Page 25 of The Fake Out

“There is no way there is another or in that,” I huffed. “Just forget I asked.”

“You realize that’s unlikely to happen, right? Linc gets excited about this stuff.” Mila’s blond bob bounced as she shook her head. “Remember the gym sub?”

“Ohmygosh.” He rushed the words together without a breath. “You two would have made such pretty babies.”

I rolled my eyes. “Mila went on one date with the guy, and there was no spark.”

“Yeah, it was pretty dull.” Mila shrugged.

“Not in my mind.”

“See what I mean?” Mila asked, moving in closer to her phone’s screen.

“I’ll make it easy. Let it go, or you’re uninvited to the get-ready party.” I turned back to my painting and studied the details, considering what it was missing.

“But you need your glam squad,” he whined.

“I don’t need my glam squad, but I’d like them, so they need to act like adults.” I dipped a clean brush into the pink paint on my pallet and added a hint of it to the flowering tree, smudging in the brighter color with an almost white pink.

My phone buzzed again, rattling on the table beside me. The notification that appeared at the top of the screen made my stomach sink. “What the hell now?” I muttered. It was past ten o’clock. “I gotta go, guys. It’s the asshole.”

“Jake?” Mila asked.

I nodded, setting my brush down. “He better be giving me an update about my deposit.”

I hung up and flipped over to Jake, tapping the speaker button.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Gigi.”

It was nice to be able to admit that I hated that nickname. Through our relationship, I’d tried to make myself not want to frown every time he used it, but now I could just scowl, and it didn’t matter.

“Got my money for me?” I asked.

“Next week,” he promised.

I glanced at the date on my phone, mentally noting the date seven days from now. I was going to lose my shit if I didn’t get it back by then.

Brush in hand again, I turned back to the pink tree, blending the colors until it was a deep rose, giving it depth.

For a long moment, I worked in silence.

“Are you there?” Jake finally asked, his voice tiny.

“Yes.” I wasn’t the one who’d made the call. I didn’t know what he wanted me to say. And it wasn’t going to be hey, buddy, how have you been?

“Well, uh. Okay.” He stumbled over the words.

I waited again.

He sighed. “Listen, about Friday…”

Ah. I understood what this was now. “It won’t be weird,” I assured him. “Don’t worry.”

“Of course not.” He cleared his throat. “But the thing is, Libby and I decided we should be attending events together.”

I gritted my teeth. Great, I’d get to spend the night with the happy couple. At least the assigned tables were ten tops. I’d have other people to be buffers. The idea of bringing a date flashed through my mind again. I eyed the counter where I’d laid my red dress…

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