Page 82 of The Arrangement

“Good. I was worried something was wrong. So what’s up?”

A flurry of excitement bubbles through me, and suddenly, I can’t wait to tell someone my news.

“Remember when I told you that if I got a secret boyfriend you’d be the first to know?” I ask, my cheeks flushing.

“Yeah.” She pauses. “And?”

“Well, I don’t exactly have a secret boyfriend. But I do have a husband.”

“What?”

I giggle. “I got married last night, Nick. In Vegas.”

“You what? Oh, my God. You little liar! You’ve been seeing someone this whole time, and you lied right to my face.” She laughs happily. “It’s a good thing I’m a forgiving friend. Now fill me in. Load me up with details.”

I sigh. “I …”Don’t know how to say this.“We hopped on a plane yesterday evening and flew to Vegas. Then we decided to head to a little chapel on the Strip and get married last night.”

“Was this planned or an impromptu thing?”

It was a bet. “Planned. We knew we were getting married when we came here.”

“So, you’re still in Vegas, I assume.”

“I am.”

“With your husband.” She laughs. “That sounds so wild.You have a husband. Do I know him?”

I’m glad she can’t see me because I can’t hide my smile or my blush. As excited as I am to tell her and share it with my only friend, it also feels a little bit like losing a precious secret. But it has to be done, and I know I’ll feel better about it once I break the news. At least I’ll be able to gauge her response and hopefully worry less until Monday morning.

“You do know him, actually,” I say carefully. “It’s Jason.”

“Jason who?”

The silence is deafening.

“Wait …” She sucks in a breath. “You don’t mean …There’s no way.”

“Way.”

“You’re telling me that you married Jason Brewer?”

“I am.”

“You married your boss?” Her voice is just below a shriek. “Are you shitting me? Are you serious right now? Don’t play with me, Chlo.”

My laughter fills the line.

“You are serious.Oh, my God. How did I miss this? How did I miss the signs? There had to have been signs?” It sounds as if she smacks her head. “And I’ve been drooling over the man, and he’s been your fiancé? I’m humiliated.”

“Don’t be. I can’t blame you. Idon’tblame you.”

She sighs as if she’s in disbelief. “So how? Why? When? Tell me all the things.”

I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say or how much I’m supposed to divulge. I don’t want to outright lie to her. Then again, I’m not about to say anything that would hurt the Brewer image. And if word spreads that Jason married his assistant in a bet, that’s not exactly a good look for him—or me.

“We didn’t really want it to get out,” I say, dancing through the fire. “If things didn’t work out between us, we would still be friends and coworkers. So we didn’t want the potential drama, you know?”

“Understandable. I just can’t believe I didn’t notice. I think if I were fucking Jason Brewer, I’d be telling the whole world.”