Page 202 of My Rules

“Right.” He smirks as he keeps applying his sunscreen. “Who do you miss from home the most?”

I think for a moment. “Honestly, I think Barry.”

“Barry?” He frowns.

“Yeah, I loved having that little menace live with me, and I had a very good reason to walk every day.”

“You should get your own dog.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

“I mean, now that you know you aren’t going to have to move houses.”

“True.” I smile into the sun. “It does feel good knowing that.” His phone dings a message as it lies on his towel.

“Someone messaged you,” I say with my eyes closed.

“Can you see who it is?” he replies as he rubs in his sunscreen. “My code is 1209.”

I open one eye and peer over at him. “You’re telling me your phone code?”

“Yeah, why not?” He squirts more sunscreen into his hand. “I’ve got nothing to hide. Why, do you?”

“No.” I shrug and type the code into his phone, and it opens up the message.

Jade.

I haven’t heard from you in months.

Can we catch up this weekend?

“Hmm,” I reply, unimpressed.

“Who is it from?”

“Jade. She wants to catch up this weekend.”

He curls his lip. “Block her number.”

“What?” I frown.

“Actually, this is a good plan. Go through my phone now and block all the girls’ numbers. I don’t want them messaging me anymore.”

I stare at him for a beat. “You don’t need to do that.”

“I don’t want women from my past being able to text me.”

“It’s fine, Blake.”

“It’s not. All it’s going to do is upset you and make us fight, and I don’t want that. And besides, I don’t want to talk to them anyway.” He lies down onto his back and closes his eyes. “Start at A. Let’s do this now and get it out of the way.”

I stare at him for a beat. I can’t believe he’d actually do this for me.

“All right.” I scroll through his contacts back to A. “Angela?” I say.

“Block.”

“Abby Brunette.”

---