Chapter 2

The next day, my mom calls.

"Come home for dinner tonight. Cole's coming too."

I tell her I'm not feeling well.

Her voice turns sharp.

"A miscarriage, and you're planning to lie around for a month?"

In the background, my brother laughs.

"Gigi, don't start putting on weight. Cole says every pound you gain takes a week to lose."

My whole family acts like I hit the jackpot just because a handsome, fit, wealthy man like Cole chose me.

They bend over backward to please him, while treating me like I'm the outsider.

I grip the phone tighter.

"The fifteen thousand for the franchise. You all knew about that?"

There's a beat of silence.

Then Mom says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world, "Of course we knew. You two are getting married. What's yours is his."

"And if Tyler makes money, you think he won't give you any?"

So everyone knew. Everyone except me.

That night, I go home anyway.

My lawyer friend told me to get the original franchise contract if I could.

The second I walk in, I see Maddie sitting at the dining table.

Tyler catches me staring at her.

"She's just going to help with training at the new location. Cole brought her over to go over the franchise stuff," he says casually.

Maddie is wearing a tight workout set. Tiny waist, long legs, curves in all the right places.

Mom looks her up and down, clearly impressed.

"Now that's a figure," she says. "Curves where it counts. What's the point of being skinny if you've got nothing else going on?"

Maddie smiles at me.

"Gigi's lighter than me right now. But Cole says she still has a few pounds to lose. One twenty-five is the perfect weight for her."

She's right. I'd lost a lot of weight since the miscarriage. I just hadn't reached Cole's precious one twenty-five yet.

Mom jumps right in.

"You hear that? You're so close. Just a few more pounds. Don't quit now."

Cole holds out his hand toward me.

"Come here."

Any other day, I would've gone straight to him.

This time, I take the seat farthest away from him.

Dinner is spread across the table. Pot roast, mashed potatoes, the whole thing.

Mom puts a thick slice of roast on Maddie's plate. When she gets to me, she sets down her fork, picks up the spoon, and gives me a small spoonful of green beans.

"You're almost at one twenty-five. Don't mess it up now. You need to watch what you eat even more."

I stare at the green beans.

"Mom. I just had a miscarriage."

Her smile freezes for a second.

"I know."

I can't believe what I'm hearing.

"You know, and you still want me to diet?"

She snaps, "Aren't we doing this for your own good? If you don't get it under control now, you'll gain ten pounds in a month!"

"Losing the baby was bad enough. And if you start gaining like crazy, what if Cole doesn't want you anymore?"

I look at Cole.

He doesn't argue. He just pours me a glass of water.

"Your mom's just blunt, but she's not wrong. I do want you. I just don't want you eating your feelings."

Tyler laughs. "Dude, you sound like you're coaching a client."

Maddie chimes in. "She is. She's already a member."

The whole table laughs.

I force a smile and laugh with them.

Under the table, my phone is recording.

Dad finally speaks.

"So when are you two getting married?"

Cole glances at me. "When she hits one twenty-five."

Dad nods. "That's makes sense. It'll look better in the wedding photos, too."

Mom gets fired up.

"Gigi, hang in there a little longer. Your wedding is coming up. You don't want to walk down the aisle looking like the Pillsbury Doughboy, do you?"

Maddie covers her mouth, laughing.

I look down at my plate and eat my green beans.

One bite.

Two.

Three.

My eyes burn, but I don't cry.

Halfway through dinner, I casually bring up the franchise contract.

Tyler perks right up.

"It's in my room. Cole says he'll start showing me the ropes next month. Pretty soon I'll be the boss, and you'll be the boss's sister."

Tyler can't wait to show me the contract. I follow him to his room and flip to the last page.

Fifteen thousand dollars.

Franchisee: Tyler Lane.

It's funny.

I paid for the franchise. Tyler owns it.

I take a photo of every page.

Tyler keeps running his mouth behind me.

"Seriously, Gigi, don't make trouble with Cole. He's got hot girls throwing themselves at him all day. You're lucky he picked you."

I shut the contract and look at him.

"What if I want out?"

He blinks. Then he bursts out laughing.

"You? You'd never leave. You followed him around like a lost puppy. The whole family saw it."

Right.

The whole family saw it.

That's why they're so sure I'll never leave.

On the drive home, Cole takes my hand.

"You were good tonight."

I don't pull away.

"Cole, do you think I can't live without you?"

He turns to me and smiles.

"What kind of question is that? I just know you better than you know yourself."

"You talk tough, but you're scared of everything. If I really dumped you, you'd cry yourself sick."

I look out the window.

My phone lights up. A text from my lawyer.

Keep every piece of evidence. We can get that money back.

Finally, I smile too.

"Good to know."