Page 41 of What if I Told You

I nod grudgingly. “Bingo.”

“Can’t stop picturing her in that outfit?”

“She’s everywhere I look.”

“But you don’t know what to do because she’s your best friend and she doesn’t see you the way you see her?”

“Exactly.” I sigh. “She’s like forbidden fruit. I can’t do that to her. I can’t cross that line.”

Ledger shrugs. “Why not?”

“Why not?” I repeat back to him. “Have you not been listening? She’s my best friend. We’ve known each other for longer than I can even remember. And because of my big mouth she thinks I don’t find her attractive. She thinks I don’t see her in any other way. And what if I said something and it all went to shit?”

“Then convince her,” Oliver tells me.

“What?”

“Convince her.”

“Convince her of what? That I think she’s sexy as fuck and can’t stomach the thought of her being with anyone else but me?”

“Yes.” He laughs. “Exactly that.”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

He grins and pulls his cell phone from his locker, unlocking the screen and tapping on it a few times.

“You’re calling someone?” I ask in disbelief. “Now?”

“Yep. I know just the person to help us with this one.”

While I appreciate Magallan using the wordus, making me feel like I’m not alone in this new pursuit to convince Ella that we should be together, I can’t for the life of me think of who he could possibly call to help with this situation. He lays his phone down on the bench, having turned on the speaker so we can all hear.

“Oliver?” a female voice says on the other end of the line.

“Hey Sis,” he says into the phone with a smile. “I’m calling for my friend August. He’s here with me. Well, actually pretty much all the guys are here with me. Except for Cunningham. He’s still training.”

“Oh. Hey guys,” she says. “How is everybody?”

Those of us in the room all say our hellos before Oliver continues. “Anyway, we’re calling because August has the hots for his childhood best friend who just happens to also be his new roommate.”

“Aww, how sweet! I love that!” Charlee coos.

“Right but she doesn’t know he has the hots for her.”

“Ooooh. So, it’s like that.”

Oliver chuckles. “Yeah. It’s like that.”

“So, he’s got to convince her!”

Oliver winks at me and then wags his brows. “Exactly! And since you’re into all that romance book stuff with your editing job, I thought maybe you might have a few ideas on how August can convince Ella that they’re meant to be. I’m sure you’ve read stuff like that before in your editing, yeah?”

Charlee Landric, whose husband plays for the Chicago Red Tails, giggles on the other end. “Like you would not believe. August,” she says confidently. “You came to the right place but listen. Don’t think about this in terms of convincing her you like her. If you’re up for a little fun to see where her head really is, then this needs to be more of a situation where you convince her thatshelikesyou.”

“Ahh, so drive her a little crazy and then go in for the kill?” Oliver says.

“Yes,” she says with a chuckle. “Something like that. You can definitely have a little fun with it. Flirt with her a little but not so much that it’s painstakingly obvious. Make it so she has no choice not to notice you so you’re always on her mind.”

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