It Started with a Bang by Piper James

Chapter Seven

Annabelle

I’m in.

Those two little words had my adrenaline rushing like I’d just jumped out of an airplane. Without a parachute. Over a canyon filled with sharp, wooden stakes.

Excitement and dread warred for supremacy inside me, my gut roiling as trepidation slowly overpowered the sense of victory I’d bathed in when Ryder had first agreed to my plan. I knew I should be happy. It was what I wanted. Wasn’t it?

Fuck. What had I been thinking? Could I really marry a man I didn’t know just to best my father and get my hands on Parker Industries?

I’d done everything in my power to convince Ryder to agree—including intentionally goading him with those texts to give him a little extra push—but now I was second-guessing everything. This whole plan could backfire in my face, and I could lose everything. If my father figured out what I was up to, he could disown me and sell the company. I wouldn’t put it past him to do that and more.

I’d be fine, financially. My trust fund had matured last year, and that alone made me insanely wealthy. That, combined with the money I’d saved and invested over the years with my P.I. salary, I had more than I could ever spend in several lifetimes.

It wasn’t about the money. And it wasn’t about my relationship with Dad. I could honestly say I hated the man. He was a terrible person who deserved to live the rest of his life alone, without his children. My brothers had already cut ties with him, and he had no one to blame but himself.

The only reason I stuck around was because I wanted control of the company. Dad might be the scum of the Earth, but he built Parker Industries into a massive powerhouse. And I could do so much good with all those resources.

The company could provide meals for the hungry. We could fund free clinics, women’s shelters, and environmental studies. And so much more.

But any time I brought any of this up to Dad, he shut me down. He liked to say charity was for the weak, and we shouldn’t be enabling lazy and entitled people to remain lazy and entitled. That we provided thousands of jobs at Parker Industries, and that was our contribution to society. If people wanted to better their situation, they should damn-well get a job.

Asshole.

Nothing would change his mind, so it was up to me to bide my time until I was in charge and could make the changes that needed to be made. Which was what I’d been doing—biding my time—until he threw this crazy ultimatum at me and expected me to just roll over and marry someone as sleazy as he was. Someone who’d influence me to run the company the way he had always run it.

“Over my dead body,” I muttered, slipping some comfortable flats on my feet.

I’d called in reinforcements. My friends were meeting me at The Watering Hole in fifteen minutes. I hadn’t told them about my father’s demands yet, so I had a lot to fill them in on.

I’d sent out the “bat signal,” a simple text with the time, place, and a bat emoji that we all knew meant something serious was happening with one of us. That we needed to drop everything and show up, no matter what. So, I knew they’d be there.

I picked up my phone, my teeth tugging at my bottom lip as I scrolled through my contacts. I had a friend from high school who’d opened her own private investigation service after a few years working at the police department. Typing out a detailed email, I provided as much information as I could think of and asked Patty to look into Ryder. I needed to know if he had any skeletons in his closet I should worry about. I couldn’t afford any surprises later on.

I grabbed my keys and tucked my license and credit card into the pocket on my phone case so I wouldn’t have to carry a purse. I headed toward the kitchen and checked the dog bowls resting on a mat in the corner. I filled one with water, then added three scoops of kibble to the other.

“Thanos! Here, boy!” I called out.

My sweet, wrinkle-faced furbaby came scooting around the corner, his feet slipping on the tile before he caught his balance and charged toward me. He went immediately for the food, and I scratched his back and told him to be a good boy while I was gone.

When I got to the bar, Sage was already there, sipping on a blue cocktail garnished with a chunk of pineapple. I slid into a chair, raising an eyebrow at the fishbowl-sized glass.

“Are you drinking for two tonight?” I asked, laughing as she made a show of slurping it through two straws at once.

“If I can’t take a real vacation, at least I can pretend,” she said, smacking her lips. Her expression grew serious. “What’s the emergency?”

“Is Ember here yet?” I hedged, looking around the bar.

“She texted me a few minutes ago. She said she’ll be here soon,” she answered.

“Maybe I should wait until she gets here,” I said, catching the waitress’s eye.

The woman came over with a smile, and I ordered my usual whiskey sour. She nodded and turned to go, but I called out for her to come back.

“Can I also get a shot of tequila and two lime wedges?”

“Wow, it must be serious if you need tequila,” Sage joked as the waitress strode away.

“You have no idea,” I sighed.

“Just tell me, Belle. The suspense is killing me,” she said, taking another long pull from her drink.

I inhaled, holding the breath in my lungs for a moment. I knew if Ember said she’d be here soon, that meant twenty or thirty minutes, at best. That woman had no concept of time and was perpetually late. Besides, maybe it would be better to get Sage’s take on the issue first. She’d always been the most rational and level-headed of all of us.

“I’m getting married,” I blurted out before I could second-guess myself.

Sage stared at me, blinking slowly as she processed my words. “I’m sorry. What did you just say?”

“I’m getting married?” I repeated, the words coming out more like a question this time.

“What do you mean, you’re getting married? You’re not even dating anyone.” She shook her head. “You’re not, right?” she asked, her voice rising in pitch with each word.

“No, I’m not dating anyone,” I said, my shoulders drooping.

“Is this like one of those reality shows where people get married the minute they meet and cameras follow them around to film the carnage?” she asked, cocking her head. “Because if it is, I’m here for it.”

“No, jerk. It’s…complicated.”

“Explain. Now,” she ordered, using the “brook no argument” voice she perfected over the years at her job as an elementary school teacher.

So, I did. I told her about the stunt Dad pulled, his mandate that I marry within the next six months, my literal run-in with Ryder, and the workaround I cooked up to defy my father. She remained quiet through my entire speech, then sat there staring at me for several seconds in stunned silence.

Then, she blew.

“Are you fucking crazy?” she barked. “You can’t just up and marry some dude you just met and move him into your home. You don’t know anything about him. And don’t get me started on the part where you’re paying him for his services.”

“Thanks for the support,” I deadpanned.

“You want blind support?” she sneered. “You should’ve just said so.”

“No. Of course, not,” I said, feeling defensive. “But can’t you see how perfect this is? It will get Dad off my back, and I’ll get the company. Ryder and I will divorce quietly, he’ll be rich, and everybody wins.”

“How do you figure? You said, yourself, your deal with this Ryder character is only for one year. Do you really think dear old Dad is going to retire and hand over the company that soon?”

“There has to be a reason he gave me a six-month time limit,” I explained.

“And if he drags his feet?” she asked. “Will you ask your husband to extend the contract?”

“I don’t know, Sage,” I said, sighing. “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. If nothing else, this will buy me some time to come up with another plan.”

“What do you know about this guy?” she asked, changing directions.

“He owns a construction business with his brothers in California,” I said. “I met them all, and they seem like decent people.”

“Serial killers usually do,” she muttered.

“Sorry, I’m late.” Ember’s voice broke up the stare-down Sage and I were engaged in. She slid into an empty chair, adding, “Derek showed up at the shop out of the blue this afternoon.”

“Who’s Derek?” I asked, happy for the short reprieve from Sage’s Negative-Nancy reaction.

“That guy I met at the coffee shop in Oakley last week. I’d mentioned the shop, and he popped in to check out the merchandise,” she explained, placing a suggestive emphasis on the last word while waggling her eyebrows.

Ember owned Glowing Embers, a boutique she’d opened right after high school, rather than going to college like Sage and I had. Her shop sold western gear, boots, country-style knick-knacks, and quilts sewn by the ladies down at the senior center.

“Oh, yeah?” I asked, ignoring the pointed look Sage was shooting me. “How was he?”

“Eh,” Ember said, holding up a hand and tilting it back and forth. “Three out of ten.”

“Weak,” I sang, returning her grin.

“Okay, enough,” Sage said, turning her blue gaze to Ember. “Ask Belle why she sent out the bat signal.”

“Oh, somebody has her undies in a twist. Let me get a drink, first,” Ember replied, sliding out of her seat and strutting toward the bar instead of waiting for our waitress to notice her.

“You’re stalling,” Sage hissed as soon as Ember was out of earshot.

“No, I am not,” I argued. “I brought you both here to tell you. Why wouldn’t I want to tell Ember?”

“Because you’re afraid she’ll be on my side, then you’ll be outnumbered and have to call this whole thing off.”

“I’m not calling it off, Sage. I already called Marshall and asked him to draw up the contract.”

My brother wasn’t very happy when I told him what was going on with Dad, and his attitude only got worse after I explained how I planned to deal with it. He was even more opposed to this whole marriage thing than Sage was, and he threatened to grab his twin, Max and fly out here to have it out with Dad.

I managed to talk him down and even got him to agree to draw up the papers. Threatening to call a lawyer not associated with the family did the trick, but the truth was, I had no clue what I would’ve done if he refused. He was the only one I trusted to do this for me.

“And he and Max aren’t already on a flight out here to kick Jaxson’s ass all over Texas?” she asked.

“It was a close call, but no,” I said, giving her a small smile. “Come on, Sage. Don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad, Belle. I’m worried about you, that’s all.”

“Worried about what?” Ember asked, sliding back into her chair with a bottle of light beer and a cup of lime wedges in one hand and two shots of tequila in the other. “Oh, Dakota said you had a shot, so I ordered you another and one for me. She said they’re on the house.”

I nodded my thanks and took the shot glass she held toward me. Looking toward the bar, I held it up and mouthed a thank you to the bartender. She nodded back before turning her attention to another customer. Dakota had gone to high school with the three of us—she was a grade behind us—and had started bartending after deciding college wasn’t for her.

“We should ask Dakota to hang out with us sometime,” I said after taking my shot and sucking on a lime wedge. “I like her.”

“She’s studying to become a real estate agent,” Ember said, wrinkling her nose as she swallowed the tequila.

“That’s cool,” Sage said, though I could tell she was eager for me to get on with telling Ember my plans.

“Okay, Belle. Lay it on me before Sage gives herself a stroke or something.”

“Ha. Ha,” Sage said sarcastically, balling up and tossing one of the paper wrappers from her straws at Ember’s head.

Ember nodded as she listened to my story, her forehead wrinkling when I told her about Dad’s ambush and her face growing brighter as I talked about my interactions with Ryder. When I got to the part about kissing him in this very bar, Sage interrupted.

“Wait, what? You didn’t tell me you kissed him!”

“Oops,” I said, a nervous giggle tumbling out as I shrugged.

The truth was, I hadn’t intended to tell either of them about that, but it just kind of slipped out when I realized Ember was definitely leaning toward supporting my plan.

“How was it?” Ember asked, eyeing me carefully.

“It was fine,” I said, feeling my face heat up.

“Bullshit!” Ember shouted, drawing the attention of a few nearby tables.

“Ember, shut up,” I hissed.

“No. No way. I’ve known you for too long, girl. That look on your face says the kiss was anything but fine.”

I looked to Sage for help, but she just shook her head. “I’m with Ember on this one. You look like your ovaries are about to explode. Was it really that good?”

My shoulders drooped and I tilted my head back, staring at the exposed pipes in the ceiling for several seconds. I didn’t want to admit to myself how much I liked the feel of Ryder’s mouth on mine, much less tell my best friends about it. Looking back down at my now-empty whiskey glass, I sighed.

“It was…amazing,” I said, then added quickly, “but that doesn’t matter. We’re both going to be playing a part, and the only kissing we’ll be doing is going to be in public. For show, to sell ourselves as a happily married couple.”

“Mm, hmm,” Sage hummed. “Are you sure that’s all it’s going to be?”

“Yes. Of course,” I said.

“I think you should go for it, both publicly and privately,” Ember said, nodding.

“What? No,” I protested. “I don’t even like him. That’s the whole point of choosing him.”

“Anabelle,” Ember said, uncharacteristically using my full name. “Your face is red as a beet, your voice went all breathy when you were talking about him, and your pupils even dilated, a little. You like him.”

“You’re wrong,” I argued, but she only shook her head.

She was wrong. I did not like Ryder Perry. Just because he was a good kisser didn’t mean he was relationship material. He wasn’t.

This was just a business transaction. Nothing more.