Page 26 of The Love Chase

It’s a pretty schemy scheme. It’s actually right up your alley. A harebrained idea you and your meddling ways would have come up with.

I was stalling. I knew I was stalling.

Maya

That sounds epic. Schemy schemes are the best kind. I’m failing to see the problem here...

A long breath worked its way between my lips, my fingers hovering over the screen.

Maya

Spit it out, Em.

Me

I MIGHT BE MARRYING LIAM NEXT WEEK.

I barely hit send when the three dots flashed on the screen.

Maya

EXCUSE ME?!

The text had barely come through when my phone started ringing.

“I told you it was an SOS,” I whined in hello.

“You’re marrying Liam? What? Details, Em. Start at the beginning. Tell me everything. Why are you marrying Liam?”

I sighed, making the phone crackle. “Because I’m an idiot who makes bad decisions?”

“Try again.”

I flung an exasperated arm over my face. “It’s not set in stone. I haven’t officially decided anything yet, but…I’ve been asked to sign a contract which requires me to marry Liam Walker.”

“But…why?”

In as few words as possible, I filled her in on my loan, the loss of my internship, Bridget’s scheme to fix Liam’s reputation, and the contract sitting in my inbox at that very moment—including the large sum of money that would allow me to pay off my storm chasing gear and truck.

For a moment, all Maya said was, “Wow.”

It took a lot to make my cousin speechless.

“You really love storm chasing that much that you’d shackle yourself to a country music star for a year?”

Or I love Liam that much.

No you don’t. Knock that off, Emma!

“Something like that.”

“Em, I love you, but this is nuts. Marriage is a big deal.”

I sighed again. “I know.”

“As much as I enjoy a good meddling scheme, this one is a little…much.”

I nodded in agreement, though she couldn’t see me through the phone.

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