Legal Ease (Sutton Capital Series) (5 page)

Kelly
tucked her hair behind her ears as she watched Jack striding down the street toward her from his office a block away and was taken again with how utterly and completely gorgeous the man was. Just as he took over any room he entered with his presence, he seemed to take over the street as he moved down the sidewalk. Kelly couldn’t take her eyes off him as he strode confidently toward her as if he owned the sidewalk.

She watched
him walk up to her and felt nerves take over as she thought about what they were about to do. It should be a crime to look as good as Jack Sutton. Tanned skin and mahogany eyes that burned through Kelly and a smile that made her legs turn to mush right there on the sidewalk.

As Kelly stood watching Jack, her palms got sweaty and for just a minute she thought about running – just leaving and forgetting all about this crazy idea.
She sighed and, despite her reservations, resigned herself to go through with it. It was her crazy idea to begin with and she had given her word she’d do it, so she would. It wouldn’t be fair to Jack to go back on her word now.

As Jack approached, he smiled at her, taking her hands as if he knew she needed to be grounded. Maybe he could spot that she was considering bolting. He gave her a look that felt like he
could see deep inside her, understood her anxiety, and with it, she felt a wave of calm wash over her. She was ready.

***

Jack watched the play of emotions that ran across Kelly’s face as he walked toward her. There were times when she was so calm and confident and other items when he could see the panic start to edge onto her face. He supposed that made sense since it was a bit crazy to walk into his office and propose he pay her for a year of marriage – and then actually go through with marrying a man she didn’t know at all. He found it fascinating to watch her shift from one emotion to the next. Hell, who was he kidding? Jack found it fascinating to watch Kelly no matter what she was doing.

Jack thought Andrew was going to keel over and die in his office that day when Jack finally wrapped things up with Kelly and explained things to Andrew. Andrew had a protective streak so although he found her approach amusing, he was more than a little suspicious of Kelly.
Jack knew Andrew had damn good reasons for his distrust of women where money was concerned, but even Andrew began to warm to her when Jack explained that she had only asked for law school tuition. And when the results of the private investigator’s report came in the next day with nothing but squeaky clean results all the way around, he was sold on her. So, it looked as though, for better or worse, Jack was getting married.

Jack wanted to make this marriage look as real as possible so he had picked out an engagement ring and wedding bands that he thought Kelly might like
. As he stood in front of the courthouse with Kelly, Jack took a small box out of his pocket and opened it to reveal an elegant diamond ring in a platinum setting. The diamond was an Asscher cut diamond surrounded by smaller princess cut diamonds all the way around the center stone. Kelly gasped as Jack smiled at her and placed it on her finger.

“W-what is this for?” Kelly stammered as she stared at the ring.

Jack shrugged a shoulder. “Well, it only makes sense that I would buy you a ring. People will expect it and I thought this one was pretty. Do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful,” Kelly said and she nodded vigorously as she fingered it on her hand. She looked like she wasn’t used to the feel of a ring, much less one as heavy as the one on her finger now.

“Good,” Jack smiled at her then enfolded her hand in his and they walked side by side into the courthouse. Jack almost laughed when he realized how much he liked holding hands with Kelly. And in a way he felt like he had walked into some bizarre world where nothing he’d known before made sense. Jack Sutton didn’t hold hands. And, yet, here he was, happily grabbing Kelly’s small hand in his large one and trotting up to the alter with her.

They found the right room, signed in and presented the paperwork for their marriage license.
The ceremony was short, basic, with two of the courthouse staff serving as witnesses. Kelly now wore a thin platinum band inset with diamonds next to the engagement ring and Jack wore a thick, plain platinum ring on his hand.

When the Justice of the Peace said the final words, “You may now kiss the bride,” Jack leaned down and softly, gently pressed his lips to Kelly’s.
Jack was stunned at the shock of arousal that the small kiss sent coursing through him – and from the look on Kelly’s face so was she. Kelly stared wide eyed at Jack for a split second before glancing away, while Jack worked to school his expression, covering all emotion that he might have revealed in the split second he’d been caught off guard.

What in the hell
was that?

***

Kelly’s apartment had been packed up, sublet, and her belongings moved over to Jack’s house on the water in Fairfield. She and Jack headed there right after the ceremony. She followed his car for the thirty-minute trip and was relieved to have that time to herself. When she was around Jack, Kelly felt like she couldn’t breathe. Her whole body tingled when he looked at her and she was mortified by the thought that Jack might look at her and realize exactly what she was thinking.

Kelly
gasped when they turned into the driveway of what would be her home for the next year.

“Holy shit,” Kelly said to herself
as she pulled to a stop. “Just…holy shit.”

‘S
prawling’ was all that came to mind. His home looked like a beach house on steroids with its cedar siding, rooflines that sloped and met at varying angles, and what Kelly thought might be called gables. She pulled into the circular drive behind Jack. Her little Honda Civic seemed wildly out of place behind Jack’s Jag.

“This is it,” Jack said,
as he stepped out of his car and looked up toward the house.

Kelly stared at the house. “It’s amazing,” she all but whispered.

“Come on,” said Jack, handing her a key. “I’ll show you inside.”

Kelly looked down at the key. She was amazed how quickly Jack had though
t of everything they needed. He had pulled this charade together in just a matter of days. Her head hadn’t stopped spinning since she walked into his office.

She took a deep breath and vowed to have fun with this. After all, she’d had the guts to walk in his office and pull off this little deal…so why not live up to that new
image that had bubbled up to the surface that day?

“I’ll need to get you a garage door opener and show you how to work the alarm codes. Mrs. Poole lives in a
n in-law suite over the garage and takes care of all of the cooking and cleaning. You can leave her a list of the food that you like and what you want her to stock in the house and she’ll see that it’s taken care of,” Jack explained as they walked in through the front entry.

“Oh, that’s really not necessary,” Kelly said hurriedly. “I really don’t want her to have to do things for me. I mean, I don’t want you to have to change thing
s for me.” Oh no, thought Kelly. This really wasn’t what she had in mind when she thought up this insane plan. Truth be told, she just hadn’t even thought it through this far, or thought about what their lives would be like for the next year.

“It’s all right, Kelly,” Jack said
with a shrug. “She does them for me so there’s no reason not to do them for you, too.”

“Come on,” Jack said as he headed up the staircase, taking the stairs two at a time on his long, lean legs. “I’ll show you the house.”

***

Jack showed Kelly the house and then headed back to the office to work. Kelly’s furniture had been put in storage but all of Kelly’s clothes, books, and personal items had been put in the largest of the guest rooms.

Kelly climbed the stairs to her new room and looked out the window to the view of Long Island Sound. She did have to admit, it was stunning here. She was going to be spoiled this year in Jack’s fairy tale house.

Kelly had just turned back to the room to unpack her belongings when a plump woman in her late fifties, with short graying hair that once was brown, and kind smiling eyes appeared in the doorway.

“Oh!” said Kelly. “You startled me
.”

“I’m sorry.” The woma
n smiled and came into the room.

“I’m Mrs. Poole. I saw Jack leave and thought I’d come
get you settled in. Did Jack show you where everything is?” She immediately started to make herself useful. She had a singsong voice that Kelly found soothing and comforting.

Kelly responded to the woman’s genuine and warm smile with one of her own. “I’m Kelly. Thank you, yes.”

Mrs. Poole opened the curtains and blinds, pulled towels out of the linen closet and brought them into Kelly’s adjoining bath. She even started to help Kelly unpack. 

“Jack showed me around, although I think it will take me awhile to get used to it all. With one sister and two brothers, I grew up in a fairly large home, but it was nothing like this
.”

Mrs. Poole nodded and laughed.
“It takes a bit of getting used to. You just holler if you get lost and I’ll come find you and get you to where you need to go.”

Mrs. Poole whirled
around busily, putting clothes away as she chatted with Kelly about the room. “I’ve always loved this room. Jack brought in a designer to do everything when he bought the house. I wouldn’t have thought of putting yellow with Wedgewood blue, but it turned out beautifully. So light and airy with the white wicker furniture and trim.”

“Oh, you don’t need to help me unpack,” Kelly said, embarrassed to be waited on
. “I really don’t want to be a burden. I mean… I don’t mean… That is I don’t ….” Kelly stumbled nervously over the words, not knowing how to explain the situation to Mrs. Poole. She didn’t know if Jack had told Mrs. Poole about their arrangement yet or not.

Mrs. Poole smiled kindly at
her as she crossed to hang several dresses in the walk-in closet. “It’s all right dear. Jack explained what’s going on. He thought it would be best for me to know about your little, uh, agreement. I have to say, it’s one of the funnier pickles he’s gotten himself into and I do find it entertaining that the whole thing was your idea. I’ll bet
that
caught him off guard. Jack is used to being in charge of things. I bet he damn near jumped out of his skin when his ‘fiancé’ walked into his office.” She laughed a full belly laugh as her eyes sparkled with amusement.

Kelly let out her breath and smiled at Mrs. Poole. The older woman’s blunt manner put Kelly at eas
e and Kelly had a feeling she would like getting to know this woman.

“Besides, i
t’ll be nice to have someone else around this big place. All of my kids are long grown and it’s too empty here when it’s just me and Jack. I like having people around the house to spoil.”

Kelly started to relax and felt better about the whole bizarre situation.

But then Mrs. Poole’s next comment caught her off guard again, and Kelly realized she’d need to stay on her toes.

“
That man needs this, though. You’ll be very good for Jack, even if it is only for a year,” Mrs. Poole said with a wink and walked out of the room.

Jack and Kelly
drove to Hamden for her parents’ weekly Sunday dinner. They were in Jack’s Jaguar and she couldn’t help but appreciate the buttery softness of the leather as she melted down into the seat.

“Are you close to your family, Kelly?” Jack asked as he turned off of the highway at the sign for Hamden.

“Uh huh. I don’t make it for dinner every Sunday but I try to get there two or three times a month. My mom is a great cook so it’s not a hardship,” she said, with a small smile at Jack.

Jack made a left turn onto a tree-lined residential street. “Tell me again how many of you there are?” Kelly had told Jack about her brothers and sisters before and she suspected that in his line of work, he remembered names and details with very little effort. Kelly had a feeling that he wanted to keep her talking to calm her nerves and she was thankful to him.

“There are four of us. My sister Jessica who’s two years older than I am, and our older brothers Liam and David. My sister and my mom and I are really close so I know they’ll be hurt I didn’t tell them about you.” Kelly chewed on her bottom lip and looked out the window as Jack pulled over to the side of the street in front of the house where she grew up.

“You ready?” Jack asked her when she made no move to open the car door.

“Better get it over with, huh?” she said but she looked far from convinced of that idea as she stepped out.

Jack ran around to meet her, and took her hand in his as they stepped along the walkway.
Kelly was surprised by how supportive and nice he was about meeting her family. She hadn’t expected this big business mogul to be so accommodating. Genuine and sweet. But he kept proving her wrong.

“It’ll be all right, Kel.” Jack squeezed her hand and for a moment Kelly felt as though they had been
friends forever with the easy way he had fallen into calling her ‘Kel’ and the way he was able to calm her whenever she began to feel like she had fallen down a rabbit hole – which was a lot lately.