Page 40 of The Fake Out

“It will what?”

Her pretty gold eyes, full of more knowledge than I ever hoped to possess, sparkled. “Don’t worry,” she assured me with a pat on my arm.

“Firefly.” Cortney appeared beside Dylan then, towering over both of us, tall and impressive in his navy suit. I’d mostly seen him with his typical man bun, but tonight, his golden hair hung down past his shoulders. “What did she say?”

“Oh, nothing yet. But she’s gonna come over soon.”

The confidence in Dylan’s voice shocked me. I’d hardly said anything, so how did she know I’d show up?

“She needs some time. Not everyone can feel the way auras mesh so clearly. It took you a while too. But she’ll get there. Don’t worry.” She lifted on the toes of her flip-flops—the last thing I’d expect her to wear with such a formal dress—and gave him a quick kiss on the neck. Then, grasping his hand, she turned back to me. “We’ll see you later.”

As they wandered away, his large hand settled on the small of her back and he leaned down, bringing his mouth to her ear. The way she beamed up in response showcased just how much love coursed between the two of them. It almost seemed like a blanket wrapping them tight and keeping out anything else.

“What are you doing here?” The high-pitched female voice was like an ice pick to the temple. The sound had my hackles raising and instantly sent me back in time to a moment in New York weeks ago.

“What are you doing here?” The voice curled my toes.

“I work here, Libby.” I didn’t turn away from the coffee machine as I filled my cup. All week, I’d been waiting for this moment. The day after Jake had broken the news over dinner, he’d announced to the staff that Libby was moving to the New York office. He’d also switched out all the photos in his office for ones of the two of them. Like he could rewrite history and convince the world that the two of them had been legitimately dating rather than cheating.

“I thought you were in Boston so that we didn’t need to deal with this weirdness,” she huffed.

With a deep breath in, I turned and took in her small frame. She’d always been petite, and in one of those awesome fuck-yous from the universe, she was a tiny, cute pregnant person too. Her belly rounded like a little basketball so that from the back, she probably didn’t even look pregnant. I hated her even more for that. Even at seven months pregnant, her belly was smaller than mine.

“I’ll be working on the zoo stuff after today.” If only I could have made it that one last day without seeing her.

“Libby!” another voice called and Nina popped her head into the breakroom. “I heard congratulation are in order. Let me see the ring.”

Ring? My stomach dropped to the floor. No way. Jake had always claimed he wouldn’t rush into marriage. He wanted to live together for at least a year before taking the leap. “Testing compatibility,” he’d always said.

Libby lifted her hand and set it on her little bump, smirking at me. The large diamond sat on a gold band. “He asked last night when we officially moved in together. You should see our new place. It’s perfect.”

My eyes stung, but I refused to do anything but lift my chin and lock my jaw. I pictured a tree falling on the house. Crushing the adorable brownstone I’d found. That was all it took to lift my mood and stop the tears from forming.

“Oh, Gianna. I didn’t see you there.” Nina’s eyes widened, and she stepped back.

“How is it possible you missed her? She’s the size of two normal people.” Libby scoffed.

I pulled my shoulders back and kept my head high. I hadn’t been insecure about my weight since high school, and I wasn’t going to let bitchy women change that.

“I’m headed out.” Of the breakroom, the office, New York. I wanted out of all of it.

Nina couldn’t meet my eyes as she stepped out of the doorway so I could pass.

“God,” Libby groaned in a stage whisper. “I don’t get why Jake was ever with her.”

“At least you’ll always know he traded up.”

Their laughter echoed down the hall.

“Gigi,” Jake snapped from his office. “Can you please do a coffee run?—”

“Gigi?” Jake’s voice brought me back to the moment.

I blinked, bringing the couple in front of me into focus. I almost didn’t recognize Jake. Instead of the perfectly quaffed style he’d worn since before I met him, he had a buzz cut.

With a harsh breath in, I gaped. “Your hair.”

He glowered, fisting his hand at his side. “Your friend owes me free cuts for life.”

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