Within a few seconds, she was chewing along with him, her brow bent in thought. “What comes next?”
He massaged his aching left jaw joint. “Probably a visit to my dentist. My TMJ’s been acting up, and I’ve worn a hole in my night guard.”
She glanced at him, and then at the roof. “I meant, what comes next for us? What do we do?”
“I have no idea. This isn’t how I do things. I plan everything out months in advance, so there won’t be any problems. This whole thing with Gabe happened so fast, I’m completely off balance.” He swallowed hard, searching for words, his eyes glued to the road. “I know I’ve screwed up royally, and you’re the one who came to the rescue. Not to be be chauvinistic or anything, but it makes me feel like a real loser to always be on the receiving end with you. So what can I do to tip the balance?”
He dared a glance. Big mistake. She was tugging that sweet lower lip between her teeth again, and it seemed to be connected to something that made his mouth go dry. What was happening to him? He couldn’t let himself be attracted to her in that way. She would think he’d done all this on purpose to trap her into marriage. No, he had to keep his thoughts in line. This relationship was platonic. Sure, they were married, and they had to live together. But she wasn’t interested in him beyond friendship. End of story.
“You don’t owe me anything, Jarrett. Everything I’m doing is for Gabe.”
He turned into the parking garage and stopped in his reserved space. His palms were sweating like an awkward teenager who’d driven his date home and had to face her parents. “We have to go inside.”
“Yes.”
“Do you think we should make an announcement?”
“They have to find out eventually, but I’d prefer to walk on a bed of hot coals.”
He rubbed his palms on his pants. Guess this suit is going to the cleaners. “How long is that bed of coals? I might go with you.”
Her lips rolled in across her teeth, but a grin escaped anyway. “We’re way too much alike, aren’t we?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“What if we waited until the weekend and sent an office memo?”
A breath he didn’t know he was holding drained from his chest. “That’s a great idea! Let everyone find out without having to face them.”
“But Carlie has to be told tonight.” Rylie chewed a bit more on that delectable lip, and then she gasped and turned toward him, wriggling with excitement. “Why don’t you make Matthew come over to the house and help us break the news? Something tells me she won’t go ballistic if he’s there.”
He felt his blood pressure dropping to a more reasonable level, though he could still hear his heart beating in his ears.
“I like that. I’ll call Matthew right away. And what about Finn and Juanita?”
“They’re your friends,” she said, pleased as punch. “You tell them.”
“But we’re married,” he said. “That means we share everything. So technically, they’re your friends, too.”
“That’s stretching it pretty far.”
“Desperate times—desperate measures.” He gave her his sad-eyed look, the one that used to work on all his sisters.
“Fine.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “I was going to the hospital tonight anyway.”
“When do you want to move in?”
She sighed and closed her eyes, and he remembered how much she was giving up. She’d just bought her home, and from its lack of furniture, she’d probably pushed to her limits to afford it.
“To be fair,” he said, “I’ll pay your mortgage, insurance, and utilities while you’re living with me.”
Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him. “How is that fair?”
“You’re putting your whole life on hold for me. The least I can do is foot the bill for the life you’re leaving behind. Please don’t take it as an insult, Rylie. You know I can afford it, and it will make me feel less like a heel.”
“You know what? That would be really good.” Did one of her worry lines disappear or was that his imagination? “As long as we both agree I’m not taking any money in the settlement.”
“You’ll have to work that out with Matthew,” Jarrett said. “You could always donate it to Limitless.”
Her hand jutted forward. “Deal!”
He shook it, trying not to notice how soft her skin was. “Deal.”
Before he had time to celebrate, a ton of other worries tumbled into his head. How would his family react? What about her parents? Where was she going to sleep? What about the news media?
“We should make a list together,” Rylie said, with pursed lips. “All the things we need to figure out and all the things we need to do. I’ve got this phone app. It’s called—”
“Check It Off,” they finished in unison.
Her eyes twinkled with humor. “Way, way too much alike!”
“I can’t believe this. My own sister stabbing me in the back!” Carlie’s reply was full of emotion, but a little overplayed, like she was still trying out for that acting part. In Rylie’s opinion, she didn’t look as upset as she ought to if she really loved Jarrett.
“Did you know this last Friday when you brought Jarrett’s flowers over?” Carlie demanded, as she stopped pacing in front of Rylie’s family-room couch and propped her hands on her hips, directing her question to Matthew.
“I knew,” he replied. “But I thought Jarrett was waiting to tell you in person.”
