Mr CEO's Pretend Fiancee

THREE - Divorcee

He smiled again. “It wouldn’t be difficult to fall in love with you. Anyway, we’ll be going over to my parent’s place on Sunday, after that, we’ll decide how to make our proposal public. An engagement party or something.” He picked up a bottle of beer, tipped his head back and downed it. Goddamn, just drinking beer and he looks so hot.

“I haven’t said yes to the arrangement, Mr. Carter.”

“You haven’t said no either, miss Wordsworth,” he said with a lopsided smile. “Call me Nathaniel while I call you Claire, you’re my fiancée now, babe.”

Babe. Just a simple word, yet my stomach fluttered at the sound of it. His voice was deep and rough which made it sound all better.

“I like your SpongeBob shirt but I bet I’ll like you better when you take it off,” he said. I flushed red. He picked up his coat and made way to the door. “See you later, babe. I’ll pick you up by two on Sunday. Wear something nice.” And with that he was out of my door and I wished he was out of my life too. I sighed deeply and slouched on the couch.

“He is so hot.” I heard Aniyah say. If I heard more about Nathaniel I might just remarry my ex husband Vincent.

•••

I woke up with my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth and unbearable headache. I took painkillers and jumped into the shower. I sat there until my water ran cold. I got out of shower, put on a pair of jeans and a dress shirt, nuked up the leftovers from last night and had them for breakfast. I grabbed my purse and car keys and headed out to get grocery and maybe an outfit for tomorrow because I didn’t want to disappoint Nathaniel. I had an amazing dream last night. I had the best orgasm ever and it was a gift from Nathaniel and I was his wife. I was married to a CEO and he was in love with me. I was happy. But now, I’m back to my awful reality. I’d choose that dream any day over the one about whales and apples. I stopped at the meat shop to apologize to Tank for last night’s disaster and thank him for the hound of meat he gave me when I ran into one of my classmates from high school, Connie.

“Hi, Claire.” She sounded like she was mocking me she in fact, she was. “Your mum called my mum, she said you are engaged to Nathaniel Carter. It’s just a rumor, right? An ugly one at that.” Everyone turned to look at me and I heard my sister’s middle school friend say, “my mum called this morning to tell me too.”

I sighed. “It’s not official yet.”

“Does that mean it will be official?” Mrs. Plum asked. I rolled my eyes and nodded. Before anyone else could ask more questions, I ran out of the meat shop into my car and veered off. I dialed my mother as soon as I was far from the meat shop because I was stuck in traffic.

“Hello.”

“Why does everyone know about Nathaniel and I?”

“I might’ve told a few people.”

“Well, now everyone knows. Do you want him to cancel the engagement, mum?”

“Of course not!” She shrieked. I ended the call because we were free to move again. My next stop was The Pick ‘n’ Mix. A grocery on Melody drive. There, I ran into my best friend Annalise Macaroni. She used to go by Annalise Carlos but she got married and her name changed. She has five children now and she’s a good example of why I shouldn’t have children. Her daughter Mary was throwing a tantrum, I could barely hear Annalise when she said hi.

“Oh, hi, Ann,” I said back.

“How are you?”

“I’m good.”

“Not that I’m a gossip or anything but my husband says he heard Nathaniel Carter proposed to marry you, is that true?”

I rolled my eyes. “The number of times I’ve gotten that question today is insane. It’s a lot more complicated than that. Maybe I could come over…” I glanced at Mary who was still thrashing around. “…when the children are at school.” Ann nodded and went back to taming Mary. I don’t really like to cook, mostly because I don’t know how to. While my sister was learning to cook, clean and be a mother, I sneaking out to boy’s houses.

I lost my virginity when I was sixteen to my ex-husband. It didn’t go well because the next day, he wrote it on the bathroom wall how he railed me, I’m details. My mum heard about it and I was grounded for three months. I don’t know how I forgave him in the end and the relationship continued even after college and we eventually got married. I should’ve known it was a bad bad idea after everything he wrote on the bathroom walls but my pea-sized brain didn’t.

I bought everything I needed to stock up my fridge and make it look like I had my life together. I even bought a non-stick pot and fry pan. I knew I wasn’t going to use it but I was getting married soon and I need to be prepared for anything. Maybe my mother in-law would want a tour of my apartment. How’d it look it I had just paper plates, plastic spoons and no pots?

It was time to get the dress. I was thinking of getting a flower dress, it’ll look good on me and make me look like I was a reasonable adult that was fit to be the wife of a CEO. That’s the look I’m going for. I arrived at the mall and had the sudden urge to do something to my hair so I phone Aniyah, she said she was free so I was seating and waiting for her to come.

“Claire!” I heard someone exclaim my name, it was my sister-in-law, Deborah. I didn’t like seeing her. She had such a high-pitched voice and was always laugh .

“Oh, I know what you and your family must be going through.” She wasn’t laughing.

“What? What are you talking about?” I asked.

“The divorce! I can’t imagine how hard it is on you. I’m so sorry.”

I had no idea what she was talking about. I got divorced four years ago, it wouldn’t be so hard on me now.

“It was four—“

“I tried to talk to my brother but he wouldn’t budge, he insisted on getting a divorce. How’s Joyce doing?”

Joyce? That’s my sister, the dove! Joyce was getting a divorce?

“Joyce and Alvin are getting a divorce?” I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. Something finally went wrong in Joyce’s life. Then it hit me, my sister was getting a divorce. I know what it feels like to get a divorce and my marriage was just a week old, hers is five years old.

“Oh, Deborah, excuse me, I have a call to make,” I told the lady. I called my mum immediately.

“Hel—”

“Joyce and Alvin are getting divorced.” The gasp sounded like all the air had been sucked out of mum’s lungs.

“What? Who? How?”

“I ran into Deborah at the mall,” I told her.

“My angel? I could understand if it were you but Joyce?”

I rolled my eyes even though she couldn’t see me. We ended the call soon after, my mum wanted to speak to Joyce. I want to talk to her too but that’ll be later today. Just then Aniyah arrived. She was wearing a leopard print spandex dress that barely contained her and some heels.

“I hear there’s a beauty emergency,” was what she said. I’m a few inches taller than Aniyah but she often used her heels to disguise that.

“My sister’s getting divorced,” I told her.

“The one that’s a saint?”

“Yeah.”

“A failed marriage leads to many more failed marriages.”

“I’ve been divorced, Aniyah.”

“I know.” She took a seat beside me. “What inspired this fashion emergency?”

“I’m going to see Nathaniel’s stepmom and grandfather on Sunday.”

“That’s huge.”

At the end of the day, I had maxed my credit card and gotten a very sexy red dress that I’m in love with. I spent money on plenty other things but the highlight of my day was the red dress. I was about to nuke the lasagna when my grandmother called and said she needed a ride for her date and I could have dinner and my parent’s place instead, my sister was coming over. The weather was cold so I wore an oversized hand-knitted sweater and a pair of jeans.