Page 66 of The Right Move

“That sounds great.”

Annie pours from her thermos to a mug before adding some lemon and a cinnamon stick. “I know you’re just pretending,” she whispers for no one else to hear. “But you two look good together.”

I take a sip of my cocktail, warming me from the inside out. “Ryan would look good with just about anybody.”

Annie raises her brows, unimpressed. “Mm-hmm. Whatever you say.”

“Where’s your boyfriend?” Ethan calls out as he stands at the grill with Ron.

“He’s uh…taking care of something.” Subtle. “He’ll be right out.”

“I hope hamburgers sound good tonight.” Ron’s voice drips with pride as he mans the grill with a metal spatula in his hand. “These are going to be a perfect medium-rare.”

“That sounds great,” I lie, hoping there are some sides I’ll be able to munch on. I’m here to make a good impression on Ryan’s boss, not offend him by refusing to eat the dinner he’s so proudly prepared.

Caroline comes out of her tent with a plastic piece of Tupperware, shaking it to show us. “And I hope you like s'mores!”

I don’t know what Ryan’s deal is with Ron Morgan, but he seems nice enough to me. Sure, I’ve only met him twice and he was with his wife both times, but the guy seems like a total softie. Ryan is far more intimidating than him.

Speaking of my fake boyfriend, I hear his car beep in the lot behind me before he emerges with a cooler in his hand. The sun is setting, leaving a slight golden glow to illuminate him and he looks fucking gorgeous in those fitted black jeans. His beanie is a navy knit which does nothing but make his eyes glow strikingly blue.

Good God, Indy. Get it together. It’s a goddamn beanie and jeans.

“Ron, would you mind throwing a few of these on the grill too?” Ryan asks, putting his cooler on the picnic table and fishing out a box of frozen veggie patties. “Indy is a vegetarian.”

He didn’t.

“Oh, I had no idea.” Ron’s voice drips with apology, looking at me.

“It was my fault,” Ryan cuts in. “I should’ve told you. I brought some veggie sausage for her breakfast too. Do you have somewhere to store them?”

“I do!” Caroline bursts, pulling Ryan into their makeshift kitchen where they have a much larger and fancier cooler than his.

“Hmm,” Annie hums.

“What?”

“Nothing. Don’t get me wrong. I love Ethan, but my real husband is nowhere near as thoughtful as your fake boyfriend.”

“He’s just trying to convince them that we’re legitimate.”

At that exact moment, Ryan looks over his shoulder, offering me the sweetest smile that man could give.

Annie takes a long drink from her cocktail. “They’re not the only ones he’s convincing.”

In true Ryan fashion, he takes the liberty to wash the dishes after dinner. It’s not quite the same setup he has at home, but a single sponge and a waterspout seem to work just fine for him.

Four tree stumps circle the campfire, acting as seats. Ron, Caroline, and I each take one while Ethan shares his lap with his wife.

“Annie, how are the girls?” I ask while leaning forward to roast a marshmallow over the fire. “Did Gemma’s piano recital go well?”

It might seem like I’m asking to appear close to Annie because any girlfriend of Ryan’s would be friends with his closest teammates’ wife. But the truth is I genuinely like Annie and enjoyed getting to meet her at the fall banquet.

“It did!” Annie adjusts in her husband’s lap. “She got a little case of stage fright in the beginning, but Ethan gave her a pep talk and she was good to go. She did great.”

Ron cuts in. “What did you tell her, Ethan?”

“The usual. How if I have to play basketball in front of thousands of people, she could handle a room of fifty. I also added that the only person she needed to impress was herself. That sort of stuff. Oh, and I bribed her with post-recital ice cream if she got on stage and performed.”

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