next time we see each other even more special.”
“I guess it does.”
I’m surprised how genuine I am when I say that. Bet aside, I felt something with this girl, and I think she felt it too. She’s so different from the women I’ve been with before, yet at the same time, there’s something so familiar about her.
“So, how about tomorrow night?” I ask, remembering I don’t have the luxury of time.
She sighs. “I’d love to, but I’m away until Sunday.”
I swallow. The bet expires Monday at noon, which means if things don’t work out, I’ll be completely fucked. I’m probably already fucked, especially when I’m pretty sure she’s not the type of girl to spontaneously marry someone she barely knows. The strange thing is, I want to see her anyway.
“Okay, Sunday night?” I suggest.
“You really are keen,” she laughs, but I can tell by her tone that she likes that.
“I’ll call you Sunday morning and we can work out a plan.”
“Okay, that sounds great. I’ll talk to you then.”
I end the call, feeling much more positive about the whole situation—until Samara's sniggering makes me look up. She wanders over to my desk and slides a stack of documents in front of me. I skim them before I sign and motion for her to go, but she doesn't move.
“Did you want something?” I ask, pretending to be engrossed in a document.
“Your accent is terrible,” she replies.
“Yeah, well, she didn’t seem to mind it,” I mutter.
Samara studies me for a moment, then sits down in one of the chairs facing my desk. “You’re really worried about that bet, aren’t you?”
“What bet?” I cautiously ask. I’m not even sure how she knows about it. I sure as hell haven’t told her.
She rolls her eyes. “The one between you and Jake? His lawyer emailed you an amendment to the contract.”
Of course he did. I’m surprised he hasn’t sent a full copy of it to my mother.
“That is what your little accent was all about, right?” She asks it so casually as she wraps a strand of hair around her finger. “You know, there’s an easier way.”
“An easier way to what?” I’m almost afraid to ask.
“Win the bet.” She looks me in the eye. “You could marry me.”
In theory, Samara isn’t a bad choice, but I can’t shake the feeling that marrying her would bring me more trouble than good. There’s no way her father would let her sign a prenup which means I might win the bet and still lose everything.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ve got this covered,” I assure her.
“Well, if you change your mind.” She stands up when I don’t answer and walks to the door, and then stops. “Oh, by the way, Jake called. Something about Andrew’s bachelor party? The venue has changed. It’s now on the water and departure is 1pm.”
“Today?” I yelp. “And you casually tell me that, now?”
“Sorry,” Samara says with a shrug. “I was distracted by that terrible accent.”
She walks back over and hands me a note with the details scrawled on it and then sashays toward the door. I shove the note in my pocket, annoyed. Jake probably changed the venue himself just to ensure my engagement with the opposite sex is as minimal as possible.
As Samara leaves, I snap into action and quickly pack up my briefcase. I barely have enough time to go home and pack. Leaving the office is something I do every day, but today it has weight to it, because I know there's a damn good chance I'll never be coming back here.
By the time I reach the boat, I’m really running late—to the point where they’re already pulled up the gangplank and I have to yell out for the porter’s attention. Luckily, he lowers it again.
“Name?” he asks as I step forward.
“Ben Tyler.”
Out of breath from running, I ignore the odd look he’s giving me. He’s probably just annoyed that I’ve made him do more work than he’d wanted to do for the day. He scans his list and then looks at me again while I wait impatiently, my luggage slung over my shoulder.
“Is something wrong?” I ask.
The porter shakes his head and forces a smile. “Welcome aboard, sir.”
I nod and thank him. They push the gangplank against the boat for me and I board, then I wander over to the edge of the boat and scan the crowd for the guys. Everyone around me cheers as the foghorn sounds and the boat starts moving.
I take in the people