Page 52 of The Small-Town Seduction Plan

AVERY

“Where should I put the petri dishes?”

“I don’t know… over by the chemical analysis charts?” Brooke suggests. “Or maybe with the lie detector. You could do a fun arrangement, like a champagne tower… but with saliva samples.”

I laugh. Brooke’s heading back to the city tonight, but for now, we’re helping Tessa set up tables at the B&B for a big group she has checking in– and basking in the cool ocean breeze. The cottage has turned into a sauna in the sticky summer weather, so we jumped at the chance to come cool off here– with bottomless iced teas, and, apparently, every true crime book from the local library.

“I don’t know, guys…” I look around the room at the array of forensic equipment. “Are we sure this is actually just a group of nice fans, and not cover for a serial killer support group?”

Tessa grins. “Serial killers are famously clean,” she says, folding a stack of sweatshirts reading “CSI: Cape Cod”. “So as long as they don’t leave blood all over the bedspreads, they’re fine with me!”

“You should put that on your brochures,” I quip. “It could open up a whole new market for you.”

“Blackberry Cove: home to hot movie stars, and a couple of crazed killers.” Brooke agrees.

“And half the paparazzi on the East Coast,” I add with a sigh.

“How’s that going?” Tessa asks. “I mean, aside from the steamy make-out action,” she adds with a smirk.

"The fake make-outs," I correct her, even as I feel my own temperature rise at the memory. Duke’s hands… his body…

His mouth.

Brooke snorts. “I know you’re a good actress, babe, but you’re not this good.”

I toss a tea towel at her, flushing deeper. “Anyway, what’s with the plural? It’s only happened once.” So far.

But god, what a kiss…

“You’re blushing,” Tessa teases.

“It’s the heat!” I grab an icy drink, and gulp. So much for my so-called acting skills. How do I have a hope of landing a prestigious A-list role when I can’t even keep a straight face and hide my emotions around my friends?

I sigh. “You did this whole fake dating thing with Jackson, didn’t you?” I ask, as we all move out onto the front porch to enjoy some more of that breeze. “How did you manage drawing lines? Keeping boundaries while you’re pretending not to have any.”

“Umm, I didn’t?” Tessa points to the massive diamond on her ring finger. “But I’m sure you and Duke will find a way to keep things professional. Unless…” she studies me, her eyes widening. “Wait, are you really falling for him?”

“No!” I protest immediately.

Brooke snorts with laughter again.

“Well, maybe,” I admit reluctantly. “I’m feeling all these… feelings. And I don’t like it,” I scowl. They laugh more. “I don’t! Especially because I know Duke doesn’t feel the same. I mean, even if we could have had some whole hate-sex hookup thing to work off the tension, the chances of that plummeted to zero about the time I was vomiting all over his pristine bathroom. There’s nothing like cleaning up puke to really turn a man on,” I add, wincing.

“Welcome to romance in the land of mere mortals,” Brooke rubs my shoulder sympathetically. "Not all of us are getting whisked off by private jet to dinner on the Amalfi Coast for a first date, you know.”

“That happened to you?” Tessa asks, gasping.

I nod. “Some tech billionaire wanted to impress me. It would have been really romantic… if his wife didn’t call halfway through the gnocchi because their youngest kid had strep. The wife he’d forgotten to mention,” I add, rolling my eyes.

“See?” Tessa grins. “Food poisoning might not be quite so luxurious, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned about Duke, what you see with that man is what you get.”

I really am in trouble.

“How am I going to deal with more dates?” I despair. “Quinn wants us to make an appearance at the local bar tonight. I need a chaperone, before I jump his burly bones and get even more humiliated when he rejects me.”

I turn to Brooke hopefully, but she shakes her head. “Sorry, but I have to get back to the city.”

“I’ll do it!” Tessa volunteers, looking suspiciously excited. “I’ll bring Jackson, make it a double date.”

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