Page 15 of Finally Moore

“Seeing as we aren’t actually engaged, I think we know enough about each other to fake it for a week.”

I pause and add a little distance between us. “You’re right.”

Shit, and so was Jax. This is going to be a lot harder than I thought.

I figured it would be easy, considering Scarlett and I are just friends… acquaintances? Two people connected by one nosey sister? Whatever you want to call us, it doesn’t really matter. Especially since I’m still hoping that Amanda will contact me when she’s finally no longer a married woman. Except, now, I can’t help but look back at our interactions over the last year and a half. Scarlett and me. And those dozens of little side-glances and sly smiles.

Was something there? Did I miss it or, hell, flat-out ignore it?

“It’s getting late.” I take another step back and remind myself that I’m just doing her a favor. “I should get a few hours of sleep before I open the café.” I return to the couch, where one very unimpressed cat is waiting for me.

“Scott,” Scarlett calls out, causing me to look her way as she glances over her shoulder with one hand curled around the room divider. “Thank you.”

“No problem. I’m always happy to help my sister’s friends whenever they’re in need.”

Chapter six

Scarlett

“IthinkI’minlove,” Hannah says, rolling up beside me in her office chair.

“Sounds like a Tuesday,” I murmur sarcastically as I continue to focus on my weekly audit. “DidBig Duallyfuck you into commitment?”

“Oh, I’m over him. After ourfifthdisappointment, I decided to call it quits. The chemistry just wasn’t there. But you wouldn’t believe the guy I met on the way out of the restaurant. He’s about two hundred pounds of solid muscle. I spent all night dreaming about him tossing me around like a little rag doll.”

“So, you didn’t go home with him?”

Hannah frowns. “No, he had his own date.”

I roll my eyes, because of course he did.

“But I could tell he was bored with her. So I made sure to slip my number under his windshield wiper, telling him to call me when he’s ready for a good time.”

“You’re shameless, you know that?”

“Cunt.” She playfully swats my arm. “What’s with you? You seem a little testy this morning. What happened? Did you forget to charge your vibrator?”

“No.”

“So, what? Little bean wouldn’t poke her head out to play? Because seriously, babe, your shoulders are tense.” Hannah proceeds to knead her fingers against the base of my neck to prove her point. “Screaming that you have an itch that needs to be scratched.”

“It’s fine.” Sometimes I hate how well she knows me. Hannah arches one of her perfectly waxed brows. “Okay, you’re right.” I sigh and drop my head on the desk in defeat.

“I told you!” she hollers. “Self-love will only satisfy you for so long. You need to go out and get yourself some hot-blooded dick. Your pussy is desperately in need of some good loving. Okay, that settles it.” I side-eye her as she throws her arms in the air in dramatic fashion. “Tonight, me and you are going out. Make Sheila do her job for once and cover the desk. Then we’ll drive up to the cities and find you some grade-A peen. Oh, we could always hit that bar? You know, the one Cassie’s brother runs. I mean, I’ve heard rumors…” She spaces out her hands to indicate the size. “And I’ve been told it’s pierced. That’s one thing on my bucket list I wouldn’t mind checking off.”

“First off, no. I’m not going to sleep with Cassie’s brother. Secondly, I can’t go to the cities. Remember? My family’s here.”

“So what? Bring your mom with us. I bet she’d love to go out on the prowl.”

“It’s not just my mom. It’s my niece, stepsister, and… her fiancé.”

“You’re fucking kidding me, right?”

“No.” I drop my head to the desk again. “I had no idea they were coming.”

“I can’t believe she brought that fucking cunt with her, especially after what she did andwith him.” Hannah cracks her knuckles, ready to throw down.

Ugh, I’m definitely regretting that night a few months back when we decided to do shots while folding linens. Besides the fact that the bedding looked like crap the next morning and had to be redone, I might have shared a bit more than I intended about my life before Tral Lake.

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