Me.
I made a move to stand, intending to march out there and join her side.
I'd barely budged when Jax said, "Wait."
I turned to look. With his gaze still on the door, he got to his feet, saying, "I'll handle it."
"But—"
"It's a family thing," he said. "Not your problem."
That's what he thought. In a way, Cassidy was family, my family. I said, "But what about Cassidy?"
"Don't worry, I've got this." From the look in his eyes, he meant it, too. And for the briefest instant, I almost felt sorry for whoever was on the other side of the door.
Almost.
But not quite.
As I watched, Jax strode away from his desk. The resulting breeze scattered the paperwork on his desktop, but he didn't even pause.
Outside the door, the argument was still going strong. Cassidy was saying, "I know what you're implying, and I don't appreciate it."
The woman yelled, "Yeah, well I don't appreciate you getting my daughter fired."
I sucked in a breath. Her daughter?
So that's why she was angry?
Finally, I understood. Her daughter must've been Jax's previous assistant. She'd been fired, and now, she was being replaced.
By me.
Cassidy shot back, "If she was fired, it was her own fault."
"If she was fired?" the woman yelled. "She was fired. You know it. I know it. And Morgan knows it. And how do I know this? Because she's crying on my damn couch."
Morgan. There was that name again. Where on Earth had I heard it?
And then it hit me. Holy crap. She was the chick who'd left that terrible voicemail – the one claiming that Cassidy was drunk and disorderly – and oh yeah, selling her goodies for cash.
And now, that chick's mom was giving Cassidy a hard time?
Unable to stop myself, I stood. As I did, I happened to glance down at Jax's desk. Amidst the scattered paperwork, I saw something that made the blood drain from my face.
Oh, no.
It was simple sheet of paper, nothing spectacular really. And yet, it changed everything.
I almost wanted to cry.
Apparently, I'd just made a horrible mistake.
And now, somehow, I'd have to fix it.
Chapter 12
By the time Jax opened the door, I was standing at his side. If he was surprised to see me, he didn't show it.
From the open doorway, I glared at the woman who'd been giving Cassidy such a hard time. She looked to be around sixty years old, and was very petite with short red hair. She wore tan shorts, a white cotton blouse, and a scowl so big, it might've knocked me backward if only I weren't so angry myself.
But I was angry. Her last comment – the one about her daughter crying on the couch – had gone completely unchallenged.
Apparently, we were supposed to feel guilty.
I didn't.
And I didn't want to Cassidy to feel guilty either.
I told the woman, "Yeah? Well maybe your daughter's a horrible person. You ever think of that?"
Her face flushed with obvious anger. "What?"
I took a single step forward. "Yeah, I said it. Because it's true. Do you know, when I called last night, she told me that my friend was whoring herself out for drinks and gas money?"
From a few feet away, Cassidy gave a little gasp. "What?"
"Yeah," I said, turning to face her. "And just so you know, the word 'whoring' was hers, not mine."
Cassidy turned and gave Jax a long, worried look. I could see why. He looked like he wanted to kill someone. I only prayed that it wasn't me or my friend.
I looked back to Cassidy and tried to explain. "Last night, I called you right back—"
"But wait," she said. "How could you? I didn't have my phone."
"I know," I said. "That's why I called the number you left that message from."
"Oh." Her mouth tightened. "What else did she say?"
Reluctantly, I glanced around. I so didn't want to reveal it, especially in front of both brothers, not to mention the crazy redhead.
My gaze landed on Jaden, leaning sideways against the wall. He was wearing the same jeans as before, along with a black T-shirt that sported a skull on the front.
So he did own a shirt? Go figure.
Unfortunately, he looked annoyingly good in that, too. How unfair was that?
I looked back to Cassidy and muttered, "Nothing."
"No," Cassidy insisted. "Tell me."
"Alright, fine." I lowered my voice. "She said the two brothers would be sharing you."
Cassidy was staring now. "And you believed her?"
"No. Of course not." I bit my lip. "It's not that I believed her, but there's the thing with your mom and, well, you know what I think of her."
Of course, Cassidy knew. A week earlier, we'd had a huge argument about it. I'd known that Cassidy was making a terrible mistake, moving down here to give her mom another chance.
A chance to what? Ruin her life?
In the heat of the moment, I'd said some things that weren't very nice, even if they were true. Her mom was a liar. And a user. And way too interested in Cassidy's looks, which yes, were beyond stunning.
Based on what I knew of her mom, I'd had visions of Cassidy being pimped out or pressured into a hard and fast lifestyle – one that she'd never want for herself.
Still, in hindsight, losing my temper hadn't accomplished a single thing, except to create a giant rift, one that I was desperate to mend.
Now, standing in the quiet hallway, I gave Cassidy a pleading look. Say something. Please?
But she didn't. And neither did anyone else.
Around us, the silence grew and twisted, taking on a life of its own, until I wanted to crawl away and hide. The last twenty-four hours had not been kind. And even the job, the one I'd been so excited to get, was now a total impossibility.
I couldn’t accept it.
I stiffened my spine. No. I wouldn't accept it.
Hell, I'd be smarter yet to sabotage it, to make Jax see that I was the worst candidate in the whole world. And then, he could hire his first choice – Cassidy.
Just before coming out here, I'd seen her name on the scattered paperwork. This had revealed a sickening truth. The job was supposed to be hers, not mine.
I felt myself swallow. It wasn't too late, was it?
I was still thinking when someone finally broke the silence. It was Jaden, saying, "So, were we taking turns? Or doing you at the same time?"
I turned to stare. I was so lost in thought that it took me a moment to realize that he was referring to that stupid message, the one claiming that the brothers would be sharing Cassidy.
My stare turned into a glare. What a total ass.
From beside me, Jax told him, "Say that again, and you'll be getting a fist in the face."
Jaden shrugged. "Dude, chill. It was just a question."
I was still glaring. What was he doing? Goading his brother on purpose? Or was he seriously that dense?
Now, Jax was telling the redhead, "Yeah. I fired her. And I should've fired her weeks ago."
The woman made a sound of protest. "But—"
"But nothing," Jax said. "If you wanna do her a real favor, you'll go back and tell her that instead of crying on your couch, she should get off her ass and find a job she can handle."
The woman gave Jax a pleading look. "I'll have a talk with her, okay? Just give her another chance. She'll do better, I promise."
"No," Jax said, "she won't, and she's out of chances." His tone left no doubt, especially when he added, "You should know, I've already hired her replacement."
Oh, crap.
I had to undo this.
But already, Cassidy was smiling up at him. "You did?"
When he made no reply, she turned and gave me a questioning look. My mouth opened, but I didn't know what to say. Desperately, I wanted to pull Jax aside and ask him what the hell he'd been thinking.
> Too soon, Jaden demanded, "Don't I get a say in this?"
Jax didn't even hesitate. "No."
Jaden frowned. "And why not?"
"Because you hired the last one, and you did a shitty job."
From the sidelines, the redhead said, "Hey! That's my daughter you're talking about."
Jax turned to look, and his expression softened. "I know. But I'm done. And when you have time to think about it, you'll see it's best for her, too."
But apparently the redhead didn't agree. After a few choice words, she turned and stalked away, leaving a trail of profanity in her wake.
In spite of everything, I had to give her credit for one thing at least. That was some pretty creative cursing.
A moment later, the sound of the front door slamming echoed through the house. I was still looking toward the sound when the jackass said, "Hey blondie, you never said."
Blondie? He must mean me. After all, I was the only blonde here.
I turned and gave him an annoyed look. "I never said what?"
"With your friend," he replied, flicking his head toward Cassidy, "was it supposed to be a three-way? Or were we taking turns?"
It was then that a torrent of thoughts collided in my brain. He was so stupidly insufferable. I'd just about had it. And more to the point, I needed something – a spectacle so big that I'd be fired on the spot, or more accurately, not hired, considering that we hadn't yet signed the paperwork.
So I did the only thing I could do. With a little scream, I took a flying leap in his direction.
Chapter 13
I never made it. Before I could tackle him, someone tackled me. That someone was Cassidy, who tumbled with me onto the hard wooden floor.
As we hit, I hollered out, "What the hell are you doing!"
She held on tight. "I'm saving you."
Already, I was sprawled face down on the floor, with Cassidy on top of me. I tried to squirm away. "From what?"
"From making a fool of yourself, that's what."
At this, I grew very still. I'd been trying to make a fool of myself. That was the whole point. But I hadn't wanted to make a fool of her.
That would ruin everything.
Damn it. None of this was going how I'd planned.
From somewhere above us, Jaden said, "If they kiss, you owe me a beer."
I wanted to scream. God, how I hated him.
Cassidy shifted above me. "We can't kiss," she told him. "We're not even facing each other." Dumbass.
She didn't say it, but the implication was obvious.
Against the floor, I muttered, "I'll give him something to kiss."
I could only imagine how ridiculous we looked. For my own sake, I was beyond caring. But it wasn't me I was thinking about. As quietly as I could, I hissed, "I'm fine. You can get up now."
At first, I wasn't sure she'd heard me. But then, after a long tense moment, she finally let go and pushed herself up. As she got to her feet, I flopped over on my back and tried to think.
What now?
As I gazed up at the ceiling, I was vaguely aware that all three of them were staring down at me – not that I could blame them. I knew I was making a terrible impression, but that had been the whole idea.
I had to work with what I had, right?
Even though I'd just had a job interview, I wasn't dressed in business attire. Rather, I was wearing the same clothes I'd borrowed earlier – shorts and the yellow T-shirt.
My hair felt tangled, and my bare legs felt hot against the cool wooden floor. I was tired and hungry, and stupidly conscious that I couldn't lay here forever.
And yet, I was seriously tempted.
With a look of obvious concern, Cassidy extended me a helping hand. I started to reach out, but then paused when I caught sight of Jaden.
He was staring at me like I was some sort of demon who'd come to claim his soul. I almost scoffed out loud. As if he had a soul.
When Cassidy nudged her hand closer, I finally took it. As she helped me to my feet, I gave her what I hoped was an apologetic smile. "Sorry," I whispered. "I guess I blew it, huh?"
I sure hoped I blew it.
That was the plan, after all.
Cassidy turned and gave Jax a questioning look. As she did, I snuck a quick glance at Jaden. Or rather, it was supposed to be a quick glance. But his gaze locked on mine, and suddenly, I couldn’t make myself look away.
His eyes were dark and dangerous and filled with something new – something I couldn't quite decipher. With a slow shake of his head, he asked, "Who the hell are you, anyway?"
But it was his brother who replied. "She's Allie Brewster." His voice hardened. "Your new assistant."
I blinked. Huh?
Jaden's assistant?
Not Jax's?
With a muttered curse, Jaden glared at his brother. "You're joking, right?"
In reply, Jax looked to me and said two terrifying words. "Welcome aboard."
Chapter 14
After delivering this job-related bombshell, Jax turned and stalked back into his office.
Beyond confused, I scrambled after him, with Jaden and Cassidy close on my heels.
Cassidy called out, "Wait, I thought she'd be working for you."
Jaden said, "Yeah, what the hell?"
Jax stopped and slowly turned around. He gave his brother a serious look. "I already have an assistant."
Cassidy spoke up. "You do?"
"Yes," Jax replied. "I do." He flicked his head toward his brother. "Morgan was his assistant, not mine."
I looked from brother to brother.
Oh, crap.
This was no joke.
And now, I didn't know what to do.
Desperately, I'd wanted Cassidy to get the job. But there was no way I'd ever want her working for such an insufferable jackass.
She'd be miserable. I just knew it.
Again, I asked myself that terrible question. What now?
Jaden was still glaring at his brother, "So we'll switch, not a big deal."
At this, I perked up. Yes. A switch. For once, I totally agreed with the jackass. It would be the perfect solution.
But Jax wasn't buying it. "We can't switch," he replied. "You know it. And I know it."
Cassidy broke in, "Wait, why can't you switch?"
Jax said, "Ask my brother. He knows."
Cassidy turned to Jaden. "Well?"
Ignoring her, he stepped closer to Jax and said, "I swear to God, I'll get you for this."
Again, I looked from brother to brother. Another threat – how nice.
"No," Jax told him. "You won't. Because this makes us even."
"For what?" Jaden demanded.
"For hiring Morgan in the first place."
Jaden gave a dramatic groan. "Shit, this again?"
"Hell yeah," Jax said. "I told you not to, but you did anyway."
Jaden crossed his arms, making his muscles pop in ways that were stupidly distracting. "So?"
"So, it's your bed," Jax said. "You lie in it."
"No way," Jaden retorted. "She's a fuckin' psycho."
Obviously, he meant me. I rolled my eyes. Gee, you destroy one little sandwich.
I was standing on the outskirts now, desperately trying to come up with a plan. I couldn't simply refuse the job. That would be way too obvious, especially to Cassidy.
But I could make myself as unappealing as possible.
It shouldn't be too hard, right?
After all, Jaden had just called me a psycho. This meant I was halfway there. One brother down, one to go.
Maybe I was crazy, because in that moment, I almost believed that somehow, I could still turn the situation around.
If I were deemed unsuitable, Jax would surely return to his first choice. He liked Cassidy. I could tell. He wouldn't stick her with his brother. Would he?
No. He'd switch. Maybe not right away. But he would eventually.
I almost smiled. One switcharoo coming up.
While the three
of them argued back and forth, I reached up with one hand and further messed my hair. And then, I subtly reached down, twisting my shorts until they were saggy and crooked on my hips.
Cassidy was still glaring at Jaden. "Hey! She is not. She's perfectly lovely. And really smart, too."
When they turned to look, I was as ready as I'd ever be.
My posture was slumped, and my expression was dull. My clothes were crooked, and my hair was a mess. If I could've, I would've summoned up a burp so big, it would've made Uncle Joe proud.
But my stomach was empty, and I was no Uncle Joe. So I had to settle on the next best thing, looking like your basic slack-jawed, dim-witted slob.
And no, I didn't mean Uncle Joe, who happened to be as smart as a whip.
For a long moment, no one moved, not even a twitch. But then, Cassidy gave me a desperate smile. "Go on," she urged. "Tell him. You'll be great at this."
Showtime.
Channeling my inner slob, I reached up and scratched at the exposed skin just above my shorts. Maybe I didn't have a beer-belly, but I could act like I had one, right? I kept on scratching and made no reply.
Cassidy's smile faded.
Jaden looked beyond disgusted.
My gaze shifted to Jax, and I held my breath.
With a no-nonsense look, he said, "By the way, it includes a company vehicle."
Damn it.
Cassidy beamed up at him. "Really?"
Looking decidedly unenthused, he replied, "Really."
From a few feet away, Jaden protested, "But Morgan didn't get a vehicle."
"Yeah, well," Jax muttered, "she didn't show the same initiative."
I blinked. Initiative?
Okay, I'd shown plenty of initiative during the actual interview. But afterward, after spotting Cassidy's name on the paperwork, I'd shown no initiative at all. In fact, I'd shown just the opposite.
What was I missing?
Almost in a daze, I turned and stared toward the front door. The whole vehicle comment was a grim reminder that regardless of what happened here, I'd still need to leave right away.
The sooner I returned to Nashville, the sooner I could stop worrying about that stupid truck.
Sounding happier than ever, Cassidy gushed, "That's great! So what kind of vehicle is it?"
Jax replied, "An old Ford pickup."
One Bad Idea: A Billionaire Loathing-to-Love Romance Page 6