How to Marry Your Frenemy - London Casey Page 0,46
merit behind it. It’s not a shock that Vince treats Big Jack’s company like a cash register.”
“Exactly,” I said. “I love money as much as the next person, but my father had a vision. He wanted to find companies that were doing something. No matter their size. Vince cares about big risks and bigger paydays. Again, that’s not wrong, but it’s…”
“Not what you were brought up to see,” Liam said.
“Yeah.”
“And you think Callie will get the top spot?” Cole asked.
“Who knows what Vince will do,” I said. “Same for Callie. She’s vicious. She thinks she’s unstoppable. When Vince brought up the idea, she didn’t think for a second. It was instant.”
“So what’s your idea on sex?” Cole asked.
“We live next to each other. So we get to leave and come home together. Which is fine. For bedroom activity, we make sure we outsource and keep it quiet. Nothing too close to work. It’ll be tricky but if we coordinate it, then we both have company on the same night.”
“That’s going to be next to impossible,” Lincoln said.
“Do you hear yourself when you talk?” Liam asked.
“What?” I asked.
“You’re going to use some app to find a quick fuck for yourself and your wife?” Liam asked. “And then what? Set a time limit? All while keeping it covered up?”
“It was just an idea,” I said.
“At that point, man,” Lincoln said, “just throw back a few shots of whiskey and take Callie to the bedroom. That would be easier.”
I stood up. “I’d rather jerk off.”
“Well, we all know whose right forearm is going to be massive in a few weeks,” Cole said.
They all started to laugh.
I didn’t find any of it funny at all.
I pushed by Lincoln and went to lift some more weights.
I had no desire to go home… and see my wife.
“Grab a drink with me, man,” I said to Lincoln.
“I have to get home and grab a shower,” he said. “I have a meeting tonight.”
“Business?”
“Yes,” he said. “I don’t need to code my dates. I’m not Cole.”
I laughed. “He’s a dick.”
“He’s just high on himself. Everyone gets like that. I’m not going to stand here and talk shit on him.”
“I don’t say anything about anyone I wouldn’t say to their face.”
Cole had split. Then Liam got a call from Miranda and he took off like a kid caught red-handed doing something wrong.
“Hey, let me ask you something,” I said. “Liam and Miranda. That’s bullshit, right?”
“I think you have your own relationship to worry about, Jackson,” Lincoln said.
“Be real here.”
“We’re all best friends,” Lincoln said. “We’ve all watched each other do dumb shit, right? And we’re always there for each other. It’s what we do. If Liam walks down the aisle and marries Miranda, we’ll all be there for him. If he doesn’t, we’ll get him drunk and laid. And if he marries her and they get a divorce, he’ll sleep on one of our couches until he figures out his life.”
“Not my couch,” I said.
“Not mine either,” Lincoln said with a smile.
“Ha, good for Cole then,” I said. “He gets stuck with Liam.”
Lincoln grabbed my shoulder. “Now who’s going to get stuck with you when this blows up?”
“Nobody,” I said. “I’m fine. This is about money. One million dollars, man. I can’t stop thinking about it.”
Lincoln shook his head. “I can’t believe you actually got married. After everything that happened…”
“That was different, Lincoln. That was real. That was… shit…”
“Sorry to bring it up,” he said. “I just don’t want to see you fall into that trap again.”
“What trap?” I asked.
“You have a heart in there,” Lincoln said, pointing to my chest. “And when you offer it, man, you give it all. And when you hide it, you’re a cold prick.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“I have to get going for real here,” Lincoln said. “Good luck with everything. Tell the wife I said hey. Maybe I can finally meet her. You’ve complained enough about her.”
Lincoln winked and walked away, digging his phone out of his pocket.
Do I really talk about Callie that much?
I never considered it.
We all complained about our lives when we lifted weights. That was part of the experience. Pick up heavy shit, get shit off our chests, and move on with life.
I skipped getting a ride home and just walked the busy city streets.
There was something about being lost in a sea of people that made me feel right at home. Everyone with their own lives, stories, and business to take care of.