How to Marry Your Frenemy - London Casey Page 0,97
I am so not worth it.”
“Tell me what’s happening right now,” she said.
“Just go.”
I reached for the coffee to make some and Misha punched the bag out of my hand.
Then she took a handful of my hair and twisted it.
She pulled and put her face to mine.
“You listen up, bitch,” she said. “I’ve worked my ass off for you for a long time. And you think you’re just going to cut me out when something bad is happening? I’ll cut your face right now.”
She opened her hand.
I swallowed hard. “Wow, Misha.”
“Sorry,” she said. “Now my heart is racing.”
“Okay… you win. Vince made a move on me. He wanted to give me the bonus and wanted me to fuck him. He wanted me and him to crush Jackson’s heart. That’s what happened. And then Jackson saw some of it. From his point of view, it looked really bad. I can’t find Jackson now. And I can’t live without him. I don’t want the job, Misha. I don’t want the bonus. I don’t want the promotion. I don’t want to live my life competing anymore. I want to be with Jackson. I love him. Okay? I fell in love with him. And now he thinks it was part of some bigger plan to hurt him.”
Misha jumped at me and threw her arms around me.
I sucked in a breath.
“Oh, Callie, finally,” she whispered.
“Finally?”
“You and Jackson have been eye fucking each other for years. And the eye fucking went to something else too. I’ve been waiting patiently for you two to finally realize it was something real.”
“Misha,” I said. “It’s over. He thinks I was part of Vince’s plan. I’m done.”
“Don’t say that,” she said. “Just talk to him.”
“He doesn’t want to talk to me,” I said. “He won’t answer my calls. Or my texts. I don’t know where he is. He’s not going to choose me over his family. Look at what Vince is doing right now. He’s destroying my reputation. Security…?”
Misha nodded. “Yeah. They’re cleaning the office out.”
“Everyone watching?”
“Yeah,” Misha said.
“There’s my point. I’ll look like some cheap slut to the office and even worse to Jackson.”
“Misha, I’m tired,” I said. “Not just sleepy tired. But tired. Tired. I don’t want to do it anymore. Please go back to the office and save your job.”
“I’m going back to see what’s happening,” Misha said. “But I’m quitting today.”
“Misha…”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” she said.
“If you see Jackson…”
“I’ll let you know,” she said. “Please don’t give up on this, Callie.”
I didn’t respond.
Misha exited my apartment and I grabbed the counter.
My body found some fresh tears to spill.
I lost my husband.
I lost the man I loved.
I lost my job.
I lost my career.
But the worst part…
My will to fight back was drained.
I spent the day wrapped in the same blanket in the same spot on the couch and just watched movies. I didn’t go the sappy chick flick route. Instead, I found scary movies to watch. Terrible slasher movies. In a messed-up way, I started to cheer for the bad guys and monsters in the movies. Watching people trying to run for their lives, never able to outrun the supernatural.
My phone started to ring and I jumped.
It was just Mom calling.
“Hey, Mom,” I said.
“I can feel it,” she said.
“What?”
“Something is wrong.”
“Mom…”
“No, don’t give me that. I’ve been uneasy all day today. I took a nap and tried to clear some channels but I can’t. I had a dream about you, Callie.”
“Mom, listen to me…”
“You were in a white dress,” she said. “Sitting alone in a corner. You were crying. Something is wrong. What’s happening?”
I shut my eyes. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Is it Jackson?”
“I’m not answering that.”
“Marriage is tough, Callie.”
“Please, Mom…”
“No. I’m not going to let you mess it up.”
The final wire was cut.
That little comment - harmless or not - was it.
I leaned forward and took a deep breath.
“It was fake,” I said.
“What?”
I stood up. “The marriage was fake, Mom. So your rocks and energy talk was all wrong. Okay? Jackson and I were offered a bonus to get married.”
“Callie, what are you saying?”
“We went to a strip club and got drunk,” I said. “Our boss offered us one million dollars to get married. And we had to make sure everyone believed it was real. That’s what I’m saying. So all your marriage talk was garbage. You, Lake, Sunny, and Joni. It was all fake. Jackson and I were never a real thing.”