Page 40 of Played

“Well, at first, I tried. I figured this was your dad’s doing. Trying to get you two together. But when you didn’t call her or make any sort of contact with her, I figured she was only going to get hurt again. If you have no interest in her, then what good will it do for her to go? She’s certainly not going to see Caleb.”

This is a waste of time. It not only looks bad, me going through her best friend, to persuade her to come to the wedding, but clearly Trudy hates me, and Freya’s not far behind. Despite Trudy insisting that Freya’s still in love with me, I’m not sure what to believe. Too much time has passed, and the first meeting we had since our breakup, wasn’t a good one. All this meeting with Trudy looks like is me doing my da’s bidding. Like my only motivation for having Freya come to the wedding is to appease my da.

…and I have to figure out why exactly that is.

But before I’m set to say anything else, I see my brother Maverick walk into the restaurant. Now it’s my turn to do a double take. Trudy’s gaze follows mine as I’m certain my face is full of confusion. Maverick turns to see me, but I’m not sure if he’s looking for me, or just here of his own accord. “What are you doing here?” I ask him, as he walks to me.

“Just getting a coffee, man. What are you doing here?” He asks, dividing his glance between me and Trudy.

“Trudy, this is my brother, Maverick. Maverick, Trudy.”

I lift a hand, answering the question on his face, as he shakes Trudy’s hand. “This isn’t a date. She’s a friend of Freya Stewart’s.”

“Freya. That’s the lass that gave Peg the bear, right?” Maverick clarifies, placing her.

“Yes, that’s right.” Trudy answers, face colored slightly.

Maverick smiles, taking a seat next to Trudy. “Do you mind?”

She waves, smiling. “No, not at all.”

“Err…anyway, um, we were just discussing—”

I continue, but Trudy cuts me off.

“It’s okay, Ethan. I’ll make sure Trudy comes to the wedding. In fact, I’ll be her plus-one.”

“Oh, you’re coming to the wedding, are you?” Maverick asks, interest all over his face.

“I was thinking about it.”

…and suddenly I realize that I’m being played.

Chapter 12

Freya

I’m deadpan. “So, now you want me to go, and you also want to come with me?” I almost screech. “This, from the woman that called the Harris family a nut farm?”

Trudy waves. “Yeah. We’ll go. It’s at the Ford ranch.” Her nonchalance is unnerving.

“And, why, pray tell, the sudden change of heart?” I ask, as I pour us a tea. It’s late, and I’m tired, but Trudy insisted on coming over.

Another wave. “Details.”

I lift a brow, unconvinced. “Okay, out with it. What happened.”

She swallows a sip of tea and rolls her eyes. “Why can’t you just enlighten me? God, how many geek parades and shows have I been to for you? All those events where you sell all your shit to dorks? Yeah, that’s me in the back, with the shovel.”

“I’d happily take you for your recreational stimulation, but first, I need to know what made you change your mind.”

Trudy draws in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, with this dreamy look on her face. Then she says one word that puzzles me. “Maverick.”

“Who?”

“Maverick. Maverick Harris.”

I crane my neck. “What about him?”

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