Page 36 of Second Down Fake

“Never mind. No tickets for you. That look on your face is making me nervous.”

“What look?” I feigned innocence, as if I hadn’t been picturing Jace Fairbanks and me in a hushed conversation. “I don’t have a look.”

“You look like you’re already planning how to let me down gently after you seduce a Fairbanks brother.”

“I think one’s married,” I said, tapping my chin.

“No pre-gaming for Cassandra,” Diego said with an air of finality.

“As if you can stop me,” I challenged.

* * *

“So, what’s the plan now? Night club? Bar? Rave?” I asked, as we waited for the valet to pull the car around.

After two full plates of barbecue, dancing was completely out of the question. Still, I couldn’t shake the memory of Diego’s surge of jealousy as Trent flirted.

Okay, maybe the jealousy was a projection, but I liked the feeling, anyway.

Diego barked out a laugh, shaking his head as the car pulled up. “A phone call to your sister.”

I frowned. “That doesn’t sound like fun at all.”

“Well, she left a message on my phone this morning, and it wasn’t friendly. I have a feeling she saw the disc golf photos.”

“Those were completely innocent,” I argued as Diego opened the passenger door. I buckled in while he walked around to the driver’s side.

“And what about the next set of photographs? I’m not saying we’re going to make out on the field, but we are going to make it clear we’re dating.”

My cheeks burned, and I opened the center console for some consolation candy. A bag of Sour Patch Kids sat on top.

“What is this? You stocked some better candy?” I opened the bag, popping one in my mouth before offering the bag to Diego.

He shook his head. “I might have made a convenience store run and diversified my selection. Now, about calling your sister.”

“Fine,” I relented, comforting myself with sugar. “Let me do most of the talking. She might like you better, but she has to forgive me.”

“I’m certainly not fighting you.” Diego worked his jaw, glancing over. “So, should I pull off at a coffee shop or do we…”

“Oh, let’s call from her apartment. She’ll hate that.”

“I thought we’re trying not to antagonize her?”

I frowned. “Oh, I’m going to antagonize her. That’s my right as a younger sister.”

Diego shook his head, turning right at a red light rather than straight for my apartment. “Nope. I’m vetoing this idea.”

“Vetoing?”

“Yep. We’re going to my place. Neutral ground.”

“You think taking me to your place is ‘neutral ground’? Becca is going to freak out.”

“I think she’d freak out more if I was just hanging out at her old apartment. She wouldn’t even let me know where she lived when she trained me in Alabama. The only reason I found out in Virginia was Cal invited me over for dinner.”

He had a point. Becca valued her privacy and having Diego in her apartment, even if she didn’t live there anymore, would start the conversation on the wrong foot.

“Will she know it’s your place?”

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