Free Fiance by Friday by Catherine Bybee - The Weekday Brides 03 - Fiance by Friday

house. Eliza’s parents were murdered when she was a young girl. The man responsible promised to kill Eliza, too. Her friend had grown up in a witness protection program and carried a handgun for her own protection. Karen moved in shortly after Eliza moved out. With Karen around and the never-ending presence of Neil, Gwen didn’t feel the need to own a gun.
    But maybe she’d look into it now.
    Through the etched glass of her I’m fine on my own thank you very much facade, she wasn’t completely comfortable by herself.
    The next day Eliza flew back to Sacramento and Karen went on her first official date with Michael.
    At ten in the evening her phone buzzed, signaling a text.
    I like him. Going to stay the night.
    Gwen smiled and texted her back. Call anytime if you need me.
    Karen’s reply was an emoticon smiley face.
    And so the evenings home alone begin. Gwen set the alarms, thought of Neil, and went to bed.
    In the morning when she worked her way into the kitchen for tea, she noticed the back door open an inch. She could have sworn she’d shut it, but maybe she hadn’t. The offshore winds, otherwise known as the Santa Anas, were tossing leaves around the backyard.
    She was sure the motion detectors were going crazy and yet Neil hadn’t called.
    He wasn’t going to call.
    He’d made his choice.

    “A week from Friday,” Karen announced when she strode through the door midday.
    “Welcome home.”
    Karen beamed. “We’re getting married a week from Friday.”
    Gwen moved from her desk where she was searching the Internet for self-defense classes, and hugged Karen. “How exciting.”
    “We’re going to fly to New York, grab a judge, and hide out in France for a week. I’ve never been to France.”
    “It’s lovely this time of year. Do you parlez vous ?”
    “What about ‘I’ve never been to France’ did you not understand? I don’t poly vu anything other than English and the occasional teenage gutter talk.” Karen flopped on the couch and tossed her feet up on the coffee table. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
    “Tell me everything.”
    Karen blew out a breath. “He took me to this hidden gem in Brentwood. The waiter knew him. The patrons craned their necksto get a glimpse of us. I asked him how he managed to go to the bathroom without someone following him. He told me he did it like women, in pairs.” Karen laughed. “The fame doesn’t bother him. He ignored the stares and eventually I found myself ignoring them, too. I talked about the kids at the center. He talked about his latest movie. Our conversation was entirely superficial while we ate. When we got in the car we headed to his house.”
    “Isn’t it beautiful?”
    “It’s amazing. Not as stuffy as I thought it would be.”
    “It felt very welcoming to me.”
    “Once we were alone, we talked about the next year…if it all worked out. We watched a chick flick. I suggested one of his movies, but he said he never watches them. Can’t stand to see himself up there. He likes drinking wine but pretends to like beer in public. Did you see his wine cellar?” Karen rushed the events of the evening together in her excitement.
    “No, I didn’t.”
    “Huge, brick walls, iron table…racks and racks of wine I know nothing about. That’s one of the reasons we picked France. There are a couple of vineyards he wants to visit and what better excuse than a honeymoon?”
    “I agree. So why did you stay the night?”
    Karen smirked. “Some guy with a camera followed us out of the restaurant. When I left this morning, he clicked a few pictures. Michael knew he’d be there, waiting.”
    “There will be more of that.”
    “I know. It’s only a year. Well, sixteen months. Crazy to be planning the divorce before the wedding, but Michael has the timeline down to the hour.”
    Gwen narrowed her eyes. “Is all of this for publicity?”
    Karen shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure. He talked about his family, how they didn’t know about