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He backed away a bit. “Slap me? Why?”
“I’m kind of known for reacting that way.”
“Must be kind of hard on your boyfriends.”
“Maybe that’s why I’ve never actually had a boyfriend.”
“Yep. That could be the reason. Uhmm... Charlie? Why is your brother-in-law glaring at me? I thought he and Emily were in on the plan?”
Charlie shot a furtive glance at Spencer. “No. I’m afraid Emily didn’t tell him. He’s not always in favor of our plans, and she didn’t want him to interfere. We’re trying to convince Olivia she should marry Josh, but Spencer doesn’t really want them to get married.”
“Why not? He seems to be good buddies with Josh. They look like they’re plotting together right now.”
She peeked at the two who were conferring closely. “They’re buddies all right. But he doesn’t think Josh really loves Olivia. He’s only trying to protect his sister.”
“So what does he have against me? What did I ever do to him?”
“I honestly don’t know. It’s probably because he doesn’t know you that well, and he’s being protective of me. Once you spend some time together, I’m sure he’ll be okay.”
“Oh boy,” he said, through his bared teeth. “They’re calling me over there. Wish me luck.” He kissed her on the cheek before he rose to join them. She felt red blooming on her face once again and berated her
self for having so little control. Derek was right. She wasn’t very skilled at hiding her emotions.
GRACE WAS QUIETLY OBSERVING Charlie and Derek, while keeping an eye on Josh. Charlie had succeeded in marking her territory with Derek. Now Olivia would have to be careful pursuing Derek, or it would appear she was trying to steal Charlie’s boyfriend. However, things still weren’t going too badly, since Josh was completely unsuccessful in hiding his jealousy when Derek kissed Charlie. She needed to move fast, though. Charlie wasn’t usually into public displays of affection. If Charlie was letting Derek kiss her in front of other people, she must be starting to really like him. She had to take advantage of Charlie’s feelings for Josh, before she became too enamored of Derek.
“What should I do now?” Olivia asked her sister.
“Well, you can’t flirt openly with Derek anymore since Charlie’s acting all possessive. So basically, we have a two-fold plan. One—never let them be alone together. And two—try to find ways to force Charlie to be alone with Josh.”
“What do I do about Josh? I feel terrible when he hears me tell people I’m not going to marry him. He looks so sad and betrayed.”
“Trust me—you’ve got to have faith in the plan. We’re doing what’s best for him and Charlie, too. They just don’t know it yet.”
“But he keeps begging me to give him a chance.”
“Do you want to be a mother of two?”
“No, but I don’t want to be responsible for him losing custody either.”
“Just stick to the plan, and everything will be fine. He’ll be mad at you now, but he’ll thank you later.”
“But what if we’re wrong? What if they don’t love each other?” she whispered.
“Olivia, how can you doubt me? Was I right about Emily and Spencer?”
“Yes, you were right.” Olivia blew a curl off her face. “Okay, I’m going to trust you. But you have to help me.”
“I will, Sister. Believe me, I will.”
“You will what?” asked Brad, appearing behind Grace. “What are you two up to over here?”
“Nothing,” Grace said, blinking innocent eyes.
“Oh no,” said Brad. “When you’re up to nothing, that’s when you’re really up to something. What are you doing? Really?”
“We’re only trying to make sure Josh and Olivia don’t end up in a shotgun wedding. You don’t think it’s a good idea, do you?”
Brad shook his head. “I don’t know what to think about Josh anymore. I thought I knew the guy, but when he said he hadn’t been with a woman since falling for Charlie two years ago... I’m not sure I know him at all. Now I think he could be as faithful a husband as I am.”
