Page 40 of Real Fake Husband
Andnotin a fun way. Unfortunately, telling myself to sleep doesn’t work.
I don’t get much rest that night, and for once, it has nothing to do with the couch. Every time I close my damn eyes, I see naked Cal.
17
JOSIE
NINETEEN DAYS LEFT
“Josie?”
I’m in the middle of wiping down the shelves where we store the coffee mugs and cups when Matilda comes through the door.
“Why are you here so early?” she asks.
“No reason,” I say breezily.
Matilda raises her eyebrows, looking at all the cups on the counter, and me, attacking the shelf like it offended my ancestors. “Anything you want to talk about, sweetie?”
I sigh heavily and let the rag fall onto the shelf in front of me. “I’m sorry I’ve been out of sorts lately. It’s…things are such a mess right now.”
Matilda comes around the counter and pulls me into a hug. “Aww, sweetie, it’s all right. As much as I appreciate your sudden interest in extreme cleanliness, maybe you should take a seat. Come on, put the glasses back, and I’ll make us some coffee.”
I return the hug, instantly at ease.
Matilda always has that effect on me. I do as she says, putting the mugs and cups back onto the shelf and throwing the dirty rag into the back. Meanwhile, Matilda pulls out the specialty coffee, which is usually only used on Sunday. But she knows how much I love French Vanilla and brews a fresh pot for us to share.
Once it’s ready, she pours a cup for each of us and takes a seat next to me. “All right, Josie, lay it on me. I know we haven’t talked about it, but you’ve been going through a tough time lately. I can tell. You know you can talk to me about anything.”
I pour a hearty amount of sugar into my cup. “I know I can. It’s something personal that I’ve been trying to keep to myself for a few reasons. It’s not because I don’t trust you, it’s just because it’s so ridiculous.”
She chuckles. “Well, now youhaveto tell me.”
“You ready for a good laugh?”
“Always.”
I already told Kaylin, might as well tell Matilda. She won’t tell a soul. I spend the next five minutes giving her the briefest of rundowns about what’s been going on. Unlike Kaylin, she doesn’t react when I tell her I got married. When all is said and done, she stares at me for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“Great, thank you, thanks for that,” I say.
Matilda lays her hand on my arm. “I’m sorry, sweetie,” she says between giggles. “I don’t mean to laugh at your expense, but you’re right, thisdidmake for a good laugh. Being forced to marry your childhood bully for a major inheritance and then seeing his impressive willy would do that to you. Honestly, I’d be more concerned if you didn’t find the humor in all of this.”
Now we’re both laughing. I love Matilda, bless her heart, and it’s just so her to say willy instead of dick. It’s the whole situation, really, that makes me crack up: me here, talking to my 68-year-old boss about the memorable reproductive organ of my one-month-husband. She’s right: the whole situation is too funny, if you think about it. My sides start to hurt, and I have to take a few deep breaths to calm myself. “If you had told me last month that I’d be sitting here complaining about being married and attracted to Callum Ashford, I would’ve told you to stop pulling my leg.” I pick up my coffee and take a big sip. The warmth spreads down my throat and into my stomach, instantly putting me at ease.
“Hey, I’m not here to judge,” Matilda says, her eyes all wrinkled up in amusement. She lifts her hands in surrender. “I’ve been married three times, and none of them came with hundreds of thousands of dollars. It would’ve been worth it if they had.”
I snort, well aware of Matilda’s relationships with men.
Matilda laughs, this time softer as she puts her arm around me. “All joking aside, good for you. If someone irritated me that much, I’d have gone crazy already. Is he that gorgeous?”
I think about last night and my cheeks grow warm. “Drop dead gorgeous.” I take another big sip of coffee. “There’sno wayI can let him win this bet.”
“You’ve got this, Josie,” Matilda says, rubbing my back. “Show him who’s boss! Just because he’s a pretty face doesn’t mean you should go easy on him.”
I lift my mug in a mock toast. “Hell no.”
She clinks her mug against mine.