Best Laid Plans. Brenda Jackson

      “Now I have your mobile number and you have mine. And to make our affair believable, especially since there’s no doubt in my mind there are allies out there who will report to Miss Chapman and Mama Laverne of our activities, I think it would be best if you stayed here.”

      “Just for the night, though,” she clarified.

      “No, for the week.”

      The bunched nerves inside Ivy’s stomach kicked. “For a week?”

      “Yes, a week. You had originally planned to do that anyway, before you discovered we’d been set up, right?”

      “Yes, that’s right.” She nervously licked her bottom lip. “But...”

      “But what?”

      “Where will you be?” she felt the need to ask.

      “I’ll be right here with you.”

      * * *

      NOLAN THOUGHT THAT if the situation wasn’t so serious, he would find the look on her face downright amusing. In just the short time he’d been with her, he had noticed several things. Like how her brows would bunch tight when she was annoyed by something, how she would push curls away from her face when she wasn’t sure about something, how she would lick her bottom lip with the tip of her tongue when she became nervous. Then there were the times she would push her eyeglasses back on her face whenever they slipped down that cute little nose of hers. The gesture usually preceded a strong rebuttal. He didn’t mind. Women who thought it would be in their best interests to agree with anything he said irritated him. It was as if they couldn’t speak or think for themselves. Obviously Ivy had no such hang-ups.

      “Mama Laverne will expect it. Trust me. I know how her mind works. We mustn’t forget that our goal is to make her assume her plan is working, right?”

      “Yes.”

      “Then sharing this place for a week is what we’ll need to do. The sooner we can convince her we fell in love, the sooner we can convince her we’ve fallen out of love.”

      He saw the uncertain look on her face and on cue she pushed a few wayward curls back from her face. He’d been tempted to do it. “I promise not to bite, Ivy. This plan that we pretend to be lovers was your idea. I agreed with the stipulations you put in place. But I’ve stated more times than I cared to that in order to make it work we have to make our fake relationship appear believable.”

      He scrubbed the back of his neck, trying to keep his frustration with her at bay. She couldn’t have things both ways. “In case you haven’t noticed, this place has two bedrooms, split concept with each suite having its own bath. You will have your space and I’ll have mine.”

      “I know that, Nolan, but what will we do together for a week?”

      “Whatever you had planned to do without me being here and I will do likewise. But at some point we need to set aside time to get to know each other.”

      “Why?”

      He was surprised she would ask that. “Because after a week everyone would expect us to know something about each other and, trust me, Mama Laverne will grill me and there’s no doubt in my mind your grandmother will do the same.”

      She nodded. “I guess you’re right.”

      “You know I’m right.” He stood and stretched his limbs, suddenly feeling exhausted. He wasn’t sure whether the cause was from taking time out to play tennis with his cousins earlier today or from verbally sparring with her. “I need a good night’s sleep, so I’m going to bed.”

      “To bed? But it’s only seven and it’s still daylight outside.”

      “Not for long. Besides, I think my body is still on Paris time. I had just got back the day before you came to my office.”

      “What about dinner? Aren’t you hungry?”

      “No. I’m still stuffed from when my great-aunt fed me earlier today. I assume you will be here in the morning when I wake up.”

      “Yes, I’ll be here.”

      He nodded. Before heading out of the kitchen, he glanced over at her and said, “Good night, Ivy. See you in the morning.”

      “Good night.”

      As Nolan strolled out of the kitchen toward the bedroom he would be using, he hoped like hell that their plan worked. He was tempted to look back at her before opening the door to his bedroom, but he fought the temptation. His only involvement with Ivy would be of the pretend kind and it was best that he remembered that.