship only worked because it wasn’t real, because of our deal. He never really wanted me. Not plain old regular new girl, Marianne. He wanted his cake girl for a temporary six weeks. No matter how wonderful he is, that hasn’t changed.”#p#分页标题#e#

Jane shook her head, obviously not buying it. “Nick was attracted to you from the minute he saw you pop out of that cake, yes, but somewhere along the line, he fell for you. For Marianne. Not the new girl or the cake girl, but for you. All of the wonderful, beautiful things that you are—inside and out.” She sipped at her coffee and glanced at her over the rim of the cup. “And while we’re on the subject of the cake girl, I may have a teeny-tiny confession.” She tilted her head and tugged hard on her right ear, the childhood tell of a gambler’s daughter. Cupid was about to lay all her cards on the table. “There never was an actual cake girl.”

Marianne blinked behind the glasses, stunned, but secretly thrilled by the revelation. “No cake girl?”

“No cake girl.” A tight, forgive-me smile creased her face. “I arranged the cake for Nick’s birthday, but not the girl, hoping that my favorite siren would climb in there and pop out in time to meet her statistically perfect match.”

Marianne felt the heat spread across her cheeks. “So the dress…the shoes…”

“All on my Amex.”

“Jane, honestly—”

Her hands flew into the air. “I know. I know, it was risky, but the look on your face when you saw him for the first time…and the way he smiled back at you…I mean, I am Cupid, right? So how could I resist when two people I love so…”

She was the original cake girl. The only one for Nick. The edges of her mouth curved into a half smile. “Oh, Jane.” She jumped out of her chair and threw her arms around her friend’s shoulders. “Statistically speaking, you’re the smartest Cupid in town.”

“Really?” she said, “You’re not mad…”

“I’m not mad,” she said, but Jane was already speaking over her.

“Because he loves you, Marianne. From what I can tell, he loves everything about you. But I think you already know that, too, which means the only real issue left is how do you intend to fix this? Because you are not going to throw away the best man who has ever happened to you.”