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“You’re going to die of a heart attack by the time you’re forty,” said Carlie, who’d downed a green smoothie concoction that had smelled even worse than it looked.
“Sudden death sounds a lot better than dying slowly from a daily smoothie of algae and bacteria.”
“It’s not bacteria. It’s probiotics.”
“Same thing.” Rylie took another bite and groaned with exaggerated delight as the sweet cream slid down her throat.
“You’re impossible,” said Carlie. “But I won’t try to make you eat smoothies if you’ll go to the spa with me today.”
“It’s Wednesday. I have to work.” Rylie couldn’t wait for her sister to leave for her appointment. Rylie was looking forward to the peace and quiet and a chance to think about anything besides the fact that Jarrett Alvarez was marrying Carlie. Sure, they both said it wasn’t going to be a real marriage, but Rylie knew how her sister worked. Though it wouldn’t be a conscious action, Carlie would soon have Jarrett wrapped around her little finger. Something about her made men want to spoil her rotten.
Rylie had no such skill. It was one reason she’d enjoyed hanging out with Jarrett. He was so sharp her intelligence didn’t intimidate him, yet he actually had a personality, a trait Rylie had found lacking in most of her co-workers.
“Have you set a wedding date yet?” Rylie asked, in an attempt to show support.
“We picked a month! December!” Carlie twirled in a circle. “Sabrina—my agent—is really excited. She says this wedding is just the publicity boost I need. In fact, she already tweeted that I have some big news, and her tweet went viral. And I love Christmas-themed weddings.”
“Don’t you need to get married right away, so Jarrett can get approved for the adoption?”
“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.
