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“Me? No, I’m not going.”
“Why not? Weren’t you invited?”
“I was, but I can’t show my face to Jarrett.” Rylie picked up speed, headed down the hallway for the safety of her room. “Not since I found out what a fool I made of myself, today. Can you believe I congratulated him for getting a job at Phantom Enterprises? My sister, who has zero knowledge of computers, knew he was the co-owner, and I didn’t. Jarrett probably thinks I live under a rock.”
“Because you practically do,” said Carlie.
“Not helpful,” Rylie growled through tight lips.
As she reached the door to her room, she felt a tap on her right shoulder and turned to look. At the same moment, something brushed past on her left.
“Ha!” Carlie cried as she sailed into the room and took a flying leap, landing on Rylie’s freshly-made bed just like she used to do when they were teens. She flopped around to face Rylie, her smile unfazed by Rylie’s glare. “You have to go tonight, because I need you there.”
“No. I’m too embarrassed.”
Carlie tilted her head, her eyes narrowing. “Why do you care so much what Jarrett thinks anyway?”
Oops! I forgot the cardinal rule—hide my feelings.
She scrambled for an explanation.“Anyone would be mortified, but it’s especially embarrassing because he talked about me applying for a job at Phantom.”
“What? He offered you a job?”
“Well, no. He said he’d put in a good word for me.”
Carlie bounced to her feet, shaking her finger in Rylie’s face. “That’s it! I won’t let you throw away a chance like this because of your pride. I’m taking you to this party if I have to drag you by your hair. And you’re going to look amazing.”
“I’m thinking the bleeding drag-marks on my legs might be distracting.”
“Rylie, stop kidding around. This is important. Who knows… your future husband might be at that party tonight!”
If only that were true.
Chapter 3
“Ineed your advice,” Jarrett told Cole as they wandered into the kitchen to give Cole’s wife, Brooke, some privacy to nurse their five-month-old, Nicole. “It’s personal.”
The first to arrive, the pair had flown in from Houston.
“You’re askingmefor advice? I guess you finally realize how wise I am, after I’ve been telling you so for years.”
“No, I’m just desperate, and you’re all I’ve got.”
Cole laughed. “Lay it on me. I owe you some good advice. If it weren’t for you, Brooke and I might not be together.”
“I can’t really take credit for that.” Jarrett shook his head. “You two were destined to be together. I don’t think a hurricane-force wind could’ve kept you apart.”
“Well, it helped that we were already married. At least I didn’t have to work up the courage to ask her again. Is that what you need? You finally found the right girl and you want advice about how to pop the question?”
Jarrett knew Cole was teasing him. He’d told his friends a few years back he had no intention of getting married. Though he didn’t give his reasons and none of them asked why, the unspoken explanation was as plain as day… Carlie. His best buddies, all busy in grad schools across the country, hadn’t met her while they were dating. All they’d known was her first name and the fact that Jarrett was in love with her.
Carlie was like an unstoppable force of nature. She’d asked him out on a date within twenty minutes of meeting him. For almost a year, he’d spent the majority of his days at the sisters’ apartment in Boulder, even eating most of his meals at their kitchen table. On weekends, he and Carlie would occasionally go out on dates. But since both were on tight budgets, they usually rented movies and hung out on the couch. Rylie had been a great sport, never complaining she was stuck as a third wheel. Jarrett had done his best to include her in their conversations, enjoying her wry sense of humor.
So when Carlie dumped him and left for Nashville, Jarrett had lost far more than the girlfriend he’d intended to marry. He’d also lost the comfortable daily routine he’d grown to love, along with his best gal-pal. Okay, it was his own fault he’d lost Rylie, but at the time he’d been too messed up to deal with seeing Carlie’s identical twin.
As Jarrett had always been private about his emotions, his buddies hadn’t dared to ask him the details. They’d only known the breakup had thrown him into a deep depression, and his desire for marriage and family had never returned.
Until now.
