A Deal with the Devil (Romantic Comedy) (Sweet Home Chicago) by Abby Matisse

Author:Abby Matisse [Matisse, Abby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Little Black Dress Press
Published: 2012-07-22T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Jake entered the fifteenth floor law office Sam shared with his younger brother. He waved at the receptionist talking on the phone. She smiled and pointed down the hall. Jake nodded and headed toward Sam’s corner office, rapped his knuckles twice and walked in.

“Hey bud.” Sam stood and gestured to the seating area in the corner. He lifted a folder from his desk and handed it to Jake as he passed. “This contains two copies of the revised agreement. As soon as you both sign this new addendum, the revised terms go into effect.” Sam dropped into a wing chair and watched Jake leaf through the papers.

After a few minutes, Jake tossed the folder onto the table. “Thanks.”

Sam tapped his index finger on the arm of the chair and regarded his friend thoughtfully. “It’s not too late to rethink this bone-headed plan, bro.”

“Don’t start.” Jake’s tone warned his friend to back off. “I’ve made up my mind.”

Sam grinned. “You’re harder-headed than she is, if that’s possible.”

Jake changed the subject. “I ran into some guy named George at Amanda’s last night,” Jake said. “Ring a bell?”

“They work together. I’ve met him a few times,” Sam said. “The girls all love him.”

Jake scoffed. “Yeah, I heard. Gorgeous George.”

Sam chuckled. “Sounds like something my wife would’ve come up with.” He shrugged. “He seems like an okay guy—”

“Who’s got a thing for Amanda?”

Sam smirked. “What do you care? You’re over her, remember?”

“She’s going to be my wife.”

Sam pointed to the folder and raised a brow. “Your wife for hire. Big difference.”

“So my wife for hire should be able to date?”

“Not what I said. Besides, I don’t think Amanda wants to date him. If she did, she would’ve done so while you were over in Iraq.”

Jake wanted to push Sam for more details, but didn’t because if he did, Sam would jump all over it. He’d have to get his own intel on George.

“If you ask me, you should just marry Amanda for real,” Sam continued. “I never understood why you broke up—”

Jake shot to his feet and glared at Sam. “I didn’t ask you.” His tone sounded harsher than intended and he waved his hands in silent apology before striding to the window where he gazed out at the noonday traffic. After several minutes, he turned back and said, “What do I know about making a relationship work?”

Sam pushed back in his chair and cross his ankle over his knee. “What does anyone know? You just do your best.”

Jake bit back a harsh laugh. “Unfortunately, when it comes to relationships, my family’s best can be pretty damned bad.”

“Max did okay. He and Winnie had a nice, long run before she died.”

“Forty-five years.” Jake shoved his hands in his jeans pocket. “But my father’s relationship failures overshadowed my grandfather’s success.”

“So you broke up with Amanda because of your father.”

Jake spread his arms wide. “My father divorced four times. Four! And in between those catastrophes, he paraded around enough girlfriends—or whatever you want to call them—to populate a small city.

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