I don’t know why I’m being so honest with him, but I can’t bring myself to lie. “On the afternoon I told you about Amber, I was really nervous I would forget what to say, so I wrote down some notes. They must’ve fallen out of my pocket when I jumped out my window. I think Irma found them because she told her friends. People made fun of me for it for years, all through high school. Until I left for college.”
“Shit, I’m sorry.”
I shrug. “Wasn’t your fault I’m an idiot. I should’ve kept my mouth shut. It was none of my business. Trust me, I’ve learned my lesson.”
His gruff voice gets soft. “For the record, you were right about everything.”
Jace sing-songs, “We tried to tell you.”
“Don’t you have someplace to go?” Rhett asks.
He slaps Rhett on the back. “Love you, bro.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Jace wanders down the hallway to one of the bedrooms, and then I’m alone with Rhett for the first time in seven years. Hesighs. “My brothers never liked Amber, but I thought she’d grow on them.”
I’m jittery, like I might jump out of my skin, but I force myself to sit still. “I wish I’d been wrong about her. I take no pleasure in being right.”
He sighs again, and the weariness of it makes my heart hurt. “You tried to warn me, and I didn’t take it well. I want to apologize for how I responded. I would’ve done this sooner if you’d picked up the phone when I called.”
“I pretty much thought I might avoid you for the rest of my life.” I finally have the courage to look at him. His soulful dark eyes pierce straight through me, and I tighten my arms around my waist. It pains me to admit this, but I want him to know. “You don’t want to marry me. I, uh, I’d be a terrible wife. Maybe your friend Darlene is the better option.”
He studies my face. “Why do you think you’d be a bad wife?”
I tug on the ties of his shirt and continue my truth vomit. “I can’t connect to anyone. To men, I mean. I’ve had boyfriends, of course, but it’s like there’s a part of me that’s locked away. Like I only have half a heart. You… you deserve someone who’ll love you.”
He swallows. “That’s not what I want, Paige. I swore off relationships after I found Amber fucking another man in my bed. I don’t want a real marriage or love, and certainly not more kids. I’m just looking for someone who can pull off this ruse for a few months, make my banker believe I’m a good bet, and get along with my family. That’s it.”
I consider what he’s saying. “Are you sure you want to go this route? Won’t a new marriage, however fake, be hard on your boys?” As much as I’ve tried to avoid news about Rhett, it was hard to miss that he had two kids with Amber. Baylee always gave me the highlights as gently as possible so I wouldn’t be blindsided by them later.
Rhett rubs his scruffy jaw. “I’ve explored every other option to try to dig my way out of this financial pit. I’m not sure what else to do.” I’ve never seen this desolate expression in his eyes.
“How bad is the money situation?”
He looks away. “We have less than thirty days before foreclosure.”
Oh, God. “Are you serious?”
“Trust me, Paige, I’d never be entertaining marriage again if my family wasn’t desperate. But Jace is right. We have pretty good health insurance. You could get the rehab you need, maybe save a little money if you’d like to help me out in the office. I’d pay you, of course—once I get that loan, I could afford to do that. And when the six months are up, you’d be ready to go back to your cheer camp.”
When he says it like that, this is starting to sound more reasonable. “Where would I sleep? The couch?” I look at the living room where there’s a roomy but worn sectional.
He winces. “Not sure that’s a good idea. My brothers sometimes have overnight visitors, and I’m afraid word would spread that you’re sleeping out here. Jace’s bedroom gets more traffic than a Holiday Inn. I’d give you the trailer out back, but Beau stays there now. He and his friends sometimes trample through the house to raid my fridge on their way to his place, so there’s not a lot of privacy.”
“So where…”
“You can sleep in my bed, and I’ll crash on the floor.”
I laugh at the ridiculousness of that scenario. “Rhett, you’re six foot three. You ride horses and bale hay and wrangle cattle all day long. You should get the bed.”
He crosses his arms. “Does that mean you’re considering this? If I can swing a shorter-term loan, I’ll do that, but for the sake of my relationship with Harlan, I think we should stay together for six months. I don’t want him to think I’m flakey.”
I should tell him no, go back to my Kia Rio, and drive to the other side of Texas. That would be the smart thing to do, but no one ever said I’m smart. “Can I think about it? When would you need an answer?”
A look of defeat crosses his face, and he blows out a breath. “Take all the time you need, Paige. This is probably a stupid idea. I don’t wanna harangue you into doing something you’re not comfortable with.” He motions to my half-eaten taco. “Finish your breakfast. I’ll drive you back to your car later today, and we’ll go talk to Irma. See if we can figure something out.”
Before I can respond, he pushes away from the table, grabs a bag of frozen peas from the refrigerator, and hands it to me. “Ice your ankle.”
