Free The Wager by Rachel van Dyken

myself like you are.”
    “Gee, thanks.” He mumbled, feeling scolded. “And I’m not feeling sorry for myself.”
    “Yeah, you kind of are.” Char drummed her fingers against the granite counter top. “So, where’s lunch?”
    “In the fridge.”
    Char walked over and opened the fridge. “You have more food than most small countries.”
    “Grandma likes her food.” Jake shrugged. “I’ll grab the croissant sandwiches and veggies. You want to eat outside on the porch so we can sit by the water?”
    “Um, sure.” Char looked around the kitchen. “Anything else we need?”
    “Grab a bottle of wine from the fridge, too… maybe a white wine? Your choice.” He winked and walked toward the sliding glass door that led to the veranda that overlooked Lake Washington.
    Now, all they needed to do was eat, play nice, and get done with Grandma’s damn list and he could be free to move on with life. His plan was still the same. Survive WW3, also known as the invasion of Grandma, and then go back to his lifestyle.
    Though, as he took a minute to sit and enjoy the view, he realized it had felt like years since he’d actually relaxed or been sober enough to enjoy it.
    Char’s footsteps echoed across the deck. “Here you go.” She handed him a glass of wine and set the bottle on the table. “It’s pretty out here.”
    “I guess it is.” He squinted against the sun and shrugged, forgoing the glass of wine and taking a sip of water instead. “Guess I don’t really notice it much.”
    Char snorted and shook her head. “So, this list. Let’s get it over with.”
    Abrupt subject change, but fine. Jake pulled out a new piece of paper. “Okay, we have to be careful with this one. The last one was lost in a tragic paper shredder accident. I had to steal Grandma’s backup while she was sleeping last night.”
    “Wow, you’re a regular 007.”
    “The woman sleeps like the dead.”
    “So it was easy?”
    “She has a gun under her pillow and has never taken a shooting lesson in her life—easy?” Jake shuddered. “Not if you want to keep all your parts.”
    “Fair enough.”
    Jake cleared his throat. “It looks like we just have to worry about the cake topper and Kacey and Travis’s wedding gift. Grandma says it will be delivered later this afternoon so I guess we’ll just take it on the plane with us?”
    “Sure.”
    They fell into an awkward silence. Jake wasn’t really sure why things felt so stilted. Like all the fight had been taken out of Char and suddenly she was just ready to do anyone’s bidding and be done.
    But that was exactly what he was doing.
    Except, he wanted her to want to be with him. He liked her fiery. Shit, he was happier when they were fighting than when she was quiet.
    “Rough day?” he asked after a few more awkward moments of silence.
    Char shrugged.
    “Whoa, I got the shrug.” He poured her another glass of wine. “You want to talk about it?”
    Sighing, Char tilted her head and faced him. “Not really.”
    “No pressure.” He lifted his hands. “But maybe I can help.”
    “Ah, the millionaire’s offering his help. How thoughtful.”
    Jake winced. “What the hell is your problem?”
    “My problem?” Char repeated. Then in a flurry she stood, nearly knocking over her wine, and threw her napkin on the chair. “My problem is everything is so damn easy for you! It always has been! You have this perfect life, perfect grandmother—and don’t you dare say a word against her. She may be crazy but at least you have a family that cares, not parents who forgot, again, about your birthday.”
    Jake froze, a sickening feeling began to stir in his stomach as he watched the sadness wash across Char’s face. He knew that look—he knew it well: loneliness. Feeling like the forgotten one in the family was almost as bad as being the black sheep, the one nobody wanted. So, yeah it was possible their situations were different, but not by much. She was forgotten and he was a