Page 15 of Power Play

“Fine. It was shit, but I have also had worse.”

“That helps.” She closes her eyes, and a sigh escapes her. “What are you doing out here?”

“I got a phone call I’ve been dreading this afternoon, and I need to figure some things out,” I say, and I have no idea why I’m telling her all of this. There’s no way she cares, and it’s not like she’ll have a solution. “Can’t think in there.”

Piper’s eyes fly open, and she stares at me. “Are you dying? Is your hamstring worse than you’ve been letting on? Is there such a thing as hamstring cancer?”

“Why the hell would you ask if I’m dying?”

“I don’t know.” She gestures up and down in my direction. “You’re acting broodier than you normally do.”

“I’m broody?”

“Figured it was a life-or-death situation on our hands. Why else would you be stomping around and sulking by yourself?”

“I’m not—I don’tstomp.”

“You don’t move quietly.”

“Is stomp the antonym for quietly?”

“I don’t know. Should I get a thesaurus?”

My lips twitch up in a small smile. “It was my mom who called.”

“Isshedying?”

“No.”

“Is anyone dying?”

“Aren’t we all dying?”

“Very existential of you, and a little deep for a conversation on a balcony, if you ask me. If no one is dying, why do you look like someone pissed in your Cheerios?”

“I thought I was broody. Isn’t that reason enough?”

Piper laughs, and it’s a light little sound. Something that sounds like the last days of summer and staying in bed. It’s nice. Soothing. A noise I’d like to hear again.

“You look even broodier than normal,” she adds.

“I told my mom I was bringing a date to my sister’s wedding in February.”

“That’s notthatterrible. Far easier to work with than dying. Why did you tell her you have a date?”

“Because I didn’t feel like explaining why I’m traveling to Spain all by myself. I like to be alone. I prefer it, actually. But if one more person asks me whenI’mgoing to get married, I might scream.”

“Why don’t you find someone to take with you?” Piper suggests.

“Everyone annoys me.”

“Of course they do. Do you have any female friends? Someone who wouldn’t mind playing the part for a few days?”

“Playing the part?” I frown again, not understanding. “Like an actor?”

“You should really join the romance book club with the other guys. It’s called fake dating. You have someone pose as your girlfriend for the wedding, and when you get home, you stop pretending.”

“You’re telling me people go around asking other people to be their girlfriend to events? There’s no way that happens in real life.”

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