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“Not at all. In fact, I like it.”
“Really? You don’t think my bangs make me look too young?”
“Hmmm…” He rubbed his chin as he pretended to ponder her question. “Not a day younger than sixteen.”
Something flew through the air, directly toward his face. He flinched, but not in time to avoid the soft impact. The object fell to the floor—a foam koozy.
“Violence is never the answer.” He was surprised by his own laughter. Worrying about Gabe had consumed him night and day, even invading his dreams.
As if she read his mind, her face fell. “How did Gabe do last night?”
“It was a miracle,” he answered. “He finally slept through the night. And hasn’t thrown up since they started the new nausea med.”
“Thank the Lord. It broke my heart to see him so sick.”
“It’s been hard for everyone, I think.” His heart warmed at her sincere concern, and an odd idea wormed its way into his head. He was drawn to her. It was completely different from his attraction to Carlie. If he were forced to compare, he would say his feelings for Rylie were deeper and stronger. Perhaps because of what they’d been through together. Was it friendship? Or was it something more? Confusion muddled his brain. Was he starting to fall for Rylie? No, it had to be a physical thing—probably because she looked so much like her sister.
He spied a stray strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail and, without thinking, tucked it behind her ear. She jerked away like she’d been burned. He was an idiot. Or a creep. Maybe both. He used the offending hand to scratch the back of his head.
“So…” she said, regarding him with wary eyes. “Carlie flew back this morning.”
“Yes, I can’t wait to talk to her.” The moment the words left his lips, he realized they weren’t true. He’d been so obsessed with Gabe he’d hardly given Carlie a thought. His mind had wandered while listening to her animated voice mail, babbling on about landing the part in the movie. He wanted to be excited for her, but Gabe was the only thing on his mind.
“She said the two of you have a date tonight?” Rylie’s brows lifted in question.
“That’s right.” He didn’t mention he’d forgotten about it until that moment. And as exhausted as he was, he was in no mood to entertain Carlie. Though she would probably pull him out of his doldrums with her effervescent personality. She was good for him.
“Well, we should both get some work done,” Rylie said.
She pivoted toward her computer, effectively dismissing him and setting their boundaries back where they belonged. The emotional rollercoaster of the past week had changed nothing for her. He needed to put a stop to any weird thoughts he might have about their relationship. With Rylie, there was no doubt exactly where he stood… she was a friend, and only a friend.
* * *
Rylie stared at her hands,clenched together in her lap, as she sat in the straight-backed leather chair facing the heavy wood door with Matthew Hardy’s name emblazoned on a gold plaque. Had she had any idea that every person in his office dressed in suits and dresses that cost more than her monthly mortgage, she would’ve worn one of the many outfits her sister had given her, rather than digging her old, comfortable clothes out of the donation bag. If Jarrett was embarrassed that he was sitting beside a woman wearing inexpensive leggings and an off-the-rack tunic top, he didn’t show it. For his part, Jarrett was immaculate as always, in a suit, which must’ve been custom-tailored to fit his broad muscular shoulders and narrow waist. Though he sat in an adjacent chair, he might as well have been miles away, with his elbows tucked close to his side as he answered emails on his cell phone.
Rylie just wanted to get it over with. Her heart couldn’t take any more incidents like the one at the office that morning. Though Jarrett’s fingers had barely brushed her ear, the tingle had shot to the tips of her toes. The gesture had felt tender… intimate… so much so that she’d let herself develop the smallest of hopes that he might actually be attracted to her.
But once again, her hopes had been dashed to the ground and trampled. She’d waited, holding her breath, longing to hear him say something… anything that would indicate he no longer wanted to be with Carlie. But he only confirmed that he’d missed her and was taking her out on a date, without the slightest hint of regret in his voice. And for him, this meeting with the attorney, which had Rylie’s stomach tied in knots, was simply a bothersome step to brush their fake marriage aside and pave the way for his marriage to Carlie.
Fortunately, her prayers were answered as Matthew came out to greet them only seven minutes after they’d arrived.
“Jarrett! Hey! Sorry to keep you waiting. I was on the phone with the LA office.”
He had the slick look of a high-dollar attorney. Not that she knew any personally. But she’d seen plenty of them on TV. He shook Jarrett’s hand and turned to flash her a magazine-perfect smile. “Rylie, it’s nice to finally meet you.”
She didn’t remember offering her hand but found it clasped in his firm one. He was smooth and charming, for sure. She could see why Carlie had enjoyed his flirtations, though he wasn’t Rylie’s type.
Who am I kidding? I obviously don’t have a type.
Her wooden feet carried her inside his office. She could only hope she wouldn’t throw up on the fancy Persian rug. She and Jarrett sat in adjacent chairs in front of Matthew’s immaculate desk. Matthew took his place behind the desk and folded his hands in front of him.
“Now, before we get started, do you have any questions?”
“I just want to get this over with.” She saw a hurt look cross Jarrett’s face and hastened to add an explanation. “This kind of thing makes me nervous.”
“No reason to be nervous,” said Matthew. “In fact, you don’t have to sign anything today. You’re welcome to take it to your own attorney, though I can assure you Jarrett has provided a generous settlement in the postnuptial agreement.”
He slid two sets of papers across the desk in front of them, and Rylie picked up her copy in trembling fingers. A quick perusal exposed some really large numbers, and she dropped it like it had stung her.
