For Richer, for Richest (4 page)

I fixed a smile on my face. The little minx was trying to trap me and make me look like I went after Jus for his money. Who did she suddenly think she was? She'd turned into a Cokie Roberts clone, going for the journalistic kill and the inside story.

"I wasn't in rags." I kept my head high. "I come from an upper middle-class family. Mom's a lawyer. Dad's a doctor. I'm a young professional—"

"Who worked part time at a small, struggling men's underwear company." Sheri smiled at the audience as if letting them in on her inside joke. "Tighty whities, anyone? Was your desk full of samples of men's briefs?"

I opened my mouth to give a flippant remark, something along the lines of,
Oh, no! I give them to all my guy friends and one-night stands
. I caught a look of thunder on Magda's face and changed course just in time.

"I couldn't comment on whether my former employer is struggling or not. But it was a perfectly respectable first professional job. My degree is in business and fashion merchandising. It was a natural fit for my skills—"

"Going from struggling with men's briefs"—heavy on the innuendo—"to living in a gorgeous Bellevue penthouse with a 360-degree view of, well, everything! The water, the mountains, downtown Seattle across Bellevue! You're looking down on everyone. No one can say you haven't come up in the world. Substantially come
up
."

"Yes, the penthouse is lovely. But money isn't everything. My apartment in West Seattle is in the heart of one of the hottest areas in Seattle, especially for my generation. I was surrounded by friends. I loved it there—"

"But it can't compare to now, can it? You're living like a princess. In the spotlight. Dressing in all the
best
clothes. Things regular woman can't afford." She leaned toward me with that serious journalist look on her face. Which was comical on her. Sunshine Sheri just wasn't the next Christiane Amanpour.

Inwardly, I sighed with relief. She'd just accidentally tossed me that soft pitch I'd been expecting. I smiled, genuinely happy to get another plug in. "Actually,
every
girl
can
afford to dress the way I do. That's the whole point of Flashionista. I bought this dress off the Flashionista site
before
I married Jus. Flashionista has prices to fit every girl's budget.
You
can dress like a princess, too—"

"Yes, yes, everyone loves Flash!" Sheri smiled too warmly. "That's what made Justin and his business partner Riggins billionaires, after all. They,
apparently
, know what women like." She put a little too much innuendo in her voice.

The live studio audience laughed. Everyone but Magda. She looked confused.

Sheri's eyes narrowed. She gave my arm a patronizing touch. "Before we get to the heart of our show and start tasting cakes and critiquing wedding attire, what everyone
really
wants to know is how you snagged such a determined bachelor?"

It was hard not to look startled by the question. "Jus is only twenty-one. I wouldn't call him a
determined
bachelor. The average guy my age doesn't get married until, what? Twenty-seven?" I stopped just short of saying Jus was still a baby.

"Maybe not in the
strictest
sense, but we have it on excellent authority that he wasn't seeing anyone. Wasn't even dating casually. Way too busy building Flashionista into one of Seattle's fastest-growing businesses. And then, there you were, his blushing bride, popping up out of nowhere!" She looked giddy.

Why was
I
on the spot here? Where was that cake?

"It wasn't
that
sudden." I had to force the quaver of anger out of my voice. My smile felt frozen on my face.
Be animated. Be happy! Be personable!

"Jus and I have known each other for years. I'm sure you've done your research." A jab back at her. "We met in college. But Jus was, well, very young back then. He started college at sixteen."

I laughed, self-deprecatingly. "Yes. I am the older woman. I went to college at the usual age. He wasn't ready for a relationship then, and I was dating someone else. When we reconnected, we were both single. And ready for something serious. When you meet the right person, it feels right. We knew from almost the first minute we said hello that we belonged together. Why put off the inevitable?" I was getting a little indignant and trying not to let it show.

The audience gave a collective sigh. True love, wasn't it great?

I smiled into the camera and did an air kiss. "I love you, Jus." In that moment, I thought I meant it. My real life and my fantasy life were blending together.

The audience sighed.

"Who could resist Jus?" I said before Sheri could cut me off. "You've seen him, people. You know what I'm talking about. He's sweet, charming, thoughtful, super smart, and smoking hot!"

I turned to the audience and winked at them. "Sheri just said he was on the Seattle's Hottest Bachelor list for fall. So am I blinded by love and completely wrong?"

Whistles and hoots erupted, along with enthusiastic applause. Someone yelled, "I wouldn't kick him out of bed!"

The edges of Sheri's mouth curled very slightly into a snarl, hardly enough to notice unless you were paying close attention. Like I was. She was pissed I was taking over her show. And quashing her agenda.

"I was about to ask what attracted you to Justin." Her laugh was forced and sarcastic. "Now we know! We promised the audience tips about dressing as guests for different types of summer weddings. You put together some sample outfits for us. Are you ready for us to bring out the first ensemble?"

I nodded, and Sarah came out wearing an outfit appropriate for a beach wedding, including a pair of barefoot sandals. Sole-less shoes. I described the elements of the outfit, what made it such a good choice, and how much viewers could save by looking for deals on it and buying it at Flash.

As Sarah left the stage, Sheri clapped politely. "Tell us about your wedding, Kayla. What would have been appropriate attire for it?" Her question was barbed. Ouch.

Even though my heart stopped—how did I know what happened at Justin's wedding? Even he didn't remember—I kept smiling. Viewed in a certain light, it was kind of funny. I tried to keep it light. "We eloped on the spur of the moment. So I guess whatever you were wearing at the moment."

"Did you have guests at the wedding?"

"No." I was pretty confident about that.

I'd brought three more outfits with me. We went through the same routine with each, including the dress and shoes I was wearing. My diamond bracelet sparkled and caught the light as I gestured and pointed at each accessory and clothing element.

"That's a gorgeous diamond bracelet!" Sheri held out her hand. "Here. Let me see it." She took my hand in hers. "Fabulous."

I beamed. "Thank you. Jus gave it to me this morning for our two-week anniversary."

That got a sigh out of the audience.

Sheri dropped my hand. "Most new grooms can't afford such an expensive gift. What
is
it like living the life of a billionaire's wife? You quit your tighty-whitie job, didn't you?" Her gaze was piercing. Or trying to be. (Though, coming from Sunshine Sheri, it was a little funny ha-ha.) And her voice was heavy with accusation.

Wait a minute! I hadn't stolen from anyone. I took a deep breath and reached deep inside for suitable sound bites. I kept on smiling. "Living with Jus is a wonderful surprise every day. And I don't mean diamond bracelets. He treats me with respect and love. Better than any guy I've dated before. We have fun together. Any girl can have that with her guy. It's free, and yet it's priceless."

Sheri's nostrils flared gently. She was furious at being thwarted in whatever weird agenda she had. I was winning her audience. Which had been growing thin in recent months. And was rumored to be packed with staffers and people dragged in off the street. But was packed today with Justin's admirers. And possibly the hope of a free gift from Flash.

"And your job?"

"Yes, I did quit. I have so many friends, recent college grads, looking for work. Finding a professional job is a struggle for my generation. Better for my old job to go to one of them when I don't need it financially now." And I was about to be axed anyway, due to how bad the company was doing. But I didn't want to advertise the trouble my former employer was in. "I'm focusing my efforts on pro bono now, and volunteering and running some of Justin's charitable projects."

I launched into a brief description of the needs of the children's hospital and the good work they were doing.

"Wonderful," Sheri said.

What could she say without looking like a horrible bitch?

She broke for a brief commercial and completely ignored me as the staff set up for our cake-tasting display. I wandered into the crowd, shook hands, and answered questions. The ladies in the audience wanted to see my bracelet and were dying of curiosity about my wedding. I became the artful dodger, evading questions on the fly.

Sheri's assistant called me back up on stage to the display of wedding cakes and toppers that had been rolled in. And then we were back live.

Sheri introduced the cake segment. "Did you have a cake at your wedding? A reception?"

I laughed. "No. And no. It all happened too fast." I was purposefully vague.

Sheri made a pretty pout and sighed heavily. "So sad. You must be a different kind of girl not to want a dream wedding."

Not as different as she thought. I shrugged, feigning modesty. "It's the marriage that counts, not the ceremony."

Did I really say that? I was turning into a different kind of person.

"You deprived the city of a great deal. We were all hoping we could cover a fabulous, extravagant billionaire wedding." Sheri moved to the first cake, a three-tier beauty with a topper of a loving groom holding his bride up by the waist.

"Jus is extremely private," I said. "There wouldn't have been much to cover."

Sheri described the cake—a tuxedo cake—and handed me a cake knife and server. "Since you never got to cut a cake, will you do the honors?"

"Who says I never got to cut a cake?" I demonstrated my expertise.

We both tasted it and left it to her staff to hand out samples to the audience while we moved on to the next cake.

I stopped in front of it and held back a laugh. "Now this one has an interesting topper! It looks more like it belongs at a bridal shower or bachelorette party."

The bride and groom were grabbing each other's butts.

"You like that one?" Sheri's smile was vicious. "We'll give it to you as a parting gift."

"That's lovely of you." The bitch. "Jus will get a kick out this!" And he would.

"What is Justin like in private?" Sheri asked while we sampled the pink lemonade cake. "Give us a glimpse?"

"The same as he is in public—sweet and thoughtful. Totally adorable." Not as obviously in love with me as he put on for others. Was I a little bit jealous of the public us?

I launched into the story about Sophia and how Jus had sent flowers ahead to my parents. I found myself getting mushy, really believing my words.

"You really are madly in love with him?" Sheri's smile was laced with arsenic, sweet enough to kill.

"Yes.
Desperately
." Did I look sincere enough? Would I have fooled the Great Pumpkin?

Sheri got a triumphant gleam in her eye. "And yet, just the other night, your ex, who you broke up with less than two weeks ago, got into a battle of the voices at a local bar. And fists very nearly flew." Sheri paused and looked at a screen in front of her as a video clip from that night popped up on a large screen behind us.

What the—

I collected myself. "Turn the volume on so we can hear Jus sing! His voice is totally sexy. He'll turn you into a fangirl." Did I sound like I had enough wifely pride? I surprised myself.

Sheri arched an eyebrow. "They don't look friendly."

I laughed it off. "The whole thing was just a joke! Two old college buddies who love to sing hamming it up and pretending to duel over me. Pranking each other. You know how guys can be." I rolled my eyes for effect.

The audience laughed.

"I clearly picked Jus. As Eric knew I would." Nice to get a jab at Eric in, too.

"You didn't have a bachelorette party. But what about the rumors about you and Lazer Grayson? Marry in haste, repent when you meet a hotter billionaire?"

I frowned, catching myself just in time before I blurted out,
What rumors?
I managed to shrug ever so slightly. "I'm not aware of any rumors. Lazer is a good friend to both of us."

Sheri's answering smile was perfectly wicked. "Yes, but the gossip mill reports you were a little too cozy with Lazer at the highly secretive EIEIO meeting just days after your marriage to Justin."

How would Sheri know about that? I didn't respond.

"And that Lazer commissioned a character of you to be put in a highly anticipated new video game he's heavily invested in."

A picture of the video game character me flashed on the monitor in front of me. The audience gasped.

"Is this how Lazer sees you?" Sheri said.

I brushed it off. "I have no idea how Lazer sees me. That's a video game character!"

I laughed. "How many fully clad, flat-chested, average-looking video game heroines have you seen?" I smiled sweetly. "Lazer wants his game to sell, so of course he's going to make sure all the characters in it are attractive."

Sheri's eyes lit up. "Are you saying you're attractive and that Lazer thinks so, too?"

"I'm saying that enhanced cartoon characterization of me is attractive. Lazer's artists are very good. And now Jus has a 'picture' of me he can be proud to put on his desk." I winked into the camera.

Sheri was getting testy. "How sweet."

How sarcastic.

"Did Justin have a bachelor party?"

Where was this leading? I hesitated. "No, of course not."

"Then what is this about?" Sheri's voice had a triumphant edge, as if she was about to skewer me with piece of investigative journalist genius.

She turned to look over her shoulder at the screen behind us. "This was taken just hours before the wedding. He's having drinks and looking cozy with a woman who isn't you."