by Avery James
"Charlotte, are you with us?" Callie asked. "I need you to grab a hair pin off of the bureau for me."
Charlotte snapped back to attention and looked from Callie to the bureau and back again. "Of course," she said.
"Thinking about Jack?" Callie winked.
"No. Well, yes, but I was thinking about how much I can't marry him." Charlotte grabbed the hair pin and handed it to her friend.
"Come on. I saw the way you two were last night. You couldn't keep away from each other."
"That's because you put us together."
"I didn't do that," Callie said, looking puzzled. "I thought it was cute that you two switched seats so you could sit together."
"What?" Charlotte asked. "Are you saying he did that?"
"You didn't hear it from me, but I think he likes you. And you certainly respond to him. The slightest mention of him and your cheeks get flushed with excitement."
"More like annoyance."
"What do you have against him anyway? He's rich, handsome, and super successful. I think he's perfect for you."
"It's too bad I don't."
"Because it's my wedding day, and you're my best friend, I'll forgive you for not recognizing that he's perfect for you."
"Jack's not my type."
"Your type is fictional."
"My last boyfriend was nice and artistic and free-spirited."
"He was unemployed," Callie laughed. "He spent all day sleeping on our couch."
"But he had such pretty eyes," Charlotte said with a sigh. "Besides, what is it you think I'll be doing once I get back from the wedding if not spending a lot of time on the couch?"
"You'll be marrying Jack, of course," Callie said, twirling in her wedding gown to make Charlotte imagine herself in it. "Come on, consider it a wedding gift to me. What do you have to lose?"
Charlotte shook her head. "I don't have anything against him personally. I just don't want to marry someone I don't even know."
"Nonsense. You two were hitting it off last night. Everyone saw the sparks fly."
"He forced me to give a speech. I don't think those sparks were exactly the good kind."
"You hate speaking in public, and he got you to do it. You were great at it, by the way. Maybe he can help you come out of your shell a little bit."
"I rather like my shell. It's very protective," Charlotte said, crossing her arms.
Callie decided to change tack. "Let's try this a different way. What's your perfect guy like?"
"I don't know," Charlotte said. "Handsome, well-read, brooding, world-weary. Hot like Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights and witty like Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice."
"We know Jack's handsome. You can check that off the list. And well-read? He went to Harvard."
"It's different when you get in because your name is on the building."
"He's smart. You know it," Callie said.
"I want someone with emotional depth, someone who really cares about me, and every day I spend with Jack would be another day I'm not looking for the person I want to spend my life with."
"It's just a few months, Charlotte, and, in that time, you'll be able to do whatever you want. Write a book. Start a company. Learn to make artisanal cheese. It doesn't matter what you do with your days as long as you spend your nights with Jack Coburn for the cameras. Charlotte, have you seen him?"
"Of course I've seen him."
"Have you talked to him?"
"You know the answer to that."
"Then you know how perfect he is. He needs your help, and he's willing to make it very much worth your time. You'll walk away from this with more money than you could make in five years at your current job."
"Former job, remember?" Charlotte said.
"Exactly. More money than you'd make in a hundred years at your current, nonexistent job. All the more reason to go through with it. Plus, he lives in the same neighborhood as Logan and me. We could have dinner parties. You could crash at our place whenever you wanted."
"I don't know," Charlotte said. She knew Callie would take her indecision as a yes.
Callie grinned. "See, you're coming around, but don't take too long to decide. We need an answer before Logan and I leave for our honeymoon. Otherwise, we'll have to find someone else. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to turn my attention to my own wedding for a little bit."
"I'll think about it," Charlotte said.
"I'll take that for now," Callie said.
After another two hours of posing for photos at every stage of the preparation process, everyone was finally ready for the ceremony to begin. Charlotte followed Amy and Vi down to the mansion's library, where they would start their walk to the back lawn. Jack and the other groomsmen were already waiting.
"How's the bride?" Jack asked.
"Relentless," Charlotte said.
Jack laughed. "Sounds about right. Logan's pacing around in his room. I've never seen him this nervous. It's adorable. I wish I had a camera to commemorate the moment. This is why I love weddings."
"I thought you said you weren't a wedding fan," Charlotte said. Over Jack's shoulder, Amy Haven sat nearby, pretending she wasn't listening. Next to her, Amy and Callie's aunt Vi wasn't bothering with the pretense. She leaned forward, cupping her ear with her hand to eavesdrop better.
"Weddings are great. They're always the best parties. Marriages on the other hand," Jack said as he shook his head, "are more trouble than they're worth."
"And this is supposed to sway me?" Charlotte asked.
"Something like that. By the way, I've arranged for you to say a few words during the ceremony."
Charlotte's heart almost stopped. "You're kidding, right?"
There was that smile again, only Charlotte didn't know if it was because he was kidding or because he was serious.
"Yes, that was just a joke," Jack said, "but you should see the look on your face right now. Just know that I'm asking for your help—" Before Jack could say another word, Logan entered the library and knocked on the side of a bookcase.
"We're ready," he said. "Come on guys. Let's go."
Even though she had spent all morning with Callie, Charlotte choked up as soon as she saw her friend walking down the aisle. The late afternoon sun glinted off the bay and cast Callie in a golden light so warm that she seemed to shimmer in its glow. She looked more beautiful than Charlotte had thought possible. And, even though Callie and Logan were surrounded by family and friends, it was like they were alone in their own private world. They locked eyes on each other as Callie approached, and they didn't look away for even a second once the ceremony began.
The whole ceremony was a sun-drenched dream. Callie was radiant. She was the epitome of what a bride should be. The sunlight played off her hair and her dress, catching the details in a way that seemed to shimmer around her in a halo.
Logan was grinning from ear to ear as he looked at his soon-to-be wife. Charlotte could see the tears welling up in the corners of his eyes as he tried to stay composed. His voiced cracked during his vows, and Callie reached across to take his hand. Once or twice Charlotte made eye contact with Jack as if to say, Look how in love they are. Tell me you don't want that.
The ceremony probably only lasted for fifteen minutes, but Charlotte felt like she could stay inside that moment forever, witnessing uncompromised and unwavering love. By the time Callie had finished her vows to Logan, everyone was in tears, and Charlotte was trying in vain to keep from crying too. This is what marriage should be, she thought. It should be a celebration of simple, unending love.
Charlotte knew what was happening, she and Jack were walking side by side down the aisle, following Callie and Logan back up to the house.
After several more rounds of photos inside, as night began to fall over the water, Charlotte found herself at the head table of the reception back down in the tent, sitting next to Jack in his navy blue suit and watching Callie and Logan feed each other. She knew that soon enough, she'd have to give her speech, but somehow she wasn't nervous.
She grabbed the microphone and got ready to speak.
Charlotte looked out over the sea of faces. Some of them were familiar, but most of the crowd was made up of Logan's friends and Callie's work acquaintances. Charlotte turned to Callie and Logan and recalled what Jack had told her. Just remember who matters.
"I don't know how many of you heard me give part of this speech last night, but I can assure you this time will be better," Charlotte started. She looked at Jack for a moment, unsure of whether she should be mad at him for making her speak or grateful that he had helped her get over her fear. "Two weeks ago, when we were leaving for Callie's bachelorette party, we could barely rip her away from her love for even a night. So instead, we brought them together. It was supposed to be one last hurrah before the ball and chain, but it was the opposite. It was another affirmation of their love for each other, and I think all of us were as lucky then as we are now to witness it.
"I don't know how many of you know the full story of how Logan and Callie met, but I like to think that I played a pivotal role in getting her to take a chance on him. Callie called me, freaking out that she might be falling for him, and I might have egged her on just to find out what would happen next."
Charlotte smiled as the crowd laughed.
"Seriously, look at them! They're perfect for each other. They're both so beautiful, that it almost hurts to look at them. And they look even more beautiful when they're together. It might sound dumb, but I think you can see true love. I don't just mean in the way they look at each other or the way they fit in each other's arms. I mean that the entire room seems brighter when they're together."
Jack looked up at her and gave her a thumbs up.
"That's how I feel tonight. Callie, Logan, you two were meant to be together, and every last person in this room can see how much you love each other." Charlotte cleared her throat and looked down at the floor. "There's one more thing," she said. She looked back up at her friend. "Callie, remember all those romances I used to read? The ones you teased me about? Well, in the good ones, love overcomes all obstacles, big and small. It burns brighter than the sun, and it endures." It also comes from unlikely beginnings, she thought. She looked back over to Jack, who was hanging on her every word.
"Callie, you and Logan might have a storybook romance, but it is real, and we are all here tonight to bear witness to your love. I hope that everyone here understands what a rare and wonderful thing the two of you have. And, like me, I hope they're grateful to have played some small role in your story together. I know you two will live happily ever after, and I'm thrilled to celebrate the start of your new life together. Ladies and gentlemen, if you can all raise your glasses, here's to Callie and Logan. The wedding guests let out a cheer as they clinked their glasses together.
Charlotte he walked over to Jack. Before he could say a word, she leaned in and whispered in his ear over the sound of applause. "I'll do it."
"You'll what?" he asked.
"I'll marry you. It has to be on my terms, but I'll marry you."
"Are you serious?" Jack's eyes went wide.
"Yeah, now go give your speech." She handed him the microphone.
Jack stood up slowly with the whole crowd settling down and watching him expectantly. The room grew silent except for the low buzz of the speakers, picking up dead air. For the first time in his life as a public speaker, Jack Coburn was speechless.
Chapter 5
"Kiss."
The word broke through Charlotte's reverie like a rock through a plate glass window. She stared across the wide wood conference table at Amy Haven in disbelief. Jack, wearing another dark blue suit, turned beside Charlotte to look at her. Even under the low hum of the office's fluorescent lights, the suit accentuated his blue eyes and broad shoulders. The conference room of Haven Communications opposite the Haven sisters wasn't exactly the place Charlotte would have chosen for her first kiss with Jack Coburn.
Thinking of the trick Jack had taught her, Charlotte grabbed the pitcher of water from the center of the table and poured herself a glass, gulping down a long, cold sip while she tried to think of a diplomatic way to run out of the building. She couldn't believe that Amy had just commanded her to kiss Jack. Charlotte turned toward him and shrugged her shoulders as if to ask what he thought, but she was so jittery that she couldn't be sure her shoulders had moved at all.
She hadn't seen Jack since the night of the wedding, and she had spent the past two and a half weeks housesitting for Callie and Logan while they toured the Mediterranean on Logan's yacht. Charlotte had spent that time obsessing over whether she could back out of the marriage of convenience deal with Jack. Every time she tried to push the idea of marriage out of her head for a while, another wedding gift arrived on Callie's doorstep. A week in, one arrived from Jack, and Charlotte spent half the morning wondering if he was intentionally taunting her.
Now, he was watching her as expectantly as Amy and Callie to see if she would kiss him on command. "Now?" Charlotte asked.
"Of course," Amy said. "This is as good a time as any. I don't know how else to say this, but you two are going to be engaged soon. Before you know it, you'll be married. We should probably make sure you're believable as a couple before we do anything irreversible."
Charlotte tried to relax herself as she looked at Jack. He was smiling back at her, with his mouth slightly open so that she could just make out the bright white line of his top teeth, and she wondered if he was enjoying himself. He looked amused and handsome, and she hated herself for wondering if somewhere behind that smile there was some spark of interest. After meeting her eyes, he looked away in a bout of false modesty, as if he had anything to be bashful about. By instinct, she looked down from his eyes and noticed his dimples for the first time. Her stomach fluttered as she anticipated the warmth of his lips.
"Here goes nothing."
Charlotte closed her eyes as Jack placed his palm on her cheek, pulled her in and kissed her. His kiss was softer than she had expected. All her tension melted away as she basked in the soft warmth of his lips. Without thinking, she slipped her tongue against his as he deepened the kiss. Her stomach fluttered, and a thrill zipped up her spine, sending a shiver of excitement through her back and into her chest. She felt a tingle in her fingertips as the room went quiet around her. Jack held the kiss for a moment longer, letting his tongue linger against her upper lip before slowly pulling back.
Charlotte let out a long breath. She was dizzy with bliss. That was good. Holy crap that was good. She felt herself starting to blush as she opened her eyes and looked at Jack. Maybe marrying him won't be so bad after all. Charlotte failed to hold back her smile.
"Ahem," Callie said, snapping Charlotte back to attention. Callie gave her a knowing smile. "I don't want to ruin your moment, but we have a lot to get through."
Jack turned to Callie and Amy and hardened his gaze. "Was that convincing enough for you?" he asked.
Amy and Callie gave each other a quick nod. "Yeah," Callie said, "that should be good enough."
"Good enough?" Charlotte asked. She was surprised that the kiss hadn't shorted out all the electricity in the room.
"It was passable," Callie said. She grinned at Charlotte and grabbed two thick binders off of a shelf and slid them across the table to Charlotte and Jack. "You can hold hands while we review the contracts if you'd like."
"I didn't know we'd be signing contracts today," Charlotte said. She felt like all the blood had drained from her body. It was one thing to kiss Jack. It was something else entirely to sign papers obliging herself to marry him.
Amy started in as she opened one of the binders. "If we weren't clear about this before, let me be very clear about it now. This is not a fake marriage. This is not simply sleight of hand. You two will get married for real. Everything contained in these binders will be legally binding."
"Maybe I should have asked sooner, but is this all, you know, legal?" Charlotte asked.
"This binder is a prenup," Amy said.
"We'll cover the details later, but this is all fairly standard. It outlines what is and is not acceptable within the bounds of the marriage. As you are both close friends of my sister and her husband, I should note that this document has been drafted in order to protect both of your interests, both in the marriage and in case of divorce.
"The main points are simple. First, no outside relationships. No sex, no flirting, no late night phone calls with old flames. If either of you would rather screw around, we should call it quits right now. Even the appearance of impropriety ruins the whole rationale behind doing this. Expect to be photographed both together and alone at any time. Second, no one outside this room can know about this agreement. Not friends, not family. Everyone must believe that the two of you are head over heels in love. Their honest belief will sell your story. Third, in the event of divorce, Charlotte will waive her right to any shared property. In return, she will receive an annual stipend necessary to sustain a standard of living expected of any current or former member of the Coburn family.
"Jack, it's in your best interest for Charlotte to maintain a certain image even post-divorce. Personally, I think it would be a good touch for Charlotte to keep your name, at least for a few years. Charlotte Coburn. It has a nice ring to it. When the time comes, we'll run a focus group to see what plays better. The divorce isn't a stipulated end of the contract, but the option does open up after eighteen months. If I can give you our advice, though, Callie and I think it would be best if you two ran a Bill and Hill."
"A Bill and Hill?" Charlotte asked.
"You'll remain publicly married but take up different residences in different states. The Coburn family owns enough properties that it shouldn't be a problem to find a place for you." Amy reached across the table and flipped to a page near the end of the binder, like the matter had been settled. "Anyway, the two of you can negotiate the exact amount of the stipend, but we have prepared guidance."
Charlotte froze as she saw the number. It was over four hundred thousand dollars a year.
Amy continued. "Once you win the election—"
