Free The Engagement Game (Engaged to a Billionaire) by A. Gardner

people.   Jack.   The guy I once purposely spilled piss on.   I had a bad grip on the bedpan.   And that still didn't stop him asking me out later.
    "Start at the beginning."
    "You're going to laugh at me."   I take in a huge swallow of coffee, hoping that maybe if I burned my tongue I wouldn't have to explain.   But I'd already said too much.   "I met Rex at my little sister's roommate's engagement party.   With me so far?"   Jack nods.   I let out a huge breath.   Jack was going to think I was a total moron.   "We danced.   We laughed.   We . . ."
    "I get it."   Jack gestures for me to move past the lovey dovey junk.   "Keep going."
    "Let me put it this way.   Everything was perfect.   Our first date was . . . almost perfect.   And then my mirror of perfection shattered into tiny pieces, and I've been having bad luck ever since."
    "Yeah."   He puts a hand on my shoulder.   "Metaphors aren't really your thing."   I roll my eyes.   "Sorry.   Sorry.   Continue."   I take another swallow of warm coffee, letting the liquid sooth my throat.
    "So I met Holly for lunch the other day because she too met a guy.   And stupid me, I just thought the universe was in our favor.   After we talked for awhile I realized . . . she was talking about Rex."   I wait for Jack to make another comment but he keeps his mouth shut.   "My best friend and I are falling for the same guy."
    "But you saw him first right?"   I could hear the frustration in Jack's voice.
    "About that . . . we . . . actually Holly decided that we should let Rex do the choosing."
    "So she didn't back off?"   His eyes went wide.   "Now I get why you poisoned her."
    "I didn't literally poison her," I say through my teeth.   I look around hoping no one in the cafeteria heard his comment.   "And anyway . . . I'm the one who started all this.   I'm the horrible one."
    "Sorry but what kind of person tries to sucker their best friend into thinking that stealing is okay?"
    "It's not stealing," I disagree.
    "She's trying to snatch the guy you've been seeing."   He shakes his head.   "Why are the two of you even friends?"
    "Hey," I rudely interrupt.   "We've known each other our whole lives, okay?   Holly has always had my back."
    "Until now," Jack adds.   I take another sip to avoid agreeing with him.   Did Holly only have my back when it was convenient?   Now I was second guessing myself.   No.   This was just a brick in the road.   I couldn't throw away a lifelong friendship so quickly.   I bite my lip.   What had I done?   I mean, what I did would make sense if it were anyone else.   Holly wasn't just somebody.   She was my best friend.   What do you do when your best friend suddenly does a one-eighty?   Was I supposed to go with it . . . . or move on?
    "So she was selfish to try and get in on the action like that," I begin.   "But that's no excuse for what I did."
    "Which was?"
    "I gave her a bar of soap in the bathroom."
    "Is that code for something freaky?"   He smirks.
    "No, you perv.   She's allergic to chamomile.   I exposed her to chamomile.   I gave her hives!"   It disappoints me to see Jack chuckling rather than comprehending the seriousness of the situation.
    "Remind me never to piss you off."   He already had.   Many times.
    "It's too late for that kind of reminder," I mutter.   "Seriously."   I hit his shoulder.   "She's going to retaliate.   She's going to do something big.   Something crazy.   Something cleverly insane."
    "What like sleep with him?" Jack jokes.   I sit up in my seat, eyes as wide as two cheese pizzas from Nico's.
    "You don't think . . . no . . . she wouldn't."
    "Relax," Jack adds.   He puts a hand on my shoulder again, trying to stop me from squirming around in my chair.   "If this guy really likes you, you shouldn't have to worry about it."   Rex did like me.   I was mostly sure of that.   I just wasn't sure how much he liked Holly.   We hadn't really gotten to that