Faking Forever (First Wives #4)(6)

He wasn’t surprised. She didn’t seem to have a warm bone to spare.

Not that he was interested.

He thanked the woman handing him his drink and attempted to calm his fidgeting fingers. Flying wasn’t one of his strong suits. Years of hearing his father talk about the airplane parts he’d machined in his career, and insinuate his lack of trust in a chunk of steel defying gravity, made it hard to relax. It didn’t matter that Victor flew all over the world, several times a year. It still bothered him and made him more chatty than he cared to admit.

Only his seatmate didn’t seem all that interested in conversation.

Not that her scowl kept him from trying. “What takes you to Cancun?”

She regarded him out of the corner of her eye. For a minute, he didn’t think she’d answer. She opened her mouth to respond, and hesitated.

“You don’t look like you’re on vacation.” She wore slacks and a button up shirt. Something he would expect his assistant to show up to work in.

She looked down at herself, then back at him.

“Neither do you,” she told him.

Victor loosened the tie her comment reminded him he was wearing. Truth was, he’d dressed that morning on autopilot. If it wasn’t for the packed bag at the door leading into his garage, he might have jumped in his car and driven to work. His life had somehow taken on a routine, and anything outside the norm was quickly overlooked.

“I live in a suit,” he told her.

She attempted a smile. “That might be uncomfortable on a beach.”

He thought about the clothes he’d packed. “Hotels always have gift stores, which I’m sure I’ll need to use.”

“And if not, I’m told there are nude beaches on the Yucatán.”

Victor blinked several times, somewhat surprised those words had come out of Miss Annoyed’s mouth. “Maybe when I was twenty. I’d be a little concerned about certain parts getting too much sun.”

He was pretty sure she smiled. But the moment passed, and she turned back to the view out the window.

A full minute flew by.

Yeah, she wasn’t going to talk. He set his drink aside and reached for his briefcase under the seat in front of him to remove his laptop. He might as well get a few things done, since conversation obviously wasn’t going to happen without a struggle.

He quickly found his head deep in an article that spelled out why he should be buying more junkyards full of destroyed cars while the prices were low. He removed a notepad and wrote a few highlights of what to check on when he returned to his office.

When the flight attendant arrived with Miss Annoyed’s lunch, he passed on food and asked for another drink. He was two sips in when his seatmate spoke.

“I don’t think you have to worry.”

He tore his eyes from his computer. “Worry about what?”

She looked down. “The sun burning certain parts of your body. Your laptop will serve as great sunscreen.”

He followed her gaze. “I don’t think my girlfriend would appreciate me taking this on the beach.”

Her eyes opened wider. “You’re meeting a girlfriend in Cancun?”

Why did she sound surprised? “I am.”

“You didn’t fly with her?”

He shook his head. “That was the plan, but I had a last-minute meeting.” With his acquisitions manager. Not that it could be helped.

“My condolences to your girlfriend.”

Victor frowned. “Why do you say that?”

She looked at him as if he were a few cards short of a full deck. “You’re here on vacation, right?”

“Yes.” For all intents and purposes.

“You’re wearing a suit, didn’t pack clothes for the environment, brought your work with you, and ditched your girl on the flight over.” She shook her head. “I don’t care who your girlfriend is, she deserves better.”

Victor opened his mouth to respond, closed it, and opened it again. “Come again?”

“Women don’t like coming in second, third, or fourth. If you were my boyfriend, I’d find the first cabana boy I could and ditch you at the door.” She reached for the earphones the airline provided and turned on the small screen in front of her, effectively telling him that their conversation was over.

What the hell?





Chapter Three



Shannon wasn’t sure what personality had invaded her, but she liked it. The remainder of the flight was silent between her and Mr. Phone. When they landed, he offered a final glance over his shoulder and muttered his goodbye. He seemed to be in quite the hurry to leave her behind as he hastily made his way up the ramp to the terminal.

She couldn’t help but think she’d made him uncomfortable. Good. Men like him who took their girlfriends for granted didn’t deserve to have them. Yet somehow it seemed the good-looking men were never alone on a Saturday night. Or in his case, a weekend in Cancun.

The humidity smacked down hard as she worked her way through the long line at immigration. By the time her passport was stamped, the silk shirt that had been comfortable to fly in was sticking to her body. She weaved her way through the crush of people outside the secure portion of the terminal, passed the many taxi drivers waving at her in an attempt to drive her to her destination, and searched the signs bearing the names of passengers that had prearranged transportation.