Page 31 of Charlie and Her Sweet Escape
BENNETT
Molly’s family hugged me, Charlie, and Rosie one more time before they happily, but tearfully left the shelter. Molly led the way with a wildly wagging tail, completely unaware that she had been one phone call away from not leaving here at all.
This wasn’t over yet. Greg had threatened to sue if they didn’t put Molly down, but Jules had offered free legal representation to Molly’s family if Greg did sue, and he felt fairly certain they would win. It was enough to put some fight back into them.
And put a dim smile on Charlie’s tear-streaked face.
“Want some company?” Rosie asked her as we headed toward the parking lot.
“I need a few minutes alone.” She gave us an apologetic grimace. “But not, like, a whole night. Can I come snuggle Hansel?”
“You don’t even have to ask,” I said.
Charlie nodded absently, and I shot a concerned look to Rosie. We watched her get into her SUV, put both hands on the wheel, and stare into space.
“What happened?” I asked.
“She called off the wedding.” Rosie hopped into my truck while I stood there, still processing. “Get in. We have a lot to talk about.”
I tried to study Charlie in the rearview mirror as I drove, but the glare on her windshield made it hard to see her expression.Rosie explained to me what had happened at Greg’s office, ending with, “I’m happy, but also devastated for her.”
“Yeah,” I said quietly, understanding exactly what she meant.
“It gets worse,” Rosie continued.
“How?”
“Jules skimmed Charlie’s contract, and she’s going to be in a crap-load of trouble if she backs out of it.”
“Jail trouble?”
“Financial wreckage.”
I blew out a long breath. “She can’t afford that.”
“No. She can’t. Jules had an idea, though.”
I motioned for her to keep talking, feeling a small amount of relief. Jules usually had solid plans. His anxiety meant that he thought through everything before he made a decision or recommended a course of action.
“Well, he mentioned that the biggest sticking point is that the premise ofMarried in the Wildfeatures married couples.”
“Exactly,” I said. I was glad they weren’t getting married, but I hated that this was ruining her chance to be on the show she loved and was counting on the money for.
“Exactly,” Rosie repeated with emphasis, and I could feel her hard stare on the side of my head.
I was missing something. I shot a glance over at her, and she blinked a few times, motioning her hand in a you’re-almost-there wave.
“Ex… act…ly,” I repeated slowly as we lumbered through Winterhaven’s Main Street, trying to find the meaning in onesingle word. What had I said? I rolled through my thoughts.Married in the Wildfeatured married couples. So how…?
Rosie sighed. “IfMarried in the Wildfeatures married couples, and Charlie has signed a contract to go on that show, then she needs to be…”
“Married,” I finished. “But she just broke off her engagement.”
“Exactly,” she said again.
“I swear, if you say that one more time?—”
“Ben. Be smarter than this.”
