A TEMPORARY MARRIAGE: PART ONE (AVALON BAY ROMANCE SERIES Book 1) by Vicky Dean Page A

realized how hard it was being apart. So I went to New York and proposed and much to my delight she said yes!”
    “Okay, you just about convinced me,” she giggled. “I think they’ll believe you in Avalon Bay.”
    “Let’s hope so,” he said smiling back at her. “I’ll tell Philip our story and you fill in your mom and aunt. Now let’s finish up here, I think we need to go and shop for that engagement ring.”
    Shopping for the ring ended up being completely different than what they’d joked about the night before. She got the platinum, but there was nothing plain about it. She ended up with a two carat princess cut diamond that sparkled more brightly than the sun shining down on a clear blue ocean.
    The last week of June arrived and Cassie and Teri were spending the entire weekend together, celebrating and also taking care of a few wedding details. They were going to Hogan’s first, their favorite pub in Brooklyn. Cassie walked in and saw Teri already seated in the corner.
    “I hope you don’t mind, but I went ahead and ordered a glass of your usual Cabernet for you,” Teri said.
    “Perfect.” Cassie said as she slid into a seat at the table and glanced around the bar. It was packed, as it usually was on a Saturday. They were lucky to have gotten a table.
    “We’ve been too busy lately, Cassie. It’s good to see you. But wow, I can’t believe you’re leaving for California—tomorrow,” Teri said, with a curious look on her face. As Cassie picked up her wine glass, she watched Teri’s eyes travel to the diamond engagement ring on her hand.
    “That’s a nice ring, girl. So, tell me what’s really going on?”
    Teri was the only person that Cassie could confide in. They’d been best friends since they’d met years ago, when they’d both attended the same high school in Staten Island. Teri had been born and brought up in Staten Island, and like Cassie, worked in Manhattan at a job she loved. She was a lawyer at a small firm that specialized in family law. “I’ve told you everything. I know it’s kind of weird.”
    “Kind of? You’re leaving a career you love to go and marry a cowboy in California that you’ve barely talked to since you were fourteen. It’s a little strange, you must admit.”
    “I know it’s an odd situation, but it’s strictly a business arrangement. I’ll be back in just over a year.”
    “Will you though? I wonder.”
    “Yes, Teri I will,” Cassie said looking her friend directly in the eye.
    “But how do you benefit from doing this?” Teri sounded like the lawyer she was, and Cassie smiled. She knew she was just concerned for her and worried that her best friend was making a huge mistake.
    “I do benefit in a couple of ways. I’ll be helping an old friend, which will also ensure that the men and women who work for him and their families will be taken care of. There won’t be any layoffs which there would be if Richard was forced to sell the business. Plus, I’m getting a valuable piece of property, which I’m going to turn into a boutique hotel. Teri I’ll have my dream of owning my own hotel!”
    “Well, that certainly sounds great, but all the more reason why I doubt that you’ll be coming back any time soon. You’ll be busy running a hotel.”
    “At first, yes. But I’ll train people to run it in my absence. That’s what I do here, remember? Manage and train people to do every job necessary to run a hotel.”
    “It sounds like you’ve got it all figured out. Hope it works out the way you’ve planned.” Teri took a sip of wine, and then said, “What if you fall in love with Richard, have you thought about that?”
    Cassie laughed and felt a flush begin to creep over her face.
    “Absolutely not! He’s just an old friend, and has a reputation for being a playboy.”
    She hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to confide in Teri about her growing attraction towards Richard, but decided against it. Talking about it would make it too