The Billionaire's Temporary Bride (Scandal, Inc #3)(5)

"Then why bother getting engaged? Surely, it'll lead to even more press."

"They want a story. They don't care what it is. They just need something to publish. I need a wife, you need whatever it is you need, and they need photos of me with a beautiful woman. If we do this, everyone wins, not that I'm saying we're doing this, more as a hypothetical."

"Did you just call me beautiful?" Charlotte asked. "You know, for someone this smooth, you'd think you wouldn't need to hire a wife."

Jack looked around and lowered his voice. "Maybe it would be better if we didn't phrase it like that. I asked Amy and Callie to make arrangements for me specifically so I could avoid all of the baggage that comes with a traditional relationship."

"Baggage… You think finding the person you're meant to be with is baggage? You can't really believe that."

"I just think that people are so desperate to be in love that they'll lie to themselves to be happy for a while. I don't want to do that."

"Everyone, no matter how hard they try to hide it, wants to find love. Usually those who try hardest to seem uninterested are the ones who want love the most."

"Walk with me and I'll convince you otherwise," Jack said.

Charlotte looked across the room at Callie and Logan. They were laughing about something and looking at each other in complete contentment. Charlotte turned her attention back to Jack. "You have twenty minutes."

Jack led her out through the back exit of the bar into one of the countless alleys that crisscrossed the city. The sun had set, and the brick kiln that was Georgetown in summer had cooled to the point where it was actually pleasant to walk. Jack nodded up toward the street. "Before someone thinks we're up to no good, let's get going."

"I thought that was exactly what we were up to," Charlotte said.

"Yeah, but that's no reason for anyone to know. Let's just look like a couple on a lovely first date," he said. "I know a spot by the river with benches and a view. It's crowded during the day, but at this time of night, we should have it more or less to ourselves. Take my hand again, and I'll show you the way."

Charlotte stopped for a moment and thought it through. It had been a long time since she had been on a real date. And she had certainly never been on one with someone like Jack. She felt a little tremble in her hand as she thought about it. Suddenly, she was all nerves, and she didn't want him to know. The sound of the crowds on M Street echoed off of the buildings, and she could smell the sweet smoke from a wood oven somewhere nearby. Instead of taking his hand, she said, "Callie made it sound like you'd sweep me off my feet and show me the secret world of the DC elite."

"I mean, I'd have to teach you the secret handshake first," Jack said, "but, even then, no one would believe you were a member of the club. Not looking like that anyway."

Did he really just make fun of my dress? Charlotte wondered. "Some of us have to live in the real world and don't have unlimited budgets or tailors on call."

Jack backed up and held his hands in front of him. "No, no, I didn't mean it like that at all. I just meant that you look too… nice, too wholesome for all of the DC politics stuff. We'd have to harden you first. It was supposed to be a compliment. Sometimes I forget that not everyone is jaded and cynical. That's all."

"I guess I understand why you're still single," Charlotte said. Based off the concern in his voice, she believed him, but she liked having a chance to keep him a little off-balance. It seemed like the only leverage she had in their current situation. She nodded forward and started walking as Jack hurried to keep up with her.

"How about we try again?" Jack said. "Amy and Callie speak very highly of you."

"Come on. They worry that I'll end up homeless in a gutter without their help. Have you even heard my name before tonight?"

Jack cracked a smile and shook his head. "No, but now that I know it, I promise I won't forget. So why do the Haven sisters think you need their help?"

"To be honest, they think that about everyone." Charlotte loved Callie like a sister, but Callie could be overbearing at times. Callie's actual sister, Amy, was even worse. Charlotte just wanted to take care of her own problems without anyone else's assistance.

"Why you, though?" Jack asked.

"I got laid off, and I've been too busy helping out with the wedding to find a new job. I was an assistant editor at a small literary press. I loved the job, but it was never exactly going to make me rich, not that I care about that. I've been thinking about changing careers and trying something new, but I don't know if I'm ready to strike out on my own. And now that Callie moved out, I need to find a new roommate."

"Naturally, they thought of me," Jack said.

Callie laughed. "No offense, but you're not exactly the kind of roommate I'm looking for. I don't know why they think the answer to all of life's problems is to get hitched."

"Wouldn't it solve your problems though?"

"I'm 29," Charlotte said. "Do I really want to spend the best years of my life pretending to be someone's wife, giving up any shot I have at finding real love?"

"What would you rather do instead?" Jack asked.