“No, Pippa. Rhiannon signed the contract.”
“Is that legal?”
“I’m not about to sue my sister. But—” He drops his hands into his lap like he doesn’t know what else to do.
Me neither, other than sticking to my rules. The big one that I won’t break is giving up what I’ve worked hard for—my job, my home, and the quiet little life I created. “Then you’ll have to go through with it. Here, look at the candidates and we’ll select the top twelve. Sound good?”
“Sounds like singing in public atop a very tall building.”
I hold out my phone. Chase takes it slowly, reluctantly, and lets his fingers graze mine like a watercolor brush. Only, the stain on my skin feels like permanent marker.
I spend the next hour trying to convince him to take interest in someone else, leaving me to spend the rest of my life pining over him. All he finds are flaws and eventually says, “Just let my sister pick them. I’m walking the second the director says, ‘Cut.’”
“But you might get your happily ever after.” My voice shakes a bit.
“Do you want to know what would make me happy?” Chase asks.
His eyes search mine in a way that makes my belly squeeze.
“Getting married, having a family, a farmhouse somewhere with a tire swing in the front yard, a couple of dogs running around, and—” He stops himself.
...And a ton of money from his grandfather. I bite my lip. Everything he listed, before he fell silent, is what I want...with him. I push the notion away. He’s proven that he isn’t the one.For once, my weird luck showed me that I’d been tricked. Lulled by good looks, charm, and a crush that won’t quit.
Conversation over, Chase closes his eyes. I need to get over him, so I write a new crush list—the things I’m looking for in a guy. I’ll probably have to ask for a refund for Rhiannon’s services, considering my dating coach is my crush’s sister. Time to do this on my own.
The NEW Crush List:
Handsome
Honest
Faithful
Great listener
Compassionate
