Page 9 of Clear Shot (Lauderdale Knights #9)

Hana

With Aiden at the morning skate and a game tonight, I’m left to my own devices. I’m in limbo, it seems, until the paperwork goes through for my visa. I don’t understand how it all works but Aiden told me he would make sure it gets done.

So I putter around the apartment when he leaves, trying to figure out where everything is and how to make it feel more like home.

He has no pictures of friends or family, just a few random pieces of art on the walls in the living room, so I dig out my own framed photographs.

One of me at my college graduation, with my father, stepmother, Johan, and grandmother.

One of Claudia and me at Christmas one year.

Finally, one of my mother, who’s been dead for a long time.

I have a picture of Aiden and me on my phone; one we took last year at the beach.

Claudia and Anders are in it too but I open my computer, pull up a photo editing program, and crop them out so it’s just Aiden and me.

Then I upload it to a local photo printer.

It says it will be ready by four o’clock so my plan is to pick up the print and buy a frame.

I’ll put it on the shelves in the living room and wait for him to notice.

I’m not sure why it’s important to me to make his apartment feel more like a home, but if I’m going to be here for a year, I want it to.

I should also spend some time updating my resume and getting a feel for the jobs out there, but I deserve a few days to wrap my head around all the changes in my life.

Aiden leaves on a road trip next week, so I’ll have ten days to do those kinds of things.

For now, I’m just taking things one day at a time.

After I shower and get dressed in what I’m going to wear to the game, I head out to pick up a frame and the picture. Then I pick up Claudia and we head to the arena together.

“How does it feel to be married?” she asks once she’s in the car.

“Weird,” I admit. “Like it’s real but it’s not.”

“Have you decided what to tell your dad?”

I snort. “ He’s not the problem. It’s my grandmother who’s going to be grumpy.”

“You should just tell her the truth,” she says softly. “Your family loves you and they’ll understand.”

She’s right but she’s also wrong.

“My grandmother wants me to be married, have a few babies, and live a more traditional life, whether it’s here or back in Slovakia. In her mind, a fake marriage is just delaying the future I should have.”

“I still think you need to come clean. Lying to your family is going to be complicated.”

“Everything about this situation is complicated.”

“If you’d stop pretending that you don’t care about him it might be easier.”

“I don’t have the luxury of falling in love with him,” I admit.

“He’s been clear that love isn’t his thing.

He’s good with marrying me, being faithful, even waiting for me to be comfortable before we have sex, but I don’t think he’s going to fall in love with me.

It’s a business arrangement—potentially with benefits. ”

“That’s ridiculous. Anything could happen once you start spending time together.”

“Everything is going to change once we have sex, and even though I asked for a little time before we do that, we know it’s going to happen.”

“Change in what way? Better or worse?”

“I don’t know, but probably both. Better short-term, worse long-term.”

“Look at Anders and me. We met and I got knocked up almost right away. I was positive he wouldn’t want to be with me after his ex tried to trap him that way—but I was wrong. Maybe you are too.”

“I think it’s different with us. You and Anders started dating right away, so you were in a relationship. Aiden and I agreed we were better off as friends before this came up.”

“And yet—he jumped at the chance to marry you. You can’t honestly believe he doesn’t have some kind of feelings for you. Maybe it’s not love, not yet, but there’s something there.”

“Chemistry and physical attraction,” I say. “What happens when he gets bored?”

“Who says he’s going to get bored?”

“I don’t know.” I focus on the road ahead.

“I guess I’m just freaking out a little bit.

From the outside looking in, it’s a piece of paper.

We signed a prenup so we’re both protected financially, but everything else about our relationship has changed.

I moved in with him and slept next to him last night even though we didn’t do anything. ”

“Whose idea is the no sex thing?” she asks.

“Mine, of course.”

“Because you’re afraid that once you become intimate you’re going to fall in love with him.”

I don’t say anything because she already knows the answer.

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” she whispers. “Will it be easier to keep him at arms’ length and walk away without trying?”

“Trying what?”

“To make this a real marriage. To make him fall in love with you.”

“You can’t make someone feel something they don’t feel.”

“No, but you can nudge things along by putting effort into the relationship. And if it doesn’t work out, at least you tried.”

“Why am I so scared?” I ask after a moment.

“Because nothing worthwhile is easy. You know that. This thing with you and Aiden has been simmering for a year, and now suddenly you have to deal with it. That’s scary.”

“You think I should go for it.”

“Absolutely.”

“What about finding a job and all that? If I do find something, I could be based anywhere.”

“Cross that bridge when you come to it. You could very easily find a job that allows you to work remotely, or something like you had at VineTech, where you’re on the road visiting customers all the time so it doesn’t matter where you’re based.

And who knows, if I can get my own company off the ground, you can work for me! ”

“You’re at least a year away from that, though, right?” I ask quietly.

“Maybe a little less. I’ve been working on the coding part of the database software but it’s time consuming and up until last week, I had a full-time job. I’m going to get serious about it now that I’m officially unemployed.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” I have a degree in computer programming as well, but her focus is more technical and she loves coding. I’m more interested in the business side of things.

We talk about her ideas and what she’s done so far, and I’m intrigued. Of course, Claudia is brilliant. She never should have been working for someone else, but she wanted to get her feet wet in the industry before taking on something as intense as starting her own software company.

A year later, she’s doing it anyway.

“So if I play my cards right, and don’t get distracted, I could be ready to launch next year.” She glances at me. “And I’m going to need a kick-ass salesperson to go out there and help me sell it.”

“And I want to,” I whisper. “More than anything. But unless you can secure me a visa, I have to find a job that will. Being married to Aiden only allows me to stay in the country—it’s not a work visa.”

“That’s why you need to find a job that will do that for you. A year from now, we can see where we’re at and go from there. Hell, if you decide not to stay in the US, or things don’t work out with Aiden, you could potentially handle all my European sales.”

I hadn’t even considered something like that, and I nod my head. “That would be amazing.”

“It’s not ideal but we can do it.” Claudia squeezes my arm. “Trust me, Hana—you’re going to be part of anything I do, as long as that’s what you want too.”

“I do. Working for you would be a dream-come-true.”

“Working with me,” she says firmly. “I’d want you in on the ground floor—I’m not talking about hiring you as an employee.”

I’m really a lucky woman, with the world’s best bestie.

Going to MIT, which is where we met, was the best decision I ever made.

“You know you’re going to get the third degree, right?” she asks as we park at the arena.

“From who?” I ask curiously.

“The other wives and girlfriends—the ones you don’t know.”

“Oh.” I think about that for a moment. “I’m not overly worried about it. Plus you’ll be there to protect me.”

She laughs. “You know me—I’m not that social, but I’ll do my best.”

“As long as we stick to the story, no one’s going to say anything,” I say firmly. “Besides, it’s none of anyone else’s business.”

“The wives and girlfriends can be all up in everyone’s business,” she says softly. “It took me a while to find my footing since I didn’t know any of the others when Anders and I got married. Other than Johan and Sloane, of course. At least you already have some friends.”

“I do.” That part is nice, though it makes me feel bad about lying to everyone.

I have to protect myself, though. Both emotionally and professionally.

“Don’t worry,” Claudia says. “It’s going to be fine.”

If only she knew that for sure.