Page 5 of Accidental Proposal

“Well, you’re in luck since we won’t be busy for a while. Spill. Now.” Her voice was hard. I nodded, knowing I had to tell her. After I told her the whole story, I waited in silence as she mulled over everything I said. “Wow…just wow.” I nodded in response. “So you’re telling metheLiam Stanford asked you to marry him, only for a year, and for a million dollars?”

“Yes. Wait, do you know Liam?” I asked, picking up on the way she said his name.

“Duh! Everyone knows who he is. He is New York’s most eligible bachelor and heartbreaker. He’s known for being a cruel businessman and an award-winning heartbreaker. He’s been with practically every model here and overseas. Come to think of it, I’ve never heard him being with someone longer than a week,” Sophia said.

“Soph, that’s not really helping,” I said, feeling a pit in the bottom of my stomach. Just by his looks I knew Liam had been with many women, but the way Sophia was talking about him I now knew he’d been with more girls than what was in the tri-state area.

“Sorry, but how do you not know who he is? He’s been on thousands of magazines, been on TV, even billboards.” I just shrugged at her. All my money went to paying my bills, not for magazines or a television. “Anyways, Jenna, you are nuts! How could you agree to marrying him when you don’t even know him?” she all but shrieked at me.

“I know, I know, but Soph, I need the money. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“Clearly you weren’t,” she interjected.

“But, it’s too late to back out. And besides, who’s going to get hurt? I do not plan on falling for this guy. I know he’s attractive,” I explained, putting my hand up to stop whatever she was going to say and continued, “but from what I’ve seen and heard from you, he isn’t my type. I don’t do men who break women’s hearts for fun. Plus, I do not plan on falling in love ever, so I think I’ll be fine.”

“Jenna, I mean this in the nicest way possible…you are stupid. You are not going to make it out of this deal unscathed. You are going to end up hurt, and you’ve already been hurt enough.” I tried to protest, but she stopped me. “I am not saying I am not going to be there for you the whole way, because I will. I’m just saying that you need to brace yourself for what may happen. Life isn’t a fairytale. Not every princess ends up with a prince. I think this is a terrible idea, but I can see you are determined about this, so I won’t try to convince you otherwise. If you ever need anything, just know I will always be here, okay?” she said, coming around the counter and pulling me into a big hug. I hugged her in return, thankful she had my back. I knew everything she said was probably true, but for now, I decided to ignore it.

After my shift, I went and told Pete I was quitting. When I apologized for the sudden notice, he simply pulled me in for a hug and told me if I ever wanted to come back, there would always be a spot for me. Trying not to tear up, I hugged him back and thanked him for everything. He told me to come by in a week for my paycheck and to also check in every once in a while. After one last goodbye to him and the other waitresses, I left. Sophia made me promise to get a cell phone right away and to give her my number when I came for my paycheck. We also made plans to meet up the following week.

As I walked home, I tried not to think about how much my life was changing. Once I got there, which was around eight that night, I decided to pack some more, since I had already eaten at the diner. I didn’t have to work at the club tonight, so I planned on going in tomorrow after my shift and telling Teddy and Candy. It was pretty sad, how fast it took me to finish packing everything I owned. I didn’t have any packing tape to tape the boxes, so if I needed anything in the next two days I could easily get it. After I had finished packing the last box, I looked around the apartment. Ten or eleven boxes total. The place seemed empty, even though the furniture was still here.

Since I was done packing, I was in for the night. I headed to the bathroom, undressed, and started the shower, waiting for it to get warm. I stared at myself in the mirror and almost squirmed. I wasn’t the prettiest person out there. My blonde hair hung limply down in my face, and my green eyes were dull and almost lifeless, with big bags under them. My body wasn’t spectacular either. I had round hips, and my thighs touched each other. My stomach was flat but only because sometimes I forgot to eat or couldn’t afford to. I had a small scar on the top of my eyebrow from when I ran into a pole at school. All in all, I wasn’t that easy on the eyes.

Jumping into the shower, I washed my hair and body and got out. I didn’t want to waste too much water. After drying myself off, I got dressed in my comfy PJs and let my hair air dry. I crawled into my bed, grabbing my current book in the process. I spent the rest of the night reading and trying not to over think what I was doing with Liam.

***

I woke up the next morning around eight. About an hour later, the moving guys were back. Seeing as I was basically already packed, I asked one of the men if I could borrow their cell phone.Note to self: Get cell phone as soon as possible.I didn’t realize how much I needed a phone until recently. Thankfully, the guy let me use his phone, and I dialed Liam’s number. After a couple of rings, he picked up.

“Hello,” his deep voice answered. Just the sound sent shivers down my spine.

“Hi, Liam. It’s Jenna,” I replied.

“Oh yes. Is there something you need?”

“Yes, I was wondering if you wanted me to move in today? I have all my stuff packed up already, and the movers are here.”

“That would be fine. The movers know where to go. I will try to be there when you get there. What’s the number I can call to let you know if I won’t be there?” he asked.

“I, uh, I don’t have a cell phone,” I said, embarrassed.

“Okay, fine. I have to go, see you soon,” was all he said as he hung up. Shaking my head, I turned and handed it back to the mover.

“Liam said you guys can move me into his apartment today,” I told them. They nodded and asked where the boxes were.

“My bedroom. I don’t have any tape, though.”

“That’s fine. We have some,” the mover, whose phone I borrowed, said. They were quiet and quick as they followed me into my room and started taping up my boxes. They seemed pretty confused and surprised that I had so little. I remembered I still had to talk to the landlord, which I had completely forgotten about. I told the movers I would be right back.

My landlord was a slightly overweight lady in her late sixties. She always seemed pretty nice. I hoped it wouldn’t be too complicated, getting out of my lease early. Feeling nervous as I walked downstairs and to her door, I hesitantly knocked. She answered a minute later.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Mrs. Whitman. I’m Jenna Howard from apartment 5B,” I said.

“Oh hi, hon. What can I do you for?” she asked, opening the door and gesturing for me to enter. Smiling politely at her, I walked into her apartment and followed her to her couch.

“I know this a lot to ask, but I was wondering if I could get out of my lease early?” I still had about three months left, so I was hoping she would let me.

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