Page 58 of About That Pact

“That’s the problem! Rafe thinks he can have anyone he wants whenever he wants. Not everyone is on his schedule. He is unreliable and nothing but an ass.”

“This may be out of context, but it seems like you are mad at Rafe.” Jason treaded lightly.

“I am mad at him! I need to go. Take this as my official rejection to drinks tonight.” With that, Charlotte hung up, then stuffed her phone in her purse so she wouldn’t be tempted to answer when her brother called back. And he would because she’d just shit all over Rafe—which hadn’t happened in a long time. She never trash-talked when Rafe wasn’t present, so it was a giveaway to Jason something else was brewing.

Oh, how things had changed.

Chapter 21

THE IDEA OF bailing on vacation was looking more and more appealing the closer the trip got.

Charlotte ignored what she’d previously been anticipating, like how she loved family vacation, like how she was excited to explore Vegas, like how she would see some of her girlfriends she hadn’t seen in a while. Despite all the fun, she was still making a pro/con list on how badly her mom would lose it if she cancelled a couple days before they were leaving.

She sat on her couch, laptop in her lap, hovering over “cancel flight.”

Her phone rang, stopping her from taking any action, which was probably a good thing.

“Hey.” She attempted to put some pep in her voice but failed miserably. It was like she could hear the sadness in her own voice.

“You sound horrible. What are you doing? Are you okay?” Jada asked.

She closed the browser, refusing to miss a vacation because of Rafe. A long weekend in Vegas would be some overdue fun for her. If she bailed, Rafe would get too much satisfaction from her absence. No way was she allowing him to gloat. He didn’t deserve it.

“I was debating not going to Vegas,” she admitted.

There was a pause, followed quickly by Jada coercing her Uber to change directions to Charlotte’s apartment. After some sweet talking, Jada returned to the phone. “I will be at your place in, like, ten minutes. Do you have wine or ice cream?”

“Unfortunately, both. Low on ice cream, though.”

“How about we order take-out instead? I’ll be there soon. In the meantime, do not—I repeat, do not—cancel Vegas.”

They got off the phone, and Charlotte changed out of the pajamas she had been wearing all day. Jada wasn’t the type to judge, but she sensed there was a get your shit together conversation in her future and she didn’t want it to happen in a ratty college t-shirt and gym shorts.

She upgraded to leggings and a baggy, off-the-shoulder blue sweatshirt, then poured two glasses of a red mixed blend for her and Jada.

Jada did the obligatory knock before opening the door. She sat at the dining room table and grabbed the other glass of wine.

“You look better than you sound,” Jada said softly.

Charlotte watched Jada get comfortable. “What plans did you bail on to come here?”

“Honest? A blind date my mom begged me to go on. You’re probably saving me from a horrible evening, so thank you.”

Ugh, a blind date. It made her think of Rafe and the work assignment she had crashed.

“I ordered In-and-Out from DoorDash. Cheeseburgers and milkshakes,” Jada told her.

Charlotte was hopeful. “Fries?”

Jada put her hands on her hips. “Obviously. What type of person do you think I am?”

This put Charlotte in a marginally better mood.

Jada’s phone rang, and she immediately put it on speaker.

Rachel’s voice boomed through. “You better put your hot ass on that plane next week. You’re going to Vegas and showing Rafe how you’re fine with or without him.”

Then, her doorbell rang, and Jada skipped over to answer.