Page 37 of Second Down Fake

He shook his head. “We’ll sit on the back porch. She won’t have a clue.”

“Smart move.” I narrowed my eyes. “Are you nervous?”

His broad shoulders inched up his neck, the tightness transferring into his hand as he drove. He held the wheel at an unnatural angle. A faint dimple in his cheek and a steeliness in his eyes. “What? Me? Why?”

“I don’t know,” I drawled. “Because you fear my sister?”

His hand moved to the center console and dug around for a Twizzler.

“Absolutely not. Maybe. A little.” The tension drained from his shoulders. “She’s really intimidating.”

“You pay her to train you. What’s there to be nervous about?”

“That she’ll get pissed I roped you into my problems and she won’t train me anymore?”

I bobbled my head. “Alright, fair. That’s a legitimate fear. Becca really loves me. Like really loves me. More than football, maybe.”

His lip quivered. “You don’t seriously believe that, do you?”

“I refuse to answer that frankly rude question,” I said, stuffing the remaining candy into the console and closing it. “Now, where does the famous Diego Salazar live? A castle? With a moat?”

“You’re about to be incredibly disappointed.”

“Disappointed? In your place? I dated a guy who lived in a van.”

“And that wasn’t a deal killer?”

I laughed. “I mean, I had my reservations, but the view.”

“Under a bridge, down by the river?”

“Waterfront property. Privacy. He even had a couch he could crash on in the city.”

“So, a second home, too?” Diego whistled. “How long did that relationship last?”

“Not quite three months. Turns out, one of his roommates at the place with the couch was also his girlfriend.”

“Ouch, how’d you find that out?”

“We both went to his gig the same night. Apparently, he thought I was at work.”

Diego grimaced. “I’ve got one better.”

“I don’t think that’s possible.”

“One of my first years in the NFL, this model asked me out. She had just walked Fashion Week, hung out with all these celebrities, and she showed up at a game and asked me out.”

“Oh, no,” I laughed. “Pursued by a model? How horrible.”

“Hold on,” Diego laughed. “Her agent talks to my agent, and we make plans to get dinner in New York. I suggest a couple of places but she’s insistent we go to a specific restaurant. She doesn’t want me to pick her up. She wants to meet me there. Which is all fine. A little weird, but fine.

“I show up and she’s late, so I wait at the bar. While I’m waiting, this actor sits down beside me. We recognize each other but don’t really say anything, just nod and sip our drinks. Twenty minutes later, she shows up and she’s all over me. Kissing me hello, putting her arm around me, practically sitting on my lap.

“The actor keeps his eyes glued to the back of the bar. He’s so focused on the bar that it becomes obvious that he’s making a point to not look at us. He drains the last of his drink and throws a hundred-dollar bill on the bar. Then, he looks straight at me and says, ‘Can I give you a tip about dating her? Don’t let her have access to your calendar.’ Apparently, she’d asked me out just to make her ex jealous.”

“Ouch. So, I’m not the first person you’ve faked a relationship with.”

“I didn’t actually know I was faking a relationship with her.”

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