“We’ll probably have a quick legal ceremony to get him on the adoption track. But we’ll keep it secret, so the public only knows about the big wedding. Sabrina wants to hype it to the max, with Jarrett being co-owner of Phantom Enterprises and all.”
“Since when is this marriage about publicity? I thought you were only marrying Jarrett to make the adoption possible.”
“That’s how it started. But Jarrett offered to let me publicize it, and that might save my career,” said Carlie. “If I weren’t in such a desperate spot, I wouldn’t do it. I know he hates the spotlight.”
“He’s usually an introvert, so that’s a big sacrifice for him,” Rylie said. “Maybe this is a sign he’s still in love with you.”
“Maybe. But I’m not going to pressure him. We’ve already signed a prenuptial agreement.”
Rylie’s stomach churned. She hated the thought of Carlie and Jarrett happily married, but a nasty divorce was way worse. She needed to get over herself and think about them first.
“Carlie, I know you want to help Jarrett, but what you’re doing is a really bad idea. If you go into a marriage with that attitude, you’ll end up divorced for sure.”
“It’s okay. I’m not going to let my heart fall for him unless I can tell he feels the same way.” Carlie chuckled. “Besides… Jarrett’s attorney offered to marry me if this marriage doesn’t work out.”
“What? That’s terrible!”
“Matthew was only kidding. It turns out he’s a big fan of mine. After I signed all the forms, he asked me to sign one more thing.” She bit her lips, a flush rising to her cheeks. “He had a five-by-seven glossy of me from my first tour.”
“He was flirting with you? In front of Jarrett?”
“Asking for my autograph hardly counts as flirting.”
“Still, if you’re going to try to make this marriage work, you need to be careful. You don’t want to hurt Jarrett, even by accident.”
“I know I hurt him before, but believe me, that’s not happening this time.” Carlie’s grin vanished. “He was saying we’ll probably have to stay married for a year before we end it. To me, that sounds like he’s already planning the divorce. And I promised him I wasn’t going into this with expectations.”
“If you can make it a year, he’ll probably change his mind. All he needs is time to heal.”
Not that Rylie wanted them together, but she refused to be selfish and petty.
“Maybe you’re right. Last night he took me to dinner, and he was really sweet,” Carlie said. “It was almost like old times. I’m afraid to get my hopes up, but I think they’re already sky high.”
Rylie laid her hand on Carlie’s arm. “I’m praying everything will work out.”
“But do you understand why I can’t count on it? You see why I have to think about my career? I learned my lesson with Anton. I’ll never let myself be vulnerable again.”
Rylie thought it would be impossible to love someone if you weren’t vulnerable, but she didn’t say it aloud.
Two hours later, when Carlie drove off to the spa and Rylie was alone in blessed silence, she slumped on the couch with her laptop, ready to tackle the ever-growing pile of job assignments. Her work load seemed to be growing exponentially, unlike her paycheck. She earned a more-than-decent salary, but burnout was a common problem among the company’s programmers.
“At least it’s hump day,” she muttered, though her work often carried over to the weekends. Her email pinged with a message from her boss, and she groaned as she scanned it. He’d added another client to her workload, and this one would require traveling to assess the company’s needs. She wished she could reply with a letter of resignation, but that wouldn’t happen for the next thirty years, until her mortgage was paid off.
She gazed out the glass patio doors at the mountain view.
“It’s worth it,” she told herself. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to stay in this house.”
Instead of resigning, she jotted back a note with a few questions and promised to talk to their travel coordinator. Then she dove into her project, the one she’d been working on at ten o’clock the previous night when the sound of her sister and Jarrett’s voices in the family room had filtered upstairs, announcing their return.
Though Rylie had been invited to join them on their date, she’d had no desire to relive the experience of watching her sister with Jarrett. She’d done it night after night the first time they’d dated, and the painful images were still etched in her memory.
With her mind deep in the zone, she didn’t bother to answer the front doorbell, assuming it was a package delivery. Then a knock sounded from her back patio, and she jumped out of her skin. Behind the glass doors, Jarrett stood, irritatingly attractive in khakis and a button-down shirt that didn’t disguise his muscular torso.
Caught off guard, as usual, she didn’t have on a smidgeon of makeup.
Resigned, she padded to the door in bare feet and pulled it partway open, barring the entrance with her body. “Hi. Carlie’s not here.”
“I know. I’m the one who sent her to the spa.”
Dark brown eyes gazed at her, enticing her to jump in and swim in their chocolate depths. But he’d no doubt come over to talk. Ughh! She had to get rid of him. Fast.
“Well, I’m working, so I’ll see you later.”
She tried to push the door closed, but it stuck. Her gaze fell on the foot jammed in the doorway and followed up the leg and body to Jarrett’s smirking face.
“I’ve been trying to talk to you ever since you ran out of the house Saturday night.” Jarrett pushed his way inside, his overwhelming presence making her feel claustrophobic in her gigantic family room, though it was almost devoid of furniture. “Why do I get the feeling you’re avoiding me?”
“Maybe because you’re not particularly stupid.”
He chuckled. “So you admit you’re avoiding me?”
“Not avoiding as much as evading.” Rylie backed into the kitchen, rounding the island to put a barrier between them.
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
“Subtle differences,” she said. “Evasion involves cleverness, and I like to think that’s one thing I have going for me.”
He walked around the island, and she countered with a not-so-subtle move to keep herself on the opposite side.
