Free Damaged In-Law by Colleen Masters

something to look forward to in life. But she was in so
deep with the drugs and booze by then—not to mention the shitty people she was
spending time with—that nothing was going to pull her back up. She was called
in for a few days on set, but she never showed up. Not once.”
    “So...She never actually shot any of her scenes? Is that
what you ’ re telling me?” I ask.
    “Yeah,” Jack replies, shaking his head, “That ’ s
exactly what I ’ m telling you, Cal.”
    I shove a hand through my dirty blonde locks, letting out a
deep breath as I try to wrap my head around Jack ’ s predicament. “Shit,” I mutter, “After all the time and effort
you put into getting the film on track, this must be a huge setback. I ’ m so sorry you have to deal with this, on top of everything
else. I mean, my god, your fiancée just passed away...”
    Jack shoots me an impatient look. Did I say something
wrong? 
    “Wait a minute...” I go on, narrowing my eyes at him, “Your
engagement to Avery...That wasn ’ t just part of some
publicity stunt for the film, was it?”
    His eyes go wide with indignation. “Of course not,” he
snaps.
    “Then what was with the look?” I press him, “Why do you
change the subject every time I mention the fact that you two were engaged?”
    “Because,” he begins, gritting his teeth, “Every time
someone says the word ‘fiancee ’ , it ’ s
another remind of how badly I failed her.”
    “What are you talking about, Jack?” I ask, exasperated. More
than a few heads have swiveled our way as the conversation ’ s
heated up. That ’ s just what we need—some intrepid
entertainment blogger speculating about a feud between Jackson Cole and Avery
Benson ’ s normal-person twin sister.
    Jack knocks back the rest of his whiskey, struggling to find
the right words. “It was all...part of the same plan,” he finally growls,
looking straight ahead. “The film role, the engagement, a million other little
things...It was all supposed to come together as a new chance for her. A clean
slate. It was my last stand against all the things that were threatening to
ruin her. And I lost, Callie. I did everything I could to save Avery, and
nothing...”
    I feel my heart straining at the fault lines as Jack trails
off, his voice ragged with grief. I nod to the bartender for another round and
rest my hand on Jack ’ s broad back. His tightly-wound
muscles ripple beneath the fine fabric of his jacket, and his smooth brow is
furrowed with frustrated despair. 
    “You were going to marry Avery...to try and keep her safe?”
I ask softly.
    A single bark of laughter rises up from his throat. “That I
was,” he confirms. “Brilliant idea, I know. But hey, they say you ’ re
supposed to marry your best friend, right? Avery was my best friend, we were
inseparable. There was no way either of us was going to settle down with any of
the losers we were in the habit of dating, so...it seemed like a good bet, I
guess.”
    I stare at Jack, my slender hand running along the space
between his shoulder blades. A thousand warring emotions rampage inside of me.
The grief I ’ m already feeling in the wake of Avery ’ s death is doubled by the pain it ’ s
causing Jack. I ’ m so moved by everything he did to try and
help my sister, and so wracked with guilt that I wasn ’ t
there to help either of them. I regret more than ever the estrangement that
forced Avery and I out of each other ’ s lives.
    But buried beneath all those conflicting feelings, a tiny
spark of hope is flickering to life. If Avery and Jackson ’ s
engagement was really just a gesture of friendship, rather than romantic love...If
she was like a sister to him, instead of a lover...Then could be there be
something more behind this reunion of ours than two old friends grabbing
a drink? Could I actually be getting another chance at having Jackson Cole in
my life, the way I ’ ve always wanted him to be?
    There ’ s only one way to find