A Deal With the Devil (6 page)

She burrowed into the deliciously soft high thread count Egyptian cotton sheets and pulled the down-filled duvet around her waist as she punched in her friend’s number.

Kate answered on the second ring. “When did y’all get back?” Her sugary Alabama drawl sounded bright and cheery and just a tad devilish—the tone she always used when up to no good—and it only irritated Amanda further.

“When did
you
lose your mind? Because I can’t think of any other reason you would’ve sent
him
.”

Kate continued, sounding unfazed by Amanda’s crankiness. “I called all night long. Why didn’t you pick up?” Her voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper, tinged with mischief as she said, “He’s still there, isn’t he?”

If Kate had been in the room, Amanda might have strangled her. “Thanks to you, we’re
both
still here.”

She heard Kate’s sharp intake of breath. “Why are you still at the cabin? He promised to bring you right back.”

“We tried to leave, but it didn’t work. I won’t even go into that whole dramatic series of events. Suffice it to say we’re stuck here—and for God only knows how long.” She expelled a long-suffering sigh. “Seriously Kate, what were you thinking?”

“I was worried about you.” Kate sounded wounded.

Amanda knew better than to fall for Kate’s southern belle routine—all syrupy sweetness and feigned innocence with a hint of the martyr thrown in—she’d known her for too long. “Worried?
You
got me into this!
I
wanted to stay in Chicago, remember? If it weren’t for you, I’d be home in my comfy little condo right this minute, screening calls and ordering takeout from Mr. Wong’s.”

“You needed to get away and the cabin seemed perfect. Isn’t the décor fabulous?”

It was fabulous, but just then Amanda couldn’t have cared less. “It would’ve been perfect if
he
hadn’t come.” Her anger faded and silence stretched between them for several moments as Amanda tried to figure out why she always let Kate off the hook so easily. She sighed and then said, “Please tell me this isn’t some horrifyingly elaborate attempt to get us back together.”

“You’re crazy,” Kate giggled. “I swear, Mand, where do you get this stuff?”

“Where do I get it?” Amanda looked up at the ceiling and began the count. “Hmmm, let’s see. First, we experienced Drunk Guy. Then, Klepto Guy—”

“You don’t
know
he’s a kleptomaniac.”

“The police who cuffed him seemed to think so. But you’re right; I took a pass on the trial, so who knows?” Amanda said. “Oh, and then we have my personal favorite—Married Guy.”

“He didn’t
seem
married when I met him in Dominick’s.” Kate sounded defensive.

“Just because a guy wanders through the produce aisle, isn’t wearing a wedding band and lets you have the last ripe avocado, it doesn’t mean he’s single,” Amanda sniffed. “It also doesn’t mean you should fix him up with your best friend. His mere presence in the fresh produce section should’ve been the giveaway. Bachelors don’t tend to buy perishable items.”

“Now you’re stereotyping.”

“Maybe,” Amanda said. “But clueless as I may be when it comes to men, even
I
know; if you want to find single guys at the grocery store, you look in either the beer or chip aisles. Any other aisle and they’re likely either gay or married.”

“You really think I’d go to this much trouble.”

“
Think
? I
know
you would. I was forced to date those three winners in just the last six months. Do we really need to sashay down memory lane?

“Whatever,” Kate said breezily. “I won’t let your negativity bring me down.”

Her friend never owned up to her ever-present matrimonial plotting. “You should’ve opened a matchmaker service instead of an interior design business,” Amanda said. “You’d be loaded by now. Or have your own reality show on Bravo. You know how you’d love to whoop it up in the Bravo clubhouse with Andy Cohen.”

“Don’t try to change the subject,” Kate said. “I swear; I’m not trying to get you two back together. If so, I’d just invite you both to dinner now that he’s back.”

“No you wouldn’t because you know neither of us would show up,” Amanda said. “Oh and by the way, thanks for
telling
me he was back.”

“I didn’t find out myself until yesterday.” Kate said, without a hint of artifice in her voice. It made Amanda wonder if her friend might be telling the truth. If she wasn’t, Kate would’ve attempted to justify her actions. “Jake surprised us all. He didn’t even tell Sam. He just showed up on our doorstep yesterday.”

“Really,” Amanda said, unable to keep the disbelief out of her voice as she tried to figure out whether to believe her.

“Yes.” Kate switched tactics and went on the offensive. “Besides, I
could’ve
told you if you hadn’t turned off your phone,” Kate said, her voice dripping with disapproval. “I
tried
. And if your phone had been
on
, I also could’ve warned you about the snow and I wouldn’t have
needed
to send Jake.”

“I wanted to get some peace and quiet, remember? Besides, given your history with set-ups, I’m sure you can understand why I’d suspect your motives. You have to admit, getting snowbound with my ex sounds like a scenario only
you
could dream up.”

Kate sighed. “It does sound romantic.”

“Pregnancy has turned you into a sap,” Amanda said. “And I suppose it would be romantic if we were still
together
!”

“I swear, Mand, I didn’t plan this. It’s just…I heard the snow would get bad and when I called, I couldn’t get you. Sam’s plane got delayed in New York. I
had
to send Jake. I couldn’t think of anyone else.”

“You could’ve called my brother.”

Kate was quiet for several beats and her voice sounded uncharacteristically flat when she finally said, “You can’t be serious.”

“He would’ve come.” Amanda liked to think so, but in truth, she wasn’t so sure.

Kate’s silence conveyed her opinion of Rob and Amanda knew this wasn’t a topic she wanted to get into with her, so she took a deep breath and moved on. “Anyway, believe it or not, Jake proposed.”

Kate squealed. “I
knew
he’d come to his senses once he got back from Iraq. You guys are
perfect
for each other. You have to tell me
everything
!”

Amanda rolled her eyes. “Before you get carried away, it wasn’t an actual proposal. He wants us to
pretend
to be engaged so
he
can get access to his trust fund. I guess his grandfather changed the terms or whatever.”

“I don’t get it. Why does he think you’d go along with a dumb idea like that?”

“Exactly,” Amanda said. “He claimed he’d make it worth my while. He even brought up Paris, saying I could live the dream for my mother or some crap like that.”

Amanda heard Kate’s sharp intake of breath. “He didn’t. What a
jerk
.”

“I know, right? Using my mother to try to manipulate me into agreeing to his dumb plan may be a new low for him,” Amanda said. “But hey, it’s all good. His bone-headed proposal might’ve cured me of him once and for all.” She hoped so anyway. Seeing Jake again had been harder than she’d thought.

“I’m disappointed in him,” Kate breathed.

“I passed disappointed eleven months and two days ago.” Not that she was counting.

Kate said. “He absolutely
ruined
your twenty-ninth birthday. I could just
strangle
him.”

“There’s an idea. Maybe I’ll get around to that this afternoon.” Amanda plucked at the bedspread. “For now, I’m going to avoid him and as soon as the weather even hints its letting up, I’m getting the
hell
out of here—even if I have to walk back to Chicago.”

Silence stretched between them. When Kate finally spoke, her voice took on a familiar edge. “Mand, I have an idea.”

Amanda knew those words and that tone well and also knew the combination usually meant trouble. “The last time you said that, we nearly got arrested and we would’ve been if I hadn’t seriously groveled.”

“Ancient history,” Kate sniffed. “Let it go.”

“It was
last year
. St. Patrick’s Day on Rush Street, remember?” She still wasn’t over the incident and not inclined to let it drop.

Kate ignored her comment and said, “What if you agreed to do it?”

“What if I agreed to do what?”

“You know; what if you agreed to do the fake engagement deal?”

“
What?”
Amanda cried
.
“Are you
insane
?”

“Shh! Hear me out. You have a bunch of debt, thanks to your brother.”

“Yes, b—”

“Amanda Wilson” —the southern belle morphed into the steel magnolia— “you
listen
to me.”

Amanda blinked, stunned by Kate’s instant transformation from airhead to commander-in-chief.

“You have a ton of debt, you want out of corporate life so you can do your own thing and—not to harp on a sensitive subject—but before your parents died spending junior year in Paris seemed a foregone conclusion. If you negotiated right, this situation could be the answer to all your problems.”

“Or it could mean that a whole new boatload of trouble just docked.”

“Stop the negativity.” Kate said. “
Think
. All your debts paid off in one fell swoop—gone, pfft, finito.”

“For some reason, the word finito sounds less convincing when spoken in Alabaman—something to keep in mind for the future.”

“No,” Kate said, sounding breathless as her enthusiasm picked up steam. “Really think about it.”

Amanda often found it hard to stand firm in the face of Kate’s over-the-top gusto. As irksome as her perkiness could be, she possessed a childlike zeal that, at times, could be irresistible.

Now was not one of those times.

“I get it. In theory, if I agreed to Jake’s deal, the money could pay off my debts.” But this wasn’t theory, this was her life. And she wasn’t going along with it. The theoretical payoff would come at too high a price.

“Yes, which is the reason you went to the cabin in the first place.” Kate’s fervor increased. “If you negotiate well enough, you could quit your job and figure out what you
really
want to do with your life while enjoying everything Paris has to offer. Just
imagine
…..” Kate clapped and emitted a squeal. “I can’t
wait
to come and visit with my daughter!”

“I thought you didn’t want to know the sex of the baby in advance. Did you decide to go ahead and find out?”

“No, I just
know
I’m having a girl.”

Amanda rolled her eyes. Undoubtedly, in Kate’s posh Birmingham world of debutante balls and beauty pageants, southern belles only gave birth to
little
southern belles. “I’m sure you have the tiara all picked out, but don’t get carried away. You’ll go into labor.”

“No, I still have two more months,” Kate said.

Amanda reminded herself that —in her friend’s unique and irritatingly meddlesome way—she’d only been trying to help. “Listen, I know this engagement deal could end my financial problems if I negotiated right,” Amanda said. “And it’s tempting. It
is
. But do I want to lie to everyone I know in order to get the payoff?”

“That’s definitely a downside,” Kate conceded. “But you’d only have to lie to Jake’s grandfather. And honestly, I think he sort of deserves it. He should’ve been more upfront about his decision to change the terms of Jake’s trust fund instead of springing it on him the way he did.”

“Can you blame him? He probably wants to ensure Jake settles down with one woman instead of following the same destructive path as his father.”

“Probably, but more importantly, this could be the answer to all your problems,” Kate said. “Jake would be generous, I’m sure of it. Remember, his grandfather’s
absolutely
loaded.”

“I’d rather
die
than take Jake’s money. “There has to be another way.”