That's How it Happens

16. Terms and Conditions May Apply

"What do you mean you haven't heard from him?"

Ainsley stared at the car's Bluetooth screen like the woman inside it had lost her mind. As a peace offering, she'd bought the plane tickets herself this time – emailed them to Leo a full week early. His seat had been empty at takeoff, and the nausea hadn't left her since.

"What do you mean, April?" she repeated, voice rising. "I haven't heard a word. Nothing. Zilch. This whole trip was his idea. I hadn't even thought that far ahead."

Her chest tightened. She snapped her mouth shut before she spiraled into a full-blown panic attack. Was this what a heart attack felt like?

"It's not like him to leave you hanging," April said gently. "Not only is he madly in love with you-"

Ainsley rolled her eyes. She was so tired of hearing that.

"-but he made a bet, didn't he? Maybe there was an emergency. Something he didn't want to worry you about."

Unlikely. But still, Ainsley found herself skimming the forums searching for a hint, safety be damned. She wasn't sure why – she was on the phone with the source. She frowned. April was fishing. And now Ainsley realized the not-bet had leaked. Of course it had. And of course it was April.

She'd forgotten to tell her it was supposed to be between them.

There hadn't been much to the bet—no real wager, no terms she could recall. Honestly, she'd thought the whole thing was a joke. But Leo's last words outside her apartment had haunted her ever since.

They're going to beg you to marry me.

Surely he hadn't meant it. He couldn't have. He wasn't actually trying to charm her family into loving him. Was he? That wasn't romantic—it was strategic. Calculated.

Cruel, even.

And cruelty was never something she'd associate with Leo.

Still, Aunt Kate already had a crush on him. Liv was two seconds away from canceling her wedding to marry him instead. And Ethan? Poor Ethan had a full-blown man crush. He'd been genuinely bummed when Leo missed dinner last weekend. Ainsley had insisted Leo had plans with his mom – and for once, she hadn't been lying. It was homemade spaghetti night. She hated that she missed it.

Mama Jo had invited her personally. They'd talked for twenty minutes. She'd promised to send a bowl – not that she ever received it.

But what stung more than the missing pasta was that Leo hadn't invited her himself.

This wasn't like him. Had they drifted that far apart? Or was this something else?

She'd told herself Leo was just being protective. But what if he was being strategic? What if this whole thing—his absence, the bet, the charm offensive—wasn't about her at all?

What if it were about Frank Gold?

How would he even know what Gold wanted? Unless... he'd known all along. Had he been following her?

The thought made her stomach twist. Leo didn't play games. Not with her. But lately, everything felt like a setup—and she wasn't sure who was pulling the strings anymore.

Besides a few passing moments at work and the occasional email, she barely saw him anymore. And she hated it – hated that she was even questioning their friendship.

"Earth to Ainsley," April's voice filtered through the speakers, dreamy and amused.

Ainsley swerved slightly, then righted the car. She hadn't realized how far she'd driven. So much for safe driving.