He nodded. “That’d be fine.”
Neither of them said anything on the way out. Nick closed the sliding glass door and Lecie became overwhelmed with a feeling of doom. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, walk out on her now. Would he?
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“I don’t want you to worry,” he said, and smiled. “But I’ve been thinking…” His words trail off.
Was Tasha being arrested for assaulting the press too much for him? Did he not want to get mixed up with this crazy family? And better yet, what did he have on this Parker guy? It wasn’t like Nick had any money to buy him off. Nick was up to his ears in debt. He hadn’t wanted to tell her that, but Davis had looked into him, probably because he’d been ordered to by Julian. Lecie didn’t kid herself for a minute that her big brother didn’t know everything that was going on out here in California. Davis had told her this morning, before Nick came over, all about what Ginny had done to him.
Of course, Lecie didn’t want to crush what was left of Nick’s pride, so she kept on pretending like she was still in the dark. But sooner or later, Nick was going to have to open up to her.
“How did you get that guy to drop the charges and hand over those memory cards?” she asked casually enough.
“Let’s just say…” he said smoothly, “that money isn’t always the only motivating factor.”
“How much did you have to lay out? Be honest, please.”
“A thousand bucks.”
“I’ll pay you back. As soon as the bank opens.”
“That’s not necessary.” He sucked in a breath and finally released it, saying, “I’m not the kind of guy who marries a girl for money. I’m the kind of guy who blackmails jerks like Parker, on behalf of innocent women and children…and expects nothing in return for it.” He gave Lecie a piercing look, that not even Tasha herself could’ve ignored.
That bad feeling in Lecie’s gut swelled. She didn’t know if it was because it sounded like Nick was simply walking away, or if he was walking away and that made her sad.
“You’re not going to marry me, are you?”
“I’m not the kind of guy who’ll throw you to the wolves either.” He shook his head slowly. “What I will do is…I will marry you, for say, six months so that your father can’t have you deported. I will take your money, because I need it desperately, but only in exchange for ten percent ownership of Hang Ten.”
A million objections for why that was not a fair deal for him rambled through Lecie’s mind, and she was about to start voicing them, one after the other, when Nick said, “That’s my final offer.”
If there was one thing Nick had learned in his short, but eventful, acquaintance with Lecie and her family, it was that you could accomplish just about anything if you had enough money and you were willing to spend it. And boy, these people did and they were.
Davis, the attorney, had arranged it all with very little inconvenience to Lecie or her sisters-in-law.
Fifteen minutes after the minister showed up, Nick found himself married, with the minister prompting him to kiss his bride.
Granted, the thought left him feeling a little awkward, but he did it. He had to drop his head a little to press his lips against Lecie’s. Hers were soft. Too soft. And enticing.
Ten minutes later, with the marriage license signed, Davis and the minister split, and Nick couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by all that had transpired in such a short amount of time.
While the women laughed and chatted, he slipped outside and sat down on the terrace, right beside the fire pit where he and Lecie had hashed out the details not that long ago.
The image of the way the fire had cast its glow over her face wouldn’t let him go. She was pretty, but it was more than that. Something about her had caught in his heart the moment Dean shoved her in his face a few days ago. Something that was growing in his gut. It wasn’t a sickening feeling. No, it was so much better than that.
Forget it, he coached himself. He wasn’t in this girl’s league. Once her infatuation with America was over, she’d be on to something else. He’d do well to remember that. Eventually, she was going to leave him behind.
“Hey…” Her voice drifted up beside him warmly. He cleared his throat and tried to hide his face, as if she could read his thoughts. “You all right?” she asked, sitting beside him on the couch.
“Yeah.” He smiled and looked at her. “You?”
“I’m fine. Thanks to you.” She chuckled. “Won’t Papa be surprised when he finds out.”
“I guess this is the wrong time to be asking this,” he said with a flash of humor. “But you’re father and brothers aren’t gonna try to kill me, are they?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Papa will bellow and tell Julian and Andre to handle it. But what he doesn’t know is…my brothers have been in on this since the beginning.”
She pulled the cashier’s check from her pocket and handed it to him. “You really don’t have to give me any part of your restaurant, you know.”
“Yes, I do.” He took the check and slipped it into his pocket without looking at it. “Is there anything I can do for you?” he asked.
“Just don’t do anything to give away our secret.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
THE NEXT MORNING, CAMILLE, TASHA and the kids scurried around the house getting ready to leave. The whole thing was disheartening for Lecie.
Deidra came into the living room and went straight to Lecie. She was wearing a horrific look on her face.
“What’s wrong?” Lecie asked, uncertainty and dread washing over her.
“I just got a call from my father.” Tears began to water her eyes. “He said my grandmother is in the hospital.”
Lecie’s breath caught in her throat. Mavis Ferguson was everything to Deidra. “Is it serious?”
“He just said I should come, right away.” A trail of tears dripped from each of Deidra’s eyes.
Lecie gestured toward Camille. “You can drop her off in Florida, right?”
“Of course we can,” Camille said without hesitation.
“I haven’t even packed.” Deidra shook her head. “I don’t want to hold you up.”
“Nonsense,” Camille went to her side and laid a gentle hand on her arm. “Go pack,” she said with a gentle nod toward the stairs. “The great thing about owning your own plane is that it leaves when you want it to.”