“Don’t say no. Just hear me out.”

“I haven’t said no and you haven’t explained anything.”

Wade blew out a breath. “Hear me out, don’t interrupt until I’m—”

“I haven’t interrupted you.”

“You just did.”

Trina grinned.

Silence.

“Are you still there?”

“I’m not interrupting.”

Wade chuckled. “My mother has decided a welcome home party is in order since I’ve been on tour for so many months. Lots of food, people, a band . . . dancing. You still owe me a two-step.”

She opened her mouth with only a peep.

“Eh, I’m not done,” he cut her off.

Trina bit her lip.

“Lots of people. Good people. You’d like them. Mainly old friends and neighbors. A few of my staff and people I’ve worked with. Anyway . . . there is one guest I’m not very happy about Mom inviting.”

Trina waited for him to finish. Her mouth closed.

“Jordyn and I dated last year for a brief time. We called it off before I left. I’m not completely sure how she convinced my mother that she should be at the shindig, but convince her she did, and now I’m in need of a decoy date to help me out.”

This sounded all too familiar. Decoy wife, decoy date. What could possibly go wrong? Trina glanced at the adjoining door to Fedor’s room.

“Are you there?” Wade asked.

“I’m not interrupting.”

“I’m done. You can interrupt now.”

Trina closed her eyes, shook her head. “No.”

“You can interrupt, I don’t mind.”

“No, Wade. I don’t want to be your pretend date. I’m sorry. I know I owe you a favor after running off to the Bahamas to give me a few days’ reprieve from my friends, but lying to your friends and family about us . . . I can’t do that again.”

“Again?” he asked.

Trina caught herself. “At all. I can’t do it.”

Silence.

She choked another apology inside her mouth.

“Then come as my real date.”

“Wade.”

“I’ll teach you the two-step. You’ll meet people outside your circle that won’t hit on you since you’re my date. I have a very big house with plenty of rooms. No expectations. If you want to stay in town, I’ll arrange it. Please say yes, Trina. I really want to see you again.”

That last line caught in her chest.

She couldn’t imagine a Wade Thomas party.

“When is this Texas-size blowout?”

“Is that a yes?”

“Do you always answer a question with a question?”

“Saturday. The party is on Saturday.” He sounded hopeful.

Trina scanned her bedroom again. There was a whole lot of work to do, but maybe one day off wouldn’t hurt.

She really hoped she wasn’t going to regret this. “Fine.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes, Wade. I will be your date. No expectations. Like I said, I’m not sure I’m ready.”

Did he just whistle? Trina was certain she heard a high-pitched squeak over the line.

“I have never worked this hard for a first date in my whole life,” he said.

“I think you’ve already said this. Besides, it doesn’t feel like a first date.”

“It sure doesn’t. But it will, little lady . . . it will.”

“Save his office for Monday,” Trina told Avery. She stood in the foyer of the Hamptons estate with a small suitcase at her feet. Boxes filled the halls as a testament to the dent they had made in the short week they’d been at the house. Two safes, both found behind paintings, had been cracked, revealing a significant amount of dollars, euros, and rubles, along with a stack of gold coins. Why Fedor felt the need to have so much money on hand would remain a mystery. The locksmith had blown out a whistle when the first safe was opened, prompting Trina to ask the man to leave the room once the second safe was cracked so she could see the contents without an audience. The large safe in Fedor’s back office was the only one left to crack, and Trina wanted to wait until there was a bodyguard standing by. Lori’s boyfriend, Reed, was arranging just that for the early part of next week.

“Wade Thomas . . . really?”

Trina set her sunglasses on the bridge of her nose and smiled with sarcasm. “I’m a big girl, Mom, I’ll be fine.”

Avery narrowed her eyes. “You’re vulnerable. Especially this week.”

“Am I some kind of wilted flower, dying in the corner?”

“There have been tears.”

“Not many. Besides, I need to stop by the office while I’m in Texas, and the cemetery. Wade’s party will be a nice distraction from all of that.”

“Can one ‘stop by’ Wade’s home from yours?”

“It’s actually not that bad. He’s south of Austin, so about a two-hour drive.”

“Just be careful.”

Trina placed her purse over her shoulder. “I should say the same to you. I’d feel better if we had a guard around here now.”

Avery blew her off. “Because so many people show up at the door trying to rob the place?”

“No, because Kevin, the key man, started salivating when he saw the gold in the safe.”

“Which is already at the bank.”

“Still . . .”

“You’re being paranoid. This house has been vacant for almost a year with all this stuff sitting here.”

Trina sighed. “Okay, fine. But watch your back when you leave.”

“I won’t have a neon sign over my car telling the world I’m carrying thousands of dollars’ worth of watches when I take them to the auction house.”

Avery had embraced her new job and had appointments all over Manhattan throughout the weekend. Normal business hours didn’t apply when the two of them waved around the kind of money Fedor’s estate would likely fetch. And that was just with the stuff filling the walls and closets. Shopping real estate agents was high on Avery’s list, and what better time to check them out than during the many open houses that took place over the weekend?

“Go, enjoy your party while I slave away at the office.”

Trina laughed and hugged her friend. “I’ll call when I’m back in town so you know I’m walking in the door.”

“You’ll call when you finish with the party and give me all the details. Don’t be afraid to name-drop if you see anyone famous.”

“Fine.” Trina pulled the arm of her suitcase and rolled it in front of her. “Oh, by the way, I left a message for Cindy, my housekeeper, to let her know we’re in town. If she calls back, have her and a crew come in on Tuesday to start working behind us, cleaning the rooms we’ve already tackled.”

“On it!”

“Thanks again.”

“Go. I have stuff to do,” Avery teased.

Avery stood on the steps and waved as she pulled out of the drive.

Trina opted to drive herself to the airport, again to keep the amount of people coming and going from the property to a minimum.

A weekend date at Wade’s home, with an ex-girlfriend and his mother . . . what could possibly go wrong? There would probably be a dozen other women vying for his attention. Trina looked through her rearview mirror as the Hamptons home disappeared. She was fairly certain no one was going to die, so how bad could it be?

Chapter Twelve

Wade opted for sunglasses and a baseball cap in an effort to keep his identity on the down low. He stood in the back of the crowd, waiting outside of baggage claim, where he’d told Trina he would meet her. When was the last time he’d stood in an airport to pick someone up? He couldn’t remember.

He scanned the crowd, watching for the telltale sign of a cell phone turned his way. There were the kind of fans that noticed him in a crowd and would snap a sly picture, and then there were the people who walked right up, asked if he was Wade Thomas, and then requested a picture or an autograph. Seemed the pictures were the bigger request than his name on a piece of paper. Although he had signed plenty of boobs in his career.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he reached to answer without looking at the name.

“Hello.”

“Wade?”

He didn’t recognize the voice.

“Depends on who is askin’.”

“It’s the blonde pit bull.”

He winced. Avery. “Trina did not tell you I said that.”

“She most certainly did.”

“Well, Miss Avery, I meant that out of my deepest respect,” he backpedaled. “Strong women run the earth.”

“Keep kissing up,” she said.

He laughed as he scanned the crowed exiting baggage claim. “What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to make sure you didn’t send some flunky to pick Trina up at the airport.”

“No, ma’am, I did not. I’m standing right here, waiting for her now.”

“Huh.”

“Anything else?” he asked, knowing full well Avery wasn’t done.

“Yeah. Don’t mess with her head.”

He opened his mouth to respond, only to be cut off.

“Don’t lie to her. Don’t tell her she’s the only one if she isn’t. Don’t be an asshole.”