Chapter 4

It was another Monday, and I was standing behind the counter, scrolling through my phone when the bell on the door rang, alerting me that a customer had entered. When I looked up, my eyes widened as I saw Jack walk in through the door.

He took off his sunglasses and glared at me with those grey eyes. "We need to talk," he said.

I chuckled nervously and patted down my apron. "I'm working."

He raised a brow and looked around the room filled with empty chairs. "I doubt that," he mumbled and turned his head back to me.

I crossed my arms over my chest and frowned at him.

"I'll also have a cup of coffee with no sugar," he said and walked to one of the vacant chairs and sat down, his eyes still on mine.

I sighed and placed my hands on my waist. Damn, here I was thinking I would never see him again.

I prepared his coffee, placed it on the table, and sat in front of him. "How did you find me?"

"Your friend from the club," he answered and took a sip from his coffee.

"Fucking Joe," I muttered under my breath and shook my head. "Okay, why are you here?" I finally asked, and he crossed his arms as he looked at me.

"Why did you leave?" he asked in return, and I couldn't help but laugh.

I tapped my chin, pretending to think about it. "Well..." I trailed off and brought my face closer to him. "Maybe because I never want to see you again, and I got what I wanted."

He seemed confused and furrowed his brow. "What's that?" he whispered, and I smiled sweetly at him.

"Fucked you out of my system."

He smirked as I said those words and also brought his face closer to mine. "Did you really?"

My breath hitched, and I took in a short breath and clenched my hands. Damn, he was right. All I thought about after that night was him and how good he felt.

"I need your help," he said before I could speak. I bit my lip as I considered asking him what it was, and I caved.

"Screw it. What do you want?"

"I need you to come home with me for a week," he said, and I scoffed and looked at him like he was crazy.

"Home?" I asked, as if he had lost his mind.

"I need you to act as my girlfriend for a week while I visit my parents."

I stood up and shook my head as I began to walk away. "Not interested."

He grabbed my hand and stood up as I turned and glared at him. He let go of my hand as if it burned and cleared his throat.

"I'll pay."

"I know my worth, but I'm not a whore, Jack," I spat in anger. His eyes widened.

"I never called you one," he said, his eyes softening.

"I'm sorry, I really can-" He cut me off before I could finish speaking. "Ten thousand dollars."

I looked at him like he was crazy, and for a moment, I actually considered his words. "Fifteen," I said, expecting him to object, but he nodded. "Deal."

"You really are crazy," I mumbled, and he smirked. "Maybe I am."

He took his brown coat from the chair and shrugged it over his black turtleneck. He put on his sunglasses and brought his lips to my ear. "We leave tomorrow morning, Princess," he whispered, and I took a step back, looking at his tall form.

"Oh!" he said and brought out a pen and paper from his pocket. "I'll be needing your number," he smiled. I shakily took them from him and hastily wrote down my number.

"See you soon," he said and walked out the door. It felt like I could breathe again, and I placed my hands on my cheeks, gently patting them. What had I gotten myself into?

**

"Are you crazy?" Charlie gasped, looking at me like I'd grown another head. "What if he's a psychopath and kills you, ditching your body somewhere?" He shouted in my face, and I cringed, grabbing his shoulder.

Emily gave us a dirty look and mumbled, "Crazy bitches," under her breath, walking out of the back area of the house.

"I need this money, Charlie," I muttered, and he also grabbed my shoulder. "Girl—" "Ani," I said, cutting him off.

"I need this money for Ani's surgery."

His lips formed a thin line, and we both let go of each other. He sighed and looked at me with sad eyes. "I hope you know what you're doing," he said and walked out when Emily yelled his name.

"I hope I do too," I whispered.

**

I woke up early to go see Ani. I greeted the nurses with a smile as I walked into the building and rushed to Anna's room.

I gently opened the door and smiled as I watched her sleeping form. I sat next to her and held her hand in mine, which instantly woke her up.

"Amanda," she smiled at me, and my heart melted. I cupped her cheeks in my hand and gently rubbed her nose.

"Good morning," I whispered, and she sat up and hugged me. A lump formed in my throat, and I felt bad that I would be leaving her, even though it was only for a week.

"What's wrong?" she asked as I broke the hug, and I sighed.

"I'm sorry, Ani," I said, and she frowned. "I won't be home for a while," I mumbled, stroking her cheeks, and her lips turned down.

"Why?" she questioned, tears already welling up in her eyes. "I have to work far away so you can get your surgery and get better."

"Who will take care of me? Mom—" "You'll be staying with Uncle Charlie," I cut her off, already knowing what was running through her mind.

The door burst open, and Ani and I both turned as Charlie walked in. "Oops! Sorry," he mumbled, balancing two cups of coffee in his hands.

I glared at Charlie as he cursed in front of my 8-year-old sister and slammed the door. His eyes widened at my glare, and he blurted out another curse. "Oops! I'm sorry," he exclaimed, realizing his mistake.

I let out a deep sigh and shook my head, while Ani giggled at Charlie's slip-up. Maybe it was a bad idea to let Ani stay with Charlie. But at least it was better than her being with mom.