A Bet With Benefits. Karen Booth

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СКАЧАТЬ feeling she didn’t handle well. Sophie and Emma had both been making their case for Mindy to sell BMO and stay at Eden’s. But maybe this bet could be a good one. It would keep her from falling under Sam’s spell. The very last thing she wanted was to spend an extra year at Eden’s. The second-to-last thing she wanted was to deal with Sophie’s and Emma’s regular hints about her staying.

      “We’re talking a real bet, you two.” Mindy pointed back and forth between Sophie and Emma. “You guys don’t get to say one more thing to me about walking away from BMO if I’m able to keep Sam in the friend zone. Not a peep. No guilt trips. Nothing.”

      Emma nodded. “I’m good with it.”

      “Me, too,” Sophie said.

      “Fine. It’s settled.” Mindy got up from her seat, feeling pretty good about having gotten everything she needed out of a second meeting today. “Oh, and just so you know, I’m planning on bringing Sam to the rehearsal dinner.”

      “Seriously?” Sophie asked.

      “Yes. Just think of it as one more chance for you to win your bet.” Mindy stopped at the door and turned to Emma. “I almost forgot. Emma, did you have something you wanted to talk about?”

      Emma noticeably winced. “I guess my mom and your mom had a phone conversation. It didn’t go well. Your mom hung up on mine.” Jenny Stewart, Emma’s mom, and Jill Eden, Sophie and Mindy’s mom, had a complicated relationship. They were sisters. Who didn’t speak to each other. They’d also each had children by the same man, making Emma not only Sophie and Mindy’s cousin, but their half sister, as well. It was a bizarre situation, to say the least. All three sisters had hoped that the occasion of Sophie’s wedding and the fact that they were all working together now might be a reason for the moms to make amends. Apparently not.

      “Is this going to be a problem at the wedding?” Sophie asked. “I don’t think I can handle any more stress.”

      Emma shook her head. “I figure I’ll handle my mom and Mindy can handle yours. As long as we keep them apart, it should be fine. There might be some steely silence, but that should be the extent of the drama. I promise we’ll keep everything going smoothly.”

      Sophie took a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling. “Okay, then. Let’s hope this all goes off without a hitch.”

      * * *

      Sam couldn’t keep Mindy off his mind, even though he had a mountain of work to do. This will be a good thing, he kept saying to himself, although he wasn’t 100 percent sure. Attending Sophie and Jake’s wedding certainly had the potential to put Sam back into a few business and social circles he’d managed to spin himself out of. But he also worried there was something else to it. Every time he read about the upcoming nuptials, it sent him into a downward spiral, thinking about Mindy’s life and wondering what she was doing and—most important—whom she was dating. He’d jumped at the chance to stake his claim on Mindy the instant he realized she didn’t have a date. But there was no claiming Mindy. She was her own person, through and through. Would this wedding just end up being an exercise in public humiliation? Quite possibly. But without risk came no reward. And he knew that his bad relationship with the Eden family had to end. It was keeping him from making all of the money he wanted to make.

      Sam jumped when his phone line buzzed.

      “Mr. Blackwell. Mindy Eden is on the line for you.” It was almost as if she knew he’d been thinking about her.

      “Mindy, hi. Two conversations in one day. I hardly know what to make of this.”

      “I won’t keep you long if that’s what you’re worried about.”

      “Believe me, I’m not worried.”

      “I was calling to give you the details of the rehearsal dinner and the wedding. I tried to reach you on your cell, but some woman answered and told me to call you at the office. Please tell me that wasn’t Valerie Cash I just spoke to. I refuse to go with a taken man to my sister’s wedding.”

      Sam pursed his lips to stifle a laugh. Mindy did have a bit of a jealous streak. “Valerie and I are no longer dating. It was a very short-lived thing.”

      “Long enough to be in the tabloids more than once.”

      So she was jealous. If that was the case, why hadn’t she tried to beat Valerie Cash at her own game? He would’ve given in without too much of a fight. Okay...a little fight. But now? Months later? He wasn’t feeling generous. “It’s over. That’s all you need to know.” He swallowed hard and prepared himself for the question he had to ask. “How’d you manage to keep your love life under wraps that whole time?”

      Mindy laughed quietly. “Cute, Sam. Real cute.”

      “What?”

      “Nice attempt at digging for information. I’m not about to tell you what I’ve been up to. I’d rather keep the mystery alive. Also, I’d rather ask about the mysterious woman answering your phone.”

      “It’s one of my assistants. My phone has been acting up, so she’s out getting me a new one.”

      Several seconds of silence wound its way through the line. “Oh. Okay.”

      Sam couldn’t help but notice how uncertain Mindy sounded. Had she really been bothered that much by his relationship with Valerie? Had that been what kept her away? “So the wedding. Do you want to just text me the details?”

      “Sure. I can do that. You should know that since the wedding is taking place at the Grand Legacy Hotel, I’m staying there both nights. If you wanted to do that, you could book a room. It would just need to be a separate room. And I don’t know what their availability is.”

      “Right. Friends and all.”

      “Exactly.”

      “I think I’ll sleep in my own bed those nights.” It will save me the temptation. “So how did Sophie take the news that I was coming?”

      “She wasn’t superexcited, but she was fine. Don’t worry about my sister. She’ll be too drunk on love and attention to know what’s going on. You just play the part of model wedding guest and we’ll be fine.”

      “I do know how to behave in social situations, you know.”

      “I know. I guess I’m just restating the obvious.” Mindy blew out a breath of frustration. “I should go. My to-do list is ridiculous.”

      “Oh, sure. Me, too.” For some reason, Sam couldn’t bring himself to say goodbye and he sensed that Mindy was feeling the same way. “Big plans this weekend?”

      “Sleeping, perhaps. Maybe brunch on Sunday. How about you?”

      “Definitely the sleeping part. You know how I feel about brunch.”

      “You’re the only person I know who doesn’t like it.” Despite her words, Mindy’s voice was light and playful.

      “Well, which is it? Breakfast? Or lunch? Make up your mind, brunch. You don’t get to be both. Plus, it’s basically cutting out an entire meal, which is a big downside for me. I will always eat.”

      “I СКАЧАТЬ