Chapter 23

"Dark chocolate eyes locked with hers, and fear crept down her spine as a feather. What was she thinking when she said yes to David's proposal of marriage? "What are other people going to think? My Step mother, Jeanne, and all of their close friends are not going to believe that we will get married in a flash, and how about Annet!'

They will, that is correct. Because I just got off the phone with your dad an hour ago. The answer is yes; one must have an engagement ring to fulfill the initial requirement of the customs that surround a marriage. As long as you follow my lead and don't say anything, everyone else, including the world at large, will think it's a normal marriage, even though you and I both know it's a business transaction.

She cast one last contemplative glance at the glistening gem and recalled the last time a guy had put a ring on her finger out of real love—his beloved Allen in the past. Now, it seemed to make fun of all that she had ever believed in, and it made her w