Free Famously Engaged by Robyn Thomas Page B

now.”
    “I can’t. I’m busy clearing the air with my fiancé.” She was fierce, fragile, and honest as she stood her ground and turned to Jake. “You’ve turned my life upside down because my ex-husband mentioned me too often in conversation. Do you know how hard that is to reconcile? You were suspicious of Brad and yet I’m the one you chose to target. Who does that? Someone with a private plane and a rock-god mentality? My life must look pretty small in comparison to yours, but don’t make the mistake of thinking it doesn’t matter.”
    Brad thumped him on the back. “She won’t leave without a fight, but someone should. I can smuggle you out in the van instead?”
    Jake laughed. These were good people. Beth had a right to voice her grievances, and his low opinion of Brad had taken too many knocks to sustain. The man had Beth’s and Skyla’s best interests at heart, and that was all Jake had ever wanted.
    “As tempting as it must be for you two to orchestrate what will happen next, there’s no need for it. I spoke to Tom, and he’s on his way over with all the vans in the fleet. They’re going to park out front, and as soon as I load the food, I’m going to join them and get lost in the crowd. It’ll be hard to follow the right van when there are ten identical ones, and I’m looking forward to seeing where my food ends up.”
    “You’re going to take it to the streets,” Jake muttered. “It’ll be fabulous until you’re besieged by paparazzi.”
    Beth swished the flirty hem of her dress. “That’s why I’m wearing this. Retro clothes will be so much fun for the media to describe: a crimson seventies-style dress that’s short, but not too short. An underskirt tight enough to make the future Mrs. Olsen walk like a lady—” She demonstrated, then spun to make the fabric swirl around her, “with several floaty layers on top to give the impression of being lighter than air. A perfect choice, right down to the scooped neckline and the stiff bow just below her breasts.” She laughed. “How did I do? I shouldn’t quit my day job for stripping, but what about journalism? I nailed it, didn’t I?”
    “Stripping?” Brad sounded horrified, but neither of them paid him any attention.
    “It’s a great dress, but image can’t compete with safety. You can wear anything you like because you won’t be going out.”
    To his surprise, she swiped the keys out of Brad’s hand and dangled them. “I have keys. What’s to stop me from walking out the door and driving off?”
    Brad snorted. “You can’t drive a manual car. That ought to stop you.”
    “I can drive it well enough to get by. Unless Jake wants to volunteer? What do you say, Famous Man , want to bring it down to street level and donate a few precious hours to charity?”

    …

    “I’m giving myself a swift upgrade from lottery-hopeful to philanthropist. I know our arrangement is temporary, but I need to extract something positive from it. I don’t particularly want to be Cinderella, but at least she’s busy. I need some busyness in my life in order to move forward, and what I have in mind for today will require leaving the house and returning home afterward.”
    Both men were staring at her as if she’d lost her mind, but she plunged ahead anyway. “I want to have a hand in what’s printed about me instead of waiting for tomorrow’s papers to find out what they came up with on their own.”
    “Beth.” Jake stepped forward and took both of her hands in his, swinging them wide, then drawing them against his bare chest.
    Being angry with him didn’t stop her from wanting to explore his pecs, but he refused to let go of her hands. “What you’re suggesting is charming, but it won’t work.” Hazel eyes met hers head-on and the pity in them caught her by surprise. “You can’t choose what they’ll say about you, and making yourself available to them will only give them more to work