It’s fake, Paige. Not real. You’ll get a job and physical therapy while Rhett saves his ranch. It’s what Danny would’ve wanted.
I rub the steady throb against my temple.
Baylee hums. “So… would this be a platonic situation, or would you fuck Rhett’s brains out?”
“There would be no fucking of any kind. This is a business deal. He even spelled it out for me. Six months, we get his banker Harlan to buy into this, I rehab my ankle, and then we file for divorce.”
“Harlan Calhoun? My mother went to him to get a loan for our salon, but he turned her down. So if he’s willing to give Rhett a loan, he must believe in him.”
I believe in him too. I’m not sure how their financial situation got so bad, but I do know how hard he and his brothers work. Rhett breaks his back every day to keep the ranch running. I knew that even as a child.
The thought of him losing this place chokes me up. What would he do if he didn’t have the ranch? Where would his brothers go? Could that jeopardize Rhett’s custody of his boys?
Do I want to be responsible for letting that happen?
A door slams outside, and I lean up to see a shiny Audi parked next to Rhett’s old truck. A beautiful blonde steps out of it. Amber.
“Hey, the Wicked Witch just got here. I need to go hide.”
She chuckles. “Really? I’d pounce on Rhett, climb him like a koala bear, and give him an open-mouthed kiss that would set her hair on fire.”
I shake my head. My best friend is crazy. “Go back to your convention. I’ll call you later.”
“Love you.”
“Love you too. Be safe.” I hang up and tuck my phone in my bra.
Another car door slams, and two little boys go bounding toward their father, who kneels down to hug them. When he stands, they’re still clinging to him.
The look of pure joy on his face squeezes something in my chest. The front window is cracked open, and I can hear his sons’ laughter.
But the smile on Rhett’s face freezes when Amber sidles up to him. “I need to pick up the boys’ sleeping bags.” She toys with a long strand of hair. “What are you doing this week? Wanna come with us to the lake?”
I thought Rhett hated Amber. Why is she inviting him on her vacation?
“Amber, we talked about this,” he says gruffly as he steps around her.
“Why can’t we spend time together as a family? Why is that so bad?”
There’s a pleading in her voice that surprises me. Why is she begging Rhett to hang out when she’s the one who cheated?
I can hear his frustration when he grunts, “I’m not doing this with you again.”
“You know what? Forget it. You never had time for me when we were married, so I don’t know why I thought you’d have time now.”
Ouch.As much as I dislike this woman, a part of me feels bad for her. Maybe she regrets cheating on Rhett.
They start walking toward the house, and I limp as fast as I can toward the powder room off the kitchen. I don’t want to add kindling to that fire. I leave the light off and lean against the bathroom counter and pray Amber doesn’t have to pee.
“Gabriel, Austin, don’t y’all go anywhere,” Amber calls out. “I’m going to grab those sleeping bags, and we’re leaving. If you two disappear, you’re gonna get it.”
The vitriol in her voice makes the hair on my arms stand on end. I can understand her being angry at Rhett, but why is she such a bitch to her kids? Amber’s heels echo down the hall.
“Dad, can you come with us to the lake? It’s no fun without you,” Gabriel, the older one, says. I’ve never met his boys, but Baylee says they’re cute as hell.
“Daddy, I miss youuuuu,” Austin says.
Rhett clears his throat. “I’m sure your mom has some cool things planned for you.”
