“Do you think Michael’s in love with Juliet yet?”
I stop. I can’t see whospoke. They must be farther in the garage, but it sounded like Trent.
“He better be if he wants to win the bet.” This time I’m sure it’s Sean.
My blood turns to molten lava. I was a bet? Heat crawls up my neck, threatening to choke me.
Sean and Trent come around the corner and freeze, their eyes bulging out of their heads like a cartoon character getting run over.
Then why do I feel like I wasjust hit by a train?
“Juliet,” Trent starts, but I’m not about to let them get another word in before I do.
“What bet?” I ask. My hands shake around Kabobs, and I hold him tighter.
Neither of them responds.
“What. Bet?” I yell this time. Someone needs to tell me something now before I come unglued.
Trent sticks his hands in his pockets. “Sean made a bet with Michael that if he fell in love in thirty days, he could have the foreman job.”
The air whooshes from my lungs, and there’s nothing left to fill them up.
He used me to get a promotion, so he could take over his precious business.Of course.This wasall for some job.
“But that’s not—” Sean starts.
“No. Just no.” I spin and collide with Michael.
“Whoa.” He steadies me. “Was someone excited to see me?” The grin on his face is too much. I don’t care what comes out of his mouth. Nothing can take away that hurtful realization: I was a pawn in someone’s game. Again.
“Yeah. Him.” I place the pig on the ground, and he hurls his body at Michael.
Good piggy.
Michael nurses his bruised shin, I sprint out of the house, already searching for an Uber on my phone.
I was an idiot to believe love might actually exist. How can it when people throw it out like candy at a parade, not caring where or on who it may land?
For once, I was hoping it might mean something. That I meant something.
Chapter 22
Michael
I look up from my bruised legs.
Juliet is gone, and my brothers are wearing matching expressions of shock and guilt.
“What just happened?”
Trent and Sean shoot each other warning glances, but neither speaks. Which means it’s bad. The worst thing they could tell Juliet is…
“You told her about the bet?”
Trent ducks his head.
“She kind of heard us talking about it,” Sean admits, scratching his jaw.
