Chapter 3

Idrum my fingers against the scarred top of the desk in my makeshift office as I wait for the shitty connection I have at the house to finally open Zoom on my desktop. The only reason I ever move from this house will be because of the horrible internet I have here.

Forget watching streaming services or fucking porn.

When it finally comes up, and starts connecting, I sigh. "C"mon, c"mon, c"mon..." I encourage the connection. Eventually the face of Miss May, the owner of the Wife for Hire Agency appears. Her smile is pasted on, not a hair out of place, and make up that appears to be professional and not caked on. I answer her smile with one of mine. "Miss May..."

"Hi Shane, how are you?"

I don"t care about the pleasantries, but I answer because I want to get this over with. "I"m good. I hope you"re well."

"I am, and I have some very good news for you."

This is what I"ve wanted to hear from the first moment I met with her. I"ve been waiting for her to tell me she"s found someone. "I"m all ears."

She situates herself in her chair and tilts her head to the side. "I"ve found a match for you and your daughter. Her name is Courtney and she"s the most lovely woman I"ve met."

I"m sure she says that about everyone. I have no doubt this is how she makes most of her money, and the amount I"m giving her isn"t small. "This is all great news, when will I get to meet her?" This is the part of the process I"ve been uneasy about. I have to bring someone I don"t know into the home I share with my daughter. She"s already had so much change this early in her life, and I don"t want to be the person who continually does that to her.

Miss May crosses her legs. "So, the two of you will meet in person on the day of your wedding. You"ll have one Zoom meeting previous - the day before your wedding. If there is absolutely something that bothers you about one another, that is the last chance for either of you to back out."

I nod, understanding what she"s saying. "Will she already be here the day before?"

"Yes, but in the event you or she choose not to go through with the wedding, we"ll take care of her getting back home. That"s not something you"ll have to worry about."

That"s a relief. It"s the last thing I need on my conscience - to know a woman came here for me and Rachel - and then she got stuck here because the two of us didn"t work out. "Perfect. When will I meet her again?"

"Tomorrow, or is that too soon for you?"

Doing the math in my head, that means I"ll be getting married in two days. "The sooner the better. I have people in my life who need for this to happen."

"I"ll send you the details of the meeting. It will be in a public place just for safety for everyone."

"Understood. Thank you, Miss May."

"The pleasure is mine." She smiles, and with that, she"s gone.

My heart is pounding as I think about what just happened, what"s going to happen. "Have I lost my mind?" I ask no one in particular. I guess we"ll find out, either way I"m going to be married, and hopefully it"ll make life easier on everyone involved.

"Or," I whisper. "It could be the worst mistake of my life."