A Bet With Benefits. Karen Booth

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СКАЧАТЬ girls, through ladies’ accessories to the back elevators that would take her up to the executive offices. She still hadn’t figured out how to handle this news with Sophie, although she had an idea about an approach involving one of Jake’s groomsmen, Gerald, and his wandering hands.

      “Hey, Soph,” Mindy said, knocking on Sophie’s doorway, which was almost always open. “Do you have a minute?”

      “Sure. I can’t keep my mind on work right now anyway.” Her sister pushed back from her desk, gathering her sleek red locks in her hand and pulling them in a bundle over one shoulder. Always fashionable and put-together, Sophie was wearing a jade green floral dress with dramatic bell sleeves.

      Mindy was making herself at home on Sophie’s gray velvet sofa when Emma appeared at the door.

      “Discussing wedding stuff, by any chance?” she asked.

      “Yes. Actually. That’s exactly why I wanted to talk to Sophie.” Mindy patted the seat next to her. “Join us.”

      “You guys want to talk about the wedding?” Sophie asked, incredulous. “I always feel like I’m jamming it down your throat.”

      Emma glanced over at Mindy and without words, conveyed their shared desire for the relief they would feel when Sophie’s wedding was over. “Oh, no. We love to talk about the wedding,” Emma said, putting on an excellent front.

      “It’s the best part of the day,” Mindy lied.

      Emma tucked her long chocolate-brown hair behind her ear and crossed her legs, showing off an incredible pair of cherry-red Manolo Blahnik pumps. The three sisters did enjoy outdoing each other when it came to shoes, although this was a daring choice for the otherwise more subdued Emma. Her charcoal tweed pencil skirt and jacket made a nice counterpoint. “Absolutely. Mindy, what’s your news?”

      Mindy wasn’t about to stall. She wanted to get this over with. “I found a date for the wedding. If you can just let Jake know and have him somehow filter that news down to Gerald, that would be great.”

      “Why don’t you tell Gerald yourself? Doesn’t he text you four or five times a day?”

      This was true. Gerald had been putting the full-court press on Mindy from the moment he met her at the first engagement party. He was one of Jake’s business school pals, and Sophie had known him then, as well. He had it in his head that Jake and Sophie along with Mindy and Gerald would make the perfect pair of power couples. Mindy had been clear that she wasn’t interested, but she’d delivered that news gently, only because she knew she was going to see Gerald a lot at the various events leading up to the wedding. Apparently she’d been too soft with her approach. Gerald didn’t seem to be taking the hint.

      “Yes. He does. I just don’t know how to work that particular detail into a text conversation.”

      “Then call him,” Sophie said.

      “I don’t want to encourage him. And this was all your idea in the first place. Telling me to get a date to send him a signal.”

      “So?” Emma knocked Mindy’s knee with her own. “Who’s the guy?”

      Mindy couldn’t afford to hesitate with her answer. “Sam.”

      The room went dead silent. Mindy braced for the fallout.

      “No. No way,” Sophie said. “Absolutely not.”

      “What? You can’t tell me who I can bring as a date. I’m a grown woman.”

      “Not around Sam you aren’t. And it’s my wedding. I don’t like Sam. My future husband despises him. And frankly, you shouldn’t like him, either. Just think about the things he’s done to interfere with our business.” Sophie gestured to Emma. “Or our own sister, for that matter. He was the one who leaked the story of Emma’s childhood to the tabloids.”

      “Which was ultimately a good thing, wasn’t it?” Mindy turned to Emma, pleading with her eyes.

      “It was.” Emma looked back and forth between Mindy and Sophie, seeming stuck. “I just wish I would’ve had the chance to do it myself.”

      “See? There you go.” Sophie sat back in her chair. “You are not bringing Sam Blackwell to my wedding. If nothing else, he is going to stomp all over your heart, and I am not going to watch that happen again.”

      “Ah, but see, that won’t be a problem. We agreed that we’re only attending as friends.”

      “Why in the world would you even want to be friends with him? Does he have any friends? Is he capable of it?” Sophie asked.

      Mindy had been afraid of that question, but she’d anticipated it. She considered telling Emma and Sophie about the deal for the Mercer Building, but that seemed like news for after the wedding. She didn’t want to give them any more reasons to question his motives. “Whatever you think of him, we were good friends. We understand each other, at least from a business standpoint. And I couldn’t find a date. That’s the very sad reality of my life right now. I know you think Gerald is harmless, but I’d like to keep him at bay.”

      Sophie nodded, seeming to think hard about all of this. Emma sat back and wrapped her arms around her middle.

      “What, you guys? Just tell me what you’re thinking. I can take it.”

      “Even if it all goes fine, even if there are no problems, I worry about you and Sam together, especially in a romantic environment like a wedding,” Sophie said softly.

      “It’s true. It’s hard not to get caught up in the romanticism. And you were so sad after the last time you and Sam broke up,” Emma added.

      “I broke up with him because I couldn’t be in any way disloyal to you guys. I told him as much. And of course I was sad, but we’ve had five months apart and I think we’re ready to be friends.” Mindy doubted whether that was at all possible, but she had to try, at least to get the Mercer Building.

      “I’m worried you’ll fall for him again. Then you’ll be miserable. Again,” Sophie said.

      “I won’t.”

      “You will.”

      “I will not,” Mindy insisted.

      “Wanna bet?” Sophie asked.

      “I told you I won’t fall for him,” Mindy restated.

      “Then bet me. I know you and you hate to lose. So we’ll make a bet and as long as you don’t lose it, you won’t get hurt.” Sophie grabbed the pencil on her desk and began tapping it against a legal pad. “The question is what to bet.”

      “I know,” Emma said. “The one thing Mindy doesn’t want, to stay at Eden’s longer than she has to.”

      Mindy was struck with horror while Sophie’s expression became one of sheer delight. “Yes. That’s perfect.” Sophie clapped her hands together gleefully. “You promise me there will be no romance between you and Sam, and I will stop pestering you about staying on at Eden’s beyond the deadline next year.”

      “And if I lose?” Mindy asked, wary of the СКАЧАТЬ