Page 29 of One Bride for Three Single Dads

His mouth drops open as I turn on my heel and walk away, back toward my bedroom.

Because there is a whole other part of the girlfriend experience that he did not put on the list.

The part whereIplay hard to get.

Chapter 11

JOLENE

Ilean against the door after I close it, my heart thudding like crazy in my chest. I wouldn’t be surprised to see its cartoon outline under my nightgown.

What am I thinking?

What are they thinking?

Okay, I need a few minutes to process this. I guess I am happy to know that I wasn’t being fired. Part of me wants to call Emily right away and rub her face in it. She was wrong! I’m not being fired!

My bosses just want to get their freak on with some lady in Ireland!

Yeah, that is not a whole lot better.

What would Emily say? I’m not sure, but I don’t think that she would be a fan.

Emily wears a bra to bed, for Chrissakes. Underneath her full set of pajamas. With buttons.

She’s probably the last person in the world who would have anything positive to say about this potential dumpster fire of a relationship that I am considering.

So, shouldn’t that be telling me something?

If you have to do it in secret, my mom always said, you shouldn’t be doing it.

So, yeah, that is definitely something to consider. If I did this, I wouldn’t be able to tell Emily anything about it. She would lose her mind. Or it would blow her mind, like, literally. She could have an aneurysm or something, and it would be all my fault.

Then there is also the nanny job to consider. I really like my job. I am good at my job.

When I thought I was being fired, I had that sick feeling you get when things are going so terribly and you can’t make them stop, and you know the world is going to end.

Finding out I was not being fired was a huge relief.

What happens if we all go to Ireland with some other “girlfriend” along for the ride, and she squeezes me out? What am I supposed to do about that?

I could find myself fired and in a whole other country.

Plus, what if she’s terrible? I’m just supposed to bite my tongue and let her sashay all over the house with the guys falling all over themselves, and not even say anything? I’m just supposed to bite my lip?

That doesn’t sound like me. No way.

My cell phone buzzes in my hand. Without even thinking about it I turn it over and look at it out of habit.

Two new text messages.

Emily:What is happening? You are not answering me! Are you fired?

Message from my bank: My new paycheck was just automatically deposited.

Okay, let’s be reasonable. The worst that can happen is that I lose my job. That I am humiliated and homeless. That I am stuck in a foreign country and have to beg Emily to help me get back home.

The best that can happen is…

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