What a weekend. Crashed a party and kissed a guy on Saturday. Agreed to marry him on Sunday. For two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

In the cold, clear light of day, I was consumed with regret about my agreement with Ryder. Yes, I wanted to protect my grandmother and keep her in her home, but at what price? I would end up deceiving the only person who loved me unconditionally. She liked Ryder. I shuddered to think about how hurt she would be if she found out it was all a lie.  

I’d never been as happy to get back to work on Monday. I even welcomed the douchebagginess of the partners at the firm. It was a much-needed dose of normalcy.

When I got in at eight in the morning, Anna, the senior partner’s admin greeted me with her customary smug smile. “You didn’t join us at happy hour on Friday, did you?”

Since I never joined them at happy hour, I knew that Anna only asked me this question to rub it in. “No, I didn’t,” I said, playing along. Whatever. If it made her feel superior to sneer at my poverty, so be it. I was comfortable with the choices I’d made. My grandmother was worth every missed pint, every glass of wine I didn’t drink because I couldn’t stomach spending money at a bar when the property tax bill loomed in front of me.

“And how was your weekend?” she continued. “Do anything exciting?”

I was suddenly tired of these petty games. “Yes,” I said, keeping the snap out of my voice with an effort. “Last night, my boyfriend took me to Canoe for dinner. It was lovely.” I pushed past her and went to my desk, and resisted the temptation to gloat at her shocked expression.  

* * *

Around lunch, my phone rang, and it was a number I didn’t recognize. I picked it up, and a woman’s voice greeted me. “Zoe?” she asked. “Hi. I’m Gigi, Ryder’s sister.”

I’d managed to avoid thinking of Ryder all morning. Last night, we’d been having a fun time at dinner until we’d had to make up the story of how we met. No, that wasn’t quite right. It wasn’t until I’d mentioned that he needed to be discreet about taking a lover that he’d withdrawn into himself. “Hi,” I said hesitantly.

“My ridiculously bossy brother,” she said, her tone fond, “suggested I take you shopping. I’m sure you can do that by yourself, but I’d love to meet you. Are you doing anything this evening?”

I was the belle of the ball since meeting Ryder Drake. Going out three nights in a row? Unheard of. “No,” I replied. “I’m free. Where would you like to meet?”

“I’ll pick you up at work,” she said. Ryder clearly wasn’t the only bossy member in the family. “What time are you done?”

“Five thirty.”

“Perfect.” She took down my address. “I’ll see you then.”

“Sounds good,” I lied. Inwardly, I was wondering what the heck I was in for. Gigi sounded pleasant enough on the phone, but she was Ryder’s sister. Did she approve of Ryder’s plan to thwart Bianca, or would she hate me because I was using her brother for money?

* * *

I needn’t have worried about Gigi judging me. She was waiting for me in the parking lot outside work, and when she saw me, she greeted me with a wide grin. “Zoe,” she said, her tone enthusiastic. “I’ve been dying to meet you. You have no idea how hard it was not to crash your date with Ryder last night.”

Anna was right behind me, and I could feel her curiosity burning a hole in the back of my neck. Especially because Gigi was driving a gleaming red Porsche 911 Turbo. “Nice car,” I said.

“Ask Ryder to buy you one,” she laughed. “It’ll drive him insane.”

“Because of the money?”

She chuckled. “He bought one last year, and then a week later, to fuck with him, I bought one too.” Her expression turned wicked. “I’m a bad sister.”

I gaped at her. I couldn’t imagine messing with Ryder that way. At the same time, I had to suppress my desire to burst out laughing. His reaction must have been priceless.

We got into the car and pulled out of the parking lot. “I thought we’d go to Yorkville and hit some of the boutiques there,” she said. “If that’s okay with you.”

“Umm, sure.” I suddenly realized I had no money, and my credit card would not be able to handle a Yorkville outing. Damn it. I didn’t know what to do. I definitely didn’t want to talk to Gigi about money. Someone who bought a sports car to prank her brother wouldn’t understand.

But Gigi noticed my hesitation and turned to look at me with an understanding expression on her face. “Money, right? Don’t worry about it. Ryder will take care of it.”

I flushed. God, I felt like a gold-digger. I’ve never had any money in my life, but I’d managed without expecting someone to pay my way. I hated this.

Some of my consternation must have shown on my face because Gigi patted my shoulder. “Trust me, Zoe, I understand what you are going through. Did Ryder tell you my story?”

“No.”

She grimaced. “Long story short, Ryder’s father had a brief affair with my mother. He paid her off when she got pregnant with me, and they never kept in touch. I only found out about his existence when he died. He’d mentioned me in his will.” She shifted gears expertly and maneuvered the car through a gap. “My mom died when I was five,” she added. “I grew up in foster care. I definitely couldn’t afford nice clothes, or a fancy car or anything like that.”

“Oh, wow.”

“Yeah, right?” She laughed lightly. “Crazy story. Totally true.”

“So you didn’t know Ryder growing up?” I probed.

“Nope. I’ve only known Ryder for the last six years.” She smiled at me. “He’s a great guy, you know. Did he tell you he wants to get married in a month?”

“A month?” I leaned forward in shock, my mouth falling open. I didn’t think we’d have a long engagement, but that soon? “Thirty days?”

She nodded. “Feel free to tell him he’s an idiot. I mean, I know he wants to push forward on Drake Towers, but a wedding on such short notice? And he wants to do it at the AGO. I almost had a heart attack.” She rolled her eyes and huffed in disgust. “Men.”

We had a great time shopping. I was afraid that I was in for a Pretty Woman scene, with snooty store clerks turning up their nose at me, but everyone was very nice, no doubt aided by Gigi’s Black Amex card. In no time at all, we’d amassed a wardrobe that Gigi judged acceptable. “Do I really need so many clothes?” I asked, looking at the massive pile in front of me. “It seems excessive.”

“I know, right? It certainly took me a while to get used to it. If it helps, clothing is like armor. Wear the wrong thing, and you stand out. The right clothes actually help you be invisible.”

“That does help.” Gigi had been really nice, and I liked her. She paid for my clothing and arranged for everything to be delivered to Ryder’s house. As we walked back to the car, I cleared my throat. “Gigi, can I ask you something?”  

“Sure,” she said easily.

“Umm, I think I said something that pissed Ryder off last night. We were having dinner, and I broached the topic of sex.” I went pink. This was Ryder’s sister. It felt awkward discussing the details of our private arrangements with her, but I didn’t have anyone else to ask. “I told him that if he wanted to go elsewhere for sex, he needed to be discreet.”  

“Ah.” Gigi’s expression cleared. “He wouldn’t have reacted well to that.”

“Why?”

She sighed. “It’s because of his dad. Our dad, I guess,” she corrected herself. “He cheated on Ryder’s mother throughout the marriage. I don’t know why Ryder’s mother stuck with him, but she did.” She gave me a sidelong look. “No matter what the circumstances of your marriage, Ryder won’t cheat. It’s a hard line for him.”

“Oh. That’s why he didn’t just sleep with Bianca Russo? Because she was married?”

Gigi nodded. “Probably.”

Shit. I felt horrible. I’d jumped to conclusions about Ryder. I’d automatically assumed he’d want to sleep around. I’d told him he needed to be discreet for the sake of my grandmother. I’d judged him without taking the time to get to know him.

I had to apologize. “Gigi, can you drop me off at Ryder’s place? I need to talk to him.”

“Sure,” she said agreeably. There was a smile playing about on her face. “I’d love to.”