A Deal With the Devil by Abby Matisse Read Free Book Online Page A

deal?”
    “ What?” Amanda cried . “Are you insane ?”
    “Shh! Hear me out. You have a bunch of debt, thanks to your brother.”
    “Yes, b—”
    “Amanda Wilson” —the southern belle morphed into the steel magnolia— “you listen to me.”
    Amanda blinked, stunned by Kate’s instant transformation from airhead to commander-in-chief.
    “You have a ton of debt, you want out of corporate life so you can do your own thing and—not to harp on a sensitive subject—but before your parents died spending junior year in Paris seemed a foregone conclusion. If you negotiated right, this situation could be the answer to all your problems.”
    “Or it could mean that a whole new boatload of trouble just docked.”
    “Stop the negativity.” Kate said. “ Think . All your debts paid off in one fell swoop—gone, pfft, finito.”
    “For some reason, the word finito sounds less convincing when spoken in Alabaman—something to keep in mind for the future.”
    “No,” Kate said, sounding breathless as her enthusiasm picked up steam. “Really think about it.”
    Amanda often found it hard to stand firm in the face of Kate’s over-the-top gusto. As irksome as her perkiness could be, she possessed a childlike zeal that, at times, could be irresistible.
    Now was not one of those times.
    “I get it. In theory, if I agreed to Jake’s deal, the money could pay off my debts.” But this wasn’t theory, this was her life. And she wasn’t going along with it. The theoretical payoff would come at too high a price.
    “Yes, which is the reason you went to the cabin in the first place.” Kate’s fervor increased. “If you negotiate well enough, you could quit your job and figure out what you really want to do with your life while enjoying everything Paris has to offer. Just imagine …..” Kate clapped and emitted a squeal. “I can’t wait to come and visit with my daughter!”
    “I thought you didn’t want to know the sex of the baby in advance. Did you decide to go ahead and find out?”
    “No, I just know I’m having a girl.”
    Amanda rolled her eyes. Undoubtedly, in Kate’s posh Birmingham world of debutante balls and beauty pageants, southern belles only gave birth to little southern belles. “I’m sure you have the tiara all picked out, but don’t get carried away. You’ll go into labor.”
    “No, I still have two more months,” Kate said.
    Amanda reminded herself that —in her friend’s unique and irritatingly meddlesome way—she’d only been trying to help. “Listen, I know this engagement deal could end my financial problems if I negotiated right,” Amanda said. “And it’s tempting. It is . But do I want to lie to everyone I know in order to get the payoff?”
    “That’s definitely a downside,” Kate conceded. “But you’d only have to lie to Jake’s grandfather. And honestly, I think he sort of deserves it. He should’ve been more upfront about his decision to change the terms of Jake’s trust fund instead of springing it on him the way he did.”
    “Can you blame him? He probably wants to ensure Jake settles down with one woman instead of following the same destructive path as his father.”
    “Probably, but more importantly, this could be the answer to all your problems,” Kate said. “Jake would be generous, I’m sure of it. Remember, his grandfather’s absolutely loaded.”
    “I’d rather die than take Jake’s money. “There has to be another way.”
    “ This way just arrived on a silver platter. You can’t ignore that,” Kate said.
    “Yes I can.” Furthermore, she intended to.
    “Chances like this don’t sashay by every day. The door opened. You have to walk through,” Kate said. “It’s a sign.”
    At best, it was a sign she should sashay for the hills. Jake broke her heart and almost a year later, the pieces were still scattered about. She hadn’t even attempted to gather them back up let alone put them back together again. “My gut tells me if I try,