“You don’t think you can resist her?”
“I want to say yes. I want to believe this isn’t going to be a big deal.” I sigh, and my shoulders slump. “But if it comes down to it, probably not.”
He nods. “Then leave the promise out. The rest still stands.”
“Understood.”
Chapter 8
Charlie
It’s not even nine a.m., and I’ve already made my first mistake.
I called her.
“Absolutely not,” Jessica says in a voice so authoritative I can feel my blood pressure rise.
I grit my teeth as I move around the kitchen, grabbing everything I need to get out the door. “Can’t you listen to reason for five minutes?”
After my talk with Mitch, I’d decided to bite the bullet and come clean to Ryder. And even though she’s constantly dropping one mess after another in my lap, my decision affects her, and I want her consent.
Right in principle, horrible in practice.
“There is no amount of time on this planet that will make me think that’s a good idea.” Of course she doesn’t agree.
“He’s going to find out.”
“He won’t.” She lets out a growl of agitation. “Who’s going to tell him?”
Doesn’t she know how she is? Doesn’t she see it? “He’s going to know because he knows us.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. I thought you were cooler than this. It’s only a big deal if we make it a big deal. I won’t even talk to you on Saturday, okay?”
My frustration twists and wraps around me.
I swipe my keys from my kitchen island. This isn’t working. We’re going in circles. I try a different tactic.
The truth.
“Jessica, I don’t want to lie to him. He’s my second-in-command. Our relationship is built on trust.” I soften my voice. “He knows you’re different.”
I practically hear her gulp. “How does he know that?”
I don’t want to give her any more of an upper hand, but I don’t know how else to get her to stop digging in her heels. “Because I acted completely out of character.”
“Only because I shocked you, but you’ll be over it by Saturday.”
“But I don’t get shocked, and that’s the problem.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Look, if you want to blame it on me and my poor acting skills, that’s fine. Take the win, I don’t care, but that’s not the fucking point.”
She’s quiet for a long moment before she speaks. “If you tell him, by the time I start work on Monday, I’ll be that slut who had a one-night stand with the sheriff.”
“Your brother would never say that.”
“He won’t, but you and I both know news travels fast in small towns, and it’s always the woman who gets punished.”
Shit. She’s got me.
I’m not sure if she’s right, but I can’t be certain I’m not wrong.