Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 61199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
“I did, of course,” he said as if that was obvious. “I’m a genius,” he crowed, and even though in that moment I couldn’t say why, unease settled in my gut.
“Not to toot your own horn or anything,” Henrietta grumbled under her breath but she was loud enough to be heard.
Jack frowned.
Sasha snorted a laugh.
“Not even you can piss me off right now, Henri.”
Henrietta bristled at the hated nickname and glared at Jack over her shoulder. “Watch it, boy.”
Jack laughed again and turned to me, his eyes bright and excited. “I’ve got it all figured out, Alex. Every base covered.”
I folded my arms, ready to listen, even though that pesky feeling in my gut hadn’t gone anywhere. If anything, it only intensified.
“I’m listening.” A low chime sounded in the distance but I maintained my focus on Jack and whatever plan he’d cooked up to get the world to stop asking about Sasha and Dixie.
“What in the hell is going on?” Sasha’s voice sounded angry and confused and when I turned to see what had upset her, all I saw was fire burning in her blue eyes.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, both of you,” Jack began.
Sasha stood, making sure Dixie was secure in her highchair before she marched across the kitchen and got in Jack’s face. Her blue eyes were wide and furious as she poked her finger against his five hundred dollar shirt.
“Why does the internet think that the ‘mysterious raven haired woman’ is Alex Witter’s baby mama and bride-to-be? Huh, Jack? Why?”
It took a second for her words to sink in, but when they did I turned to him. “Jack.” It was the only thing I could manage at the moment.
“Yeah Jack,” Sasha said over and over as she continued to poke him. “What did you do?”
Jack’s eyes were wide and he looked at me for help, but I shook my head, effectively telling him he was on his own.
“Start. Talking. Now.” I’d never heard Sasha sound so menacing or act so tough. It was seriously hot, which was the worst thing to be thinking in that moment.
“Okay,” he growled and smacked Sasha’s hand away from his chest. “Put that damn thing away, will ya?” He rubbed at his chest before putting a good distance between him and the pissed off nanny. “That’s what I came here to talk to you about, both of you.”
“You said that already.”
Jack’s eyes widened and he took another step back until the table and Dixie stood as barriers between him and Sasha. “I have a plan. It’s quite genius actually, and neither of you can say no because the wheels are already in motion.”
“Wheels?”
Jack nodded, getting excited again as he detailed his plan. “I may have admitted to a few gossip rags that you and Sasha are engaged but have been keeping it under wraps because she wants a private life.”
“Why would you do that!” Sasha cried out. “It’s an easy lie to uncover.”
“Only if it’s not a lie,” he said with a smile. “You and Alex, from this moment forward are engaged. Betrothed. Promised to each other or however else you want to put it.”
“We’re not even dating,” she tried because she didn’t know Jack the way that I did. She didn’t know yet that it was useless to argue with him.
“No one knows that for sure. Who’s going to tell them, Henrietta?”
“This is ridiculous,” she began as Dixie started to make her displeasure at being ignored known. She walked to the little girl to pick her up and I had to smile at Jack’s frightened expression. “Just tell them I’m his nanny and be done with it.”
“That’s not possible,” Jack shot back, his tone hard and firm. “The real story is unsavory, and after the whole Tatiana thing, this will all seem rather gross. No offense,” he said and shot me a sympathetic smile.
“None taken.”
“There’s too much money at risk to play this any other way. Believe me I spent most of the past two days playing out different scenarios. This one is the best.”
If that’s what Jack believed, it was probably true. He was a shrewd businessman and not at all sentimental, which meant this was the way.
“Okay. How will it work?”
Sasha glared at me as if I’d betrayed her while she bounced Dixie in her arms. “You must be sharing a pipe if you think this is going to work. What about Dixie’s mom, the woman who slept with Alex and gave birth to this little girl? She could come out and deny the whole thing with receipts, and I’m guessing that would be worse than the truth.” She closed her eyes and inhaled Dixie’s baby scent as if it was a kind of calming elixir. “And what if it turns out that Dixie isn’t even his child?”