He folded his arms. “And I'm sure if I go ask her about your story, she'll corroborate every word.”
“There is no 'story.' And no, she wouldn't, because I haven't proposed to her yet.”
“I should think not. Odd, isn't it, that you're just now considering marrying this poor girl – when I've barely seen you so much as glance at her.”
“Not my fault you're blind. Must be 'cause you're a senior citizen now.”
The corner of his lip twitched. I was getting under his skin; good. He used to give me that same look when I was a kid, only now that I had grown up, he couldn't whip my ass for back talking like he used to.
“There has never been a relationship between you two,” he said coldly, “except that you are competitors, if that's even what you want to call it.”
“You're wrong. I've loved Sarah for a long time now. Just didn't tell the family because I was certain you all would find some way to ruin it for me.”
His fancy leather shoes crunched in the snow as he unlocked the car door. His cheeks were all of a sudden red – from the cold maybe, but I wasn't so sure.
“You are not marrying Sarah Masters, Asher. That's final.”
Where did he get off telling me who I could be with? Even though it was never supposed to be a real marriage, his demanding attitude pissed me off.
“What are you talking about?” I punched the hood of his Audi. “Who I marry is none of your business. If you don't believe I love her, I'll prove it to you.”
Dad turned the key and got the heat going. Warmth flooded the car; I moved a bit closer just to thaw my frostbitten fingers.
“You cannot marry her, is what I'm saying.” He gazed out the window at nothing in particular. “The Masters family is... not exactly suitable.”
Whatever that was supposed to mean! Jeez. I'd always known dad was one of the biggest, most pretentious pricks in Grant City, but now he was refusing women for me based on their social status.
“So she's not exactly wealthy or educated. Who cares? Doesn't change how I feel about her. Not only that, your contract doesn't exclude me from being with her, so it looks like you're screwed.”
“It's not about how much she earns. Joining our two families is not a good idea.” His fingers whitened as he gripped the steering wheel. “No, more than that. It's unacceptable.”
I would not even pretend to know what dad's problem was. Though our relatives weren't exactly friendly with one another on the occasions they did interact, there wasn't really any bad blood between any of them. Neither he nor mom spoke a word about them, either.
Well, she did have a lot to say after that debacle at Bullseye, but that was small potatoes.
So why the sudden theatrics? There was only one reason: he was using it as a ploy to convince me to stop the wedding.
Well, too bad for him. I'd already decided I was gonna make Sarah my bride, and there was nothing he could put in my way to stop me.
“Look, dad. I don't know what personal problems you have with them, but it's not my concern. I love Sarah. I'll be marrying her before the first of the year. That will solve the contract problem, and legally, you can't have any objections.”
He gritted his teeth, and his jaw clenched. He knew damn well I had run him into a corner. Everything I said was the truth.
“I don't believe for one second that this isn't some ploy the two of you designed. If you can prove to me otherwise, then maybe I'll change my mind. Of course, that won't happen, so...”
“Changing your mind isn't on my priority list. Now if you'll excuse me, it's getting pretty cold out here and I've got work to tend to.”
He rolled up the window and sped off, tires spinning on the ice as he took a turn too fast. Now that he was gone, I noticed Sarah with her face pressed against the store window, watching everything.
Dad was right about this whole thing being a ploy, but I knew we could convince him otherwise. Whatever issues he thought our families had were not my concern. All we had to do was act like a normal, happy couple, and we'd win at this game.
There was only one little problem with that: I'd never been part of a normal couple. Never kept a girl long enough for that. What was it like, I wondered?
Sarah's pretty brown eyes settled on mine. My heart did that fluttery thing again.
Maybe faking this whole sham of a marriage wasn't gonna be so hard after all.
Chapter 11 - Sarah
Lana was supposed to be dusting the shelves. Instead, she wouldn't take her eyes off her phone.
“Poor Elias.” She gazed sadly at the photo of the little boy. “He'll be stuck in yet another foster home for Christmas if my parents can't raise the adoption fees quick enough.”
I peered at him over the register. The dark-skinned child, with his two prosthetic limbs, never smiled in his pictures. Lana's family could change him for the better. A shame money was the only thing keeping them apart.
“I'm sure they'll come up with something,” I assured her. “It's Christmas season. What better time for a miracle?”
The store door opened, making the brass bell jingle and sending a gust of icy air inside. I was a bit surprised, albeit not displeased, when Asher strode in.
“Hope I'm not interrupting anything,” he said, nodding at Lana with a polite smile.
Lana snorted and avoided eye contact. “Funny seeing you in here. I'd have thought you too good for a dirty old place like this.”
“Hey!” I nudged her off the
