Page 36 of One Bad Idea

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'syourbed," Jax said. "Youlie 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 Icouldmake 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 Iwascrazy, 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 stickherwith 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 couldactlike I had one, right? I kept on scratching and made no reply.