Page 2 of Sweet Temptation

“How could you?” Jillian shook her head. “We only watched the movie about a hundred times over the years. You used to love the scene with Ann Margaret dancing.”

Garret had to smile. His mother loved old movies and usually insisted her children suffer through them, but he had developed a bit of a crush on Ann Margaret from an early age. Still, whatever his sisters had just sung didn’t ring any bells.

“Never mind.” Sarah Sue sighed, her gaze directed at her husband. “Care to update?”

“The good news is the bank has stopped threatening to foreclose.” Preston scrolled through something on the computer screen. “The bad news is we’re still in the hole up to our necks and funds are stretched really thin.”

“Darn shame the hay baler disappeared before we could sell it.” Jess leaned against her husband.

Jillian nodded. “That would have helped raise some fast cash.”

“Any new clues about who took it?” Rachel interjected.

“Nope.” Preston swung his head left then right. “But the cameras haven’t picked up any new strange activity, so there is that.”

“I’ll take any good news.” Rachel leaned back in her seat, her one leg dangling over the arm of the chair, swinging like a pendulum.

“Then you won’t want to hear this.” Preston pulled a few pieces of paper from the printer. “This is our current financial picture. At the bottom you’ll see what we still owe, what we’re scheduled to pay at the end of the month, and how much we’re short.”

Garret let out a slow whistle. The numbers added up to more than he’d expected. The problem—and answer—were clear. They needed more money, a lot of it, and he needed to find someone soon to pass for his wife or things were going to go south fast. Very fast.

“You’ve completely lost your mind.”

“I have not.” Jackie Drake grabbed another shirt from the drawer and shoved it into the suitcase. “Once Brad understands that I’m willing to give up everything for him, that he doesn’t have to ask me to leave behind my friends and home, he’ll be over the moon.”

“Hmm.” Katie, her dearest friend since their sophomore year of college, pretty much thought Jackie should be committed. Of course, she’d never liked Brad. “Maybe you should just go for a short visit? See what it’s like. If it doesn’t work out, you can come home.”

“Too late.” She rolled another blouse. “Yesterday was my last day at work.”

“What?” Katie’s eyes almost fell out of her head. “You quit a job you love?”

“Gave my notice two weeks ago.” Her favorite slippers went into the bag next. She didn’t dare slow down, lest her closest friend see that she wasn’t nearly as sure as she pretended to be. But her grandmother had always said believing was a verb, it required action, and she was definitely taking action.

“And you didn’t tell me?”

Pausing, Jackie leveled her gaze with her bestie. “No, because you would have tried to talk me out of it.” And she definitely didn’t want that.

“Damn right I would have.” Katie glanced around the one-bedroom apartment. “And this place?”

“I won’t need it.”

“You gave this up too?”

Jackie nodded. “Had to pay off the lease, but it’s worth it.”

Holding up both her hands, palms out, Katie shook her head and huffed like a bull about to charge. “And how much did that cost you?”

“Only three months’ rent.” She tried to make it sound like she hadn’t had to clean out all her bank accounts to pay for the move.

“Only.” Her bestie dropped her forehead into her hand and rubbed it very slowly before looking up again. “Jack, you know I want you to be happy.”

“I will be. Brad’s perfect.”

“For what? The man is a poster boy for the modern playboy. He flirted with anything in a skirt no matter who was watching, who knows what he did when we weren’t there to see.”

“He’s easily distracted.” It was hard for a country boy in the city.

“Distracted? Are you listening to yourself? Breaking dates without calling is his MO. No man getsthatlost in his work. Not to mention he’s made it perfectly clear he doesn’t want children.”

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