The Wager (The Bet 2)

Jake’s answer? Not a chance in hell, and Grandma, bless her heart, claimed to need Jace at the last minute, which was most likely a falsehood. Not that he cared; the situation had totally worked in his favor.

The courthouse wasn’t too far from their house. They had just opened by the time he and Char walked up to the registrar.

“Can I help you?” The elderly lady asked. She had owl-shaped glasses perched low on her nose, bright red lipstick, and a loud electric blue shirt. It was almost like looking at Grandma’s doppelgänger.

“Yes,” Jake said smoothly. “We need to pick up the license for the Titus wedding.”

“Oh.” The lady’s face fell. “Just one moment, I’ll just…” Shaking, she mumbled something under her breath as she searched through a file on her desk.

Char chewed her lower lip, drumming her nails against the countertop while the lady searched. Jake, being the lunatic he now was, watched Char. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, giving him the perfect picture of her high cheekbones and graceful neck. He wanted to reach out and touch her, to feel her smooth skin under his hand.

“Here’s the thing.” The lady cleared her throat. “I don’t have it.”

“Sorry, what?” Jake snapped his attention away from Char and looked at the lady. “The license? But they’re getting married this weekend.”

“Right.” The lady smiled nervously. Lipstick stained her two front teeth. “I have an idea, but I could get fired…”

“I’m all ears.” Jake tried to stay calm. “Because they need that piece of paper by Sunday evening.”

“We can expedite the process. I’ll fudge the date, but I’ll need to leave the names blank on the license.”

“Why?” Char asked. “Can’t you just type them in and fudge the entire thing?”

“They’ll know,” the lady whispered, motioning behind her to all the other people working in the office. “And like I said, I could get fired.”

Jake groaned and looked at Char. “What do we do?”

“Well, we need a license!” Char exhaled. “Okay, fine, we’ll do it. What do you need from us?”

“Sally.” A woman approached. “Is everything okay over here?”

“Perfect!” Sally exclaimed. “These young people were just picking up their marriage license! They’re getting married this week!” Her eyes pleaded with theirs.

“Right!” Jake nudged Char. “We are so excited. Aren’t we, sweetie pie?”

“Sure, Twinkie pants.” Char’s teeth clenched. “So, so, so very excited for this holy union.”

“In front of God.” Jake nodded. “And our family.”

Char nodded emphatically. “It’s just too bad I got knocked up before the wedding, huh?”

“I wouldn’t say bad.” Jake’s eyes narrowed as his grip around her shoulders tightened. “In fact I would say it was very, very, very good.”

Char shrugged. “It was all right.”

Sally and the lady chuckled.

“If you get my meaning.” Char winked.

“We are so in love!” Jake shouted, trying to cause a distraction so Char wouldn’t continue talking about his level of sexual prowess.

“Oh.” Sally clapped. “I almost forgot. I’ll need your driver’s licenses just to prove you are who you say you are.”

With a kick, Char stepped on Jake’s foot then handed over her license.

Muttering a curse, Jake pulled out his.

“They check out!” Sally beamed.