It was Kinsley’s turn to sigh. “I don’t have a choice. I just hope it doesn’t cost me my job.” She couldn’t afford to lose her only source of income.
“You’ll be fine,” Rachel insisted. “I’ve got to go pick up the programs now. Let’s go out for drinks tomorrow night. I need to get out of this house before I go crazy.”
She signed off before Kinsley had a chance to tell her about the weird lift conversation with Jarred Maloney. Rachel was hooked on the social media sites and more than once had mentioned the man’s name in passing. Jarred Maloney was definitely a hot commodity, so much so that he had his own webpage dedicated to his antics. Kinsley had to admit to herself that she had visited it a time or two, living it up through someone else’s photos and experiences. Between work and her degree, she had no room for clubbing and the like. Her idea of a fun time, as Jarred had asked her about, was having a brownie on a Friday night. Besides Rachel, she had no one else in her life socially. Damn, maybe it was time to get some friends.
Kinsley dropped her phone back into her bag and walked the block over to the small pub that she frequented occasionally, knowing she should hold on to the money instead of buying lunch. She could hold her lunch money for the rest of her life and never gather up enough money to pay for her flat. She was doomed to start the search for a new place, no matter how much she didn’t want to do it.
5
The next night, Jarred and Turner sat at a pub not far from Turner’s flat, one known to have great karaoke and cold ale. It wasn’t Jarred’s usual haunt, but Turner liked the place and since he needed for Turner to stay on his side with this whole mess with his father, Jarred had relented. “I can’t believe he would do that to you,” Turner was saying as he polished off his beer, wiping his mouth with his napkin. “Push you into a relationship? What sense does that make? He doesn’t remember how well that went with Susan?”
“No sense at all,” Jarred admitted with a shrug. His father wanted complete and utter control of Jarred’s life and however that could happen, he was going to push until he broke his son down. “Worse yet, I told him I was already dating someone.”
Turner laughed. “Did you happen to mention that to either one of the ladies in the bed the other morning? Perhaps they were unaware you were looking for a relationship.”
“Sod off,” Jarred muttered, snatching up his pint. He shouldn’t have lied to his father, dug himself a bigger hole, but he wanted to wipe the smirk off of his face and that was the only possible way to do that. Now if he didn’t find someone to agree to pretend to be his girlfriend before the end of the week, he was going to have to find a job because he could kiss the money goodbye. It was a hard place he’d wedged himself in. “Help me think you tosser.”
“You could call Susan, see if she would come back,” Turner offered.
“No. And fuck no.” Jarred shook his head, running a hand through his hair. “Besides, no can do. Heard she was shackled to Baron.”
“Baron?” Turner asked, surprise on his face. “Baron Temsfield?”
Jarred nodded, thinking about how he felt when he’d read the headline himself. Susan had wasted no time moving on. Baron was one of their chums from school, his father a business and trade mogul who was wealthier than either Turner’s or Jarred’s father. Baron had just gone through a nasty divorce with his first wife so it was quite the surprise that he would jump back into the fray so soon. But whatever. Jarred didn’t care about what happened to her.
“Wow,” Turner said, sitting back in his chair. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Jarred said nonchalantly. He didn’t want it to bother him, but it did, knowing that he’d been bowled over for someone wealthier. He had cared about her. It wasn’t any kind of deep-hearted, soul bending love by any means, but they had respected each other and the affection was there, or at least he’d thought it was. “She’s gone. I’ve got to find someone to impress my father so I can get my life back.”
“What are you going to offer the woman?”
Jarred turned to Turner. “What?”
Turner signaled for another pint. “You know, to go with you on this.”
“Besides my good looks?” Jarred joked.
Turner rolled his eyes. “Yes, besides that.”
Jarred shrugged. “I don’t know. Money probably shouldn’t be a thought considering I won’t have any if I can’t pull this off.”
“Money makes the world go round,” Turner muttered as his pint appeared. The door opened and they both turned to see two women walk in, chatting with each other as they walked past. Jarred immediately picked out his father’s assistant as one of them. She was brunette and petite, with an oval face and wide expressive eyes that had looked at him with disdain just the day before in the lift. While she wasn’t the obvious type of beauty he usually went for, there was something about her that had him intrigued. It had to be the eyes. Or maybe the way her full lips moved when she spoke. Or her voice, quiet, but with a hit of steel. Maybe it was because she could put up with his father. The other woman was a striking redhead, her hands moving this way and that as they seated themselves at the bar not far from Jarred and Turner.
“Hey, what about her?” Turner asked, gesturing toward the women.
Jarred took one look at Kinsley and shook his head. “No.”
“The redhead? Really? She looks like your type.”
The redhead. Why hadn’t that been his first thought? She was his type, long legged and animated, no doubt having the ability to win over his father. “Um yeah, she will work.”
Turner chuckled. “You sound like a pig being led to slaughter. Why don’t you just tell your father to sod off and go get a job like I did? I don’t have to depend on my father for anything and have told him that time and time again.”
Jarred looked at his friend. “Well, you do have a degree behind your name and have turned into some poor bloke who will never pick up a woman with that shirt you have on.”
Turner looked down at the checkered shirt and frowned. “What’s wrong with my shirt?”
Jarred chuckled and grabbed his pint, sliding off of the stool. “Wish me luck.”
Turner just shook his head as Jarred walked over to the ladies, leaning against the bar beside the redhead. “A drink for these lovely ladies,” he said to the bartender. “On me.”
The redhead swiveled around and her eyes went round with surprise. “Oh my god, you’re Jarred. Jarred Maloney.”
“At your service,” he grinned. Kinsley peered at him over her friend’s head and frowned, but he ignored her. He was looking forward to this conversation. “And you are?”
“Engaged,” Kinsley blurted out as the redhead started to speak. “She’s getting married in a few weeks.”
“Kinsley,” the redhead replied, embarrassed as she turned to her friend. Kinsley shrugged and gave him a smirk, satisfied that she got her point across. Her friend turned back to him, a blush on her cheeks. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with her. I’m Rachel. It’s great to meet you.”