Phoebe didn’t look at me when I turned my stare at her. “Same,” she said, staring at the floor. “I’m just curious...oh, and of course we wanna make sure our friend doesn’t get hurt,” she finished, finally casting her gaze and a grin up at me.
“Well, just don’t say anything to anybody about this, all right? Charlie didn’t want anyone to know about the deal, so just let it go.”
“Scouts’ honor,” Riley said, crossing her fingers over her heart as a promise to keep her mouth shut.
Phoebe gestured that she was zipping her mouth shut too.
“Listen, guys, I gotta get back to work,” I said.
Riley nodded. “Let’s get together soon. We need to catch up.”
“We will. I promise.”
“Just be careful, okay? Don’t let Charlie sink his claws into you. He might be hot as hell, but you’ll only get burned. We all know that one can’t be trusted.”
“I don’t know about that,” I said under my breath.
“What?” Phoebe asked, looking at me as if I’d lost my mind.
“Maybe he’s changed. He seems different somehow.”
“Seriously, Jaime? You’re sticking up for him now, public enemy number one? What kind of spell has he cast on you? You moved in with him, you’re working for him, and now you’re trying to tell us how he’s done a one-eighty?”
“We’ll get together soon. I promise,” I repeated, trying to give them a hint to leave when two customers walked in.
“Okay,” Riley said with a cautious smile. “Call me tonight.”
“Will do.”
Riley nudged Phoebe and they left the club.
I really couldn’t be jealous of Phoebe over her prior dealings with Charlie. The only thing she had ever liked about him was the sex, and they’d only done it a few times, never seriously dated. As far as I knew, she couldn’t stand how cocky he always was, and she’d never been truly interested in him. It was clear from all our recent conversations that she was no longer one of his fangirls, if she ever was.
Marlene stayed behind and looked at me. “Are you sure there’s nothing going on between you two?” she asked, arching her brow in speculation.
“Positive. We’re just friends.”
“Hmm. Well, in that case, I think I might wanna take him up on his deal,” she said.
I swallowed hard. “Really?”
“Yes. Do you think he’d marry me?”
I bit my lip hard. Marlene was a pretty girl with big, blue eyes and curves any man would die for, exactly Charlie’s type.
“I know he wou
ld,” I said.
“Then I’m going to propose to him the second I see him. He needs a bride, and I need the money. I’ll make sure all his loans to all the girls are fully paid back, too, so it’d be a win-win for all of us.”
“That’s so sweet, Marlene, and I’m sure he’ll be pleased, but...”
“But what?”
I hesitated a moment, not sure how to break the truth to her. “Well, Charlie’s got a bit of a reputation. I mean, aren’t you worried he’ll cheat on you, that he won’t be faithful to the marriage?”
She laughed. “A fake marriage? What’s there to be faithful to? If the marriage isn’t even real, it wouldn’t be cheating. I’m not looking for love, and I don’t want him. I don’t care if he screws the entire town while I’m wearing his damn ring on my finger, as long as my bank account is full when the whole charade is over. I can put up with his stupid, man-whoring ass for a couple years, and then we’ll go our separate ways, both of us a whole lot richer. I know that’s all he wants, too, his daddy’s money. He’s not looking for commitment, and I’m not either, especially with him. Heck, I doubt Charlie can even spell commitment.”