Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 108173 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108173 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“You thought we’d be too wrapped up in each other to want to leave our room, right?”
“Nope. Why would I think that, when I meant for our marriage to be nothing but a convenient arrangement?”
“You’re so goddamned exasperating. I can’t tell you how much I regret my honesty at our wedding. If I’d kept my mouth shut and played the happy, devoted husband, we’d probably be fucking right now. Instead, we’re playing this dumb game of cat and mouse where you’re punishing me for said honesty.”
“I’m not punishing you.”
“Of course you are. I don’t love you and you’re embarrassed because you thought I did, and you think that somehow, you’ve been played for a fool.”
She swallowed but refused to respond to that.
“Believe what you want, Ben. I don’t care anymore.” She lifted her phone from beside her plate, left the table, and made her way to one of the loungers, where she sank down onto her back and lifted the phone above her face to check her texts.
“So that’s your plan? You’re going to spend the morning on social media?”
“I’m catching up with my friends,” she responded, not bothering to look at him.
“Your friends? Blake? And your emotional support… uh…”
“My emotional support hoes,” she completed when his voice trailed off and he lapsed into silence. She tossed him a disdainful glance, astonished that he would be squeamish about the word. “From my gardening gal club, The Horticultural Hoes… spelled h.o.e. Y’know, like the gardening tool?”
He tossed aside his napkin and also got up, but he retreated into the villa, only to emerge seconds later, clutching his laptop.
“Since this day is a total fucking wash, I may as well get some work done.”
“Whatever floats your boat,” she murmured dismissively, her thumbs working furiously as she sent texts to her friends.
They spent the rest of the morning like that.
Together. Yet alone.
They barely exchanged half a dozen words in the hours that followed breakfast. A feat made easy through years of practice. All those afternoons Lilah had spent in his office, doing her own thing, while he did his, had prepared them for exactly this eventuality.
And Lilah wondered if this was the kind of frigid disinterest he expected from their day-to-day married life.
He had his laptop out, clearly working, while she swam and read and texted her hoes and Blake.
The ladies had initially been content with her pics of the villa and the view. But they were getting exasperated with Lilah’s caginess.
God. Lilah pinched the bridge of her nose and fought back a groan. It had only been a matter of time.
Olive was the romantic in the group. The rest—Olive, Kes, and Ivy—all added to the demands and Lilah took a quick selfie, with the ocean as her backdrop, and sent it to them.
So many hearts and hot faces and a couple of squirting eggplants followed her blatant lie.
While that was going on, she took the opportunity to send the same selfie to Blake, with whom she was having a separate conversation. Blake cared little for gardening and even though she’d met most of the Horti Hoes at various outings and parties over the years, she wasn’t really a part of their group.
Blake had been the one who had gone shopping for honeymoon-wear with Lilah.
Lilah toyed with telling Blake the same lie, but her best friend wasn’t as easily fooled or distracted.
Blake wasn’t Ben’s biggest fan. She made no secret of the fact that she thought Ben should be more attentive and loving toward Lilah. Lilah had always defended him. Saying that was just the way he was. He wasn’t affectionate or demonstrative. He loved her in his own way…
God, she felt like such an idiot right now. Blake had tried to warn her. But in the end, because it was clearly what Lilah had wanted, her friend had made the effort to be warmer toward Ben.
Lilah toyed with the idea of telling her friend the truth. But knew it was a conversation best had face-to-face. Instead, she dissembled.
She assumed there had to be some truth to that. Ben had effectively been at the helm of the company for several years, but his position hadn’t been formalized. To all intents and purposes, the shareholders assumed that Gramps still made all the important decisions. But Gramps had been merely a figurehead for a while now.
Lilah’s eyes flooded. Trust Blake to get to the heart of the matter immediately. She was a fierce champion of those she cared about.
Talk about wishful thinking. But thankfully, Blake let it go and the conversation veered to who had been wearing what at the wedding.
There’d been insistent pings and WhatsApp notifications on her phone throughout her chat with Blake, the hoes were getting impatient.
“Can’t you put that damned thing on silent?” Ben snapped from his seat at the patio table. “It’s been going nonstop for the last half hour. You have it in your hand, no reason for it not to be on mute.”