How to Marry Your Frenemy - London Casey Page 0,89
vicious at work. The promotion for her wasn’t just about money. It was about keeping lives moving forward.
I swallowed hard.
I looked toward the bedroom.
Part of me wished she would have told me about this… but at what point did I ever give her a chance to do so? At the office, it was all about competition.
Callie versus Jackson.
Jackson versus Callie.
Our frenemy relationship was the backbone and driving force for the entire company.
Without us competing with each other, Vince wouldn’t have had half the business he did.
Yet, it obviously came at a price.
And I was just too dumb to realize or care enough to see it.
I finished my beer and immediately went to the fridge for a third one.
Tonight was going to be a long night.
And it wasn’t going to be me fucking Callie all night.
After I put the last folder back together, I snuck into the bedroom and crawled into bed with Callie. I scooped her up and held her in my arms. She curled up on my chest and sighed. Like she was meant to be there for the rest of my life.
I passed out pretty quickly and was the first to wake up.
Callie had since rolled away from me, curling up in the covers.
I got out of the bed and made coffee.
I smiled at the folders on the table.
I nodded.
I had this thing all figured out.
After the coffee was ready, I poured two cups, but didn’t make it back to the bedroom in time.
Callie was already shuffling out of the room, yawning and playing with her messy hair.
I sucked in a breath at the sight of her in my t-shirt.
She must have grabbed it off the floor.
“Morning,” I said. “I was just bringing you some coffee.”
“What happened last night?”
“I fucked you to sleep I think,” I said.
“I guess so,” she said. “Wow. I haven’t slept like that in a long time.”
“I guess we can add that to my list of talents,” I said.
I was close enough to hand her one of the coffees.
She took it and smiled. “I’ll take that anytime you want to give it.”
“Sex? I’m always ready for sex. Just look down and I’m hard.”
Callie rolled her eyes. “Let me wake up first.”
“Oh, come on, sweetie, groggy sex is best,” I said.
“You think every kind of sex is best. Sex in a corner is best. Sex on the kitchen floor is best. Sex in the shower is the best. Groggy sex is the best.”
“Your point?” I asked.
“Nothing,” she said.
“Hey, I want to show you something,” I said. “I kind of had a late night.”
“Okay…,” she said.
I walked her to the table and pointed to the folders.
“Found those and went through them all,” I said.
“You did what?” Callie asked.
“You passed out and I was awake. I noticed the folders and started looking. Your mother’s business isn’t all that bad.”
“You went through my mother’s folders?” Callie asked.
I put my coffee down. “I didn’t do it to be an asshole. Look, Callie, I see what’s going on. I’ve been noticing it here and there. Last night I finally put it all together. I’m seeing who you are.”
“And who am I, Jackson?”
“You’re a good person,” I said. “Taking care of your mother. And I’m assuming you’ve done it your entire life. And there’s nothing wrong with it. But we can make it so she can survive on her own.”
“We?” Callie asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “Look, I dug through everything here. I matched up all the orders to purchase receipts. I have it all organized now. What products are selling and what aren’t. And what prices they’re selling at. She’s been losing money on a lot of items, but that can be easily fixed. I even came up with a payment plan for her biggest vendor so she doesn’t lose them. If that happens, she’ll-”
“Why did you do that?” Callie asked.
“What?”
“Why, Jackson? You really spent all night doing this?”
“Yeah. Why not?”
“No, no, it’s not why not… it’s why… that’s the question. What is this?”
“I can’t just do something for you, Callie?” I asked. “Are you getting defensive?”
“Since when are you nice?”
“Really? Come on. After all we’ve been through here…”
“Been through? You mean our fake marriage for money? You mean the sex so we don’t lose our minds because of the fake marriage?”
“Okay then,” I said. “I put something together. Maybe it’s time to have a talk with your mother. Tell her she needs to survive on her own. You can’t keep paying her bills, right?”