Jake muttered an oath and walked away from her. “I didn’t want her then and I don’t want her now, but then again, you trusting my word means you actually have to trust me as a person. It means I have to trust you, too. And I don’t.”
Char threw down her purse and charged toward him. “How dare you! I’ve done nothing to—”
He held up her cell phone. “Mike called.”
“You’re such an ass!” Char jerked the phone away from him. “You answered my phone? That’s private.”
“You’re lucky I’m a good guy.”
She snorted.
“So ask me.”
“What?” Char scrolled through her messages. “What the hell do you want me to ask you?”
“About the wedding. You know, details, who the caterers are, what celebrities are going to be stopping by… you know, the nitty gritty details. Interview me.”
Char’s face fell as she stared into his cold, unresponsive eyes. “Jake, I was never going to go through with the interview.”
“I don’t care.” He did care but he didn’t want her to know he did, because it just made him look pathetic. “Ask me the questions.” He threw a piece of paper and a pen onto the bed. “Come on. Do you want to get fired?”
“No, but—”
“I’m pissed as hell right now,” Jake said honestly. “But I’m not going to be the reason you lose your job.”
“Well, aren’t you just a regular Mother Theresa.” Char snorted. “Don’t you know me better than this, Jake? Do you really think I’d betray my friends to get ahead in the world? I’m not you!”
“You’re being a bitch.”
“You’re an ass if you think so little of me,” she yelled.
“Yeah, well, you’re a shitty friend.” Jake’s nostrils flared as his voice rose. “I thought you were different. That’s why I—”
“Jake?” Travis’s muffled voice came from the other side of the door. “The party’s breaking up, man. Have you paid that crazy lady with the sex toys yet?”
“So many things wrong with that sentence.” Jake rolled his eyes. “Coming.” He walked toward the door. “You.” He pointed at Char. “Not a word to Travis and Kacey. Don’t even tell them you were thinking about taking your boss up on the offer. It will break their hearts, and they have enough going on. I’ll give you a damn story. I’ll run down the street naked if I have to; just leave them alone.”
Disgusted, Jake walked out the door, all the while wondering if his heart would ever be able to trust anyone.
Chapter Forty-two
Char stared in shock at the closed door. What had just happened? Was Jake actually giving her advice on how to be a good friend? After he’d led her on and then took Amy into a room and made out with her? The man was a mess! And he had the audacity to say that what Char was supposed to be doing was low? She wasn’t even going to do the interviews! She’d decided to sacrifice her job, a job she needed in order to eat, because she didn’t want to betray her friends.
The jackass hadn’t even given her a chance to explain! Once again, his cocky know–it-all attitude had surfaced, leaving her heartbroken and confused. She’d seen him in a searing lip lock with enemy number one and he was lecturing her as if she was the one who’d broken his heart!
Jake would never understand her hesitation about what she did because he’d always had money. He didn’t realize how tempting it was—to be able to pay rent, to eat, to not let your parents down again and again!
With a cry she threw herself onto the bed and cursed Jake Titus to hell. It was becoming a habit. Maybe if she cursed him enough times her heart would stop breaking. So close, yet so far away.
* * *
Jake said almost nothing to Char all day Saturday. In fact, the only time he did speak to her was when he’d asked to use her floss that morning. She’d dangled it in front of his face and waited for him to make some sort of joke.
Instead, he took it, flossed his teeth, and left the room.
Adding insult to injury, she was fired that morning.
She’d missed her deadline. It was entirely possible her life as a reporter was completely over.