Page 121 of The Guy Who Fake Dated Me

Crystal gave me a smile. “Go. Alex is waiting for you.”

A pile of questions lay on the tip of my tongue, but most of them came down to me wondering what she was doing and why she was doing it.

In a rare display of emotion toward me, Crystal reached out her hand.

I took it, and she said, “I’m happy for you. Victoria is cool.”

Old habits die hard, and biting words tumbled from my lips. “I thought you didn’t like her.”

Crystal shrugged. “I don’t like a lot of things, but I’m working on it. Alex is a bad influence.” Her blue eyes bored into my gaze. “All that really matters is that you like her.”

I thought the most dramatic thing I’d have to get through today was going to be my mom’s reaction to my departure. Instead, I narrowed my eyes at my sister to try to figure out what she was up to.

“Go.” Crystal released my hand. “Don’t miss your flight. I’ll take care of this.” She indicated the room behind her.

A lump formed in my throat, and I had to swallow it down. “Thanks, Sis.”

“Leave, before I hit my quota of being nice for the day.”

“Got it.”

I slipped out the back, through the kitchen, and grabbed my coat. Then I exited via the front door of the Crazy Moose.

My dog raised his head, and I could see the disappointment and judgement in his gaze. He’d seen me packing a suitcase, and that usually meant he was getting left behind. Not this time.

“Come on, Sky.”

Sky scrambled to his feet and followed me to my SUV. I let him into the back then got behind the wheel. “She’s just fifteen hours away, buddy. Are you excited?” I looked at my dog in the rearview mirror.

He let out a whine.

I threw my vehicle into drive and prayed again that Kyle was right about this. If not, Victoria would probably kill me.

Chapter 33

-Victoria-

“This is a terrible idea,” I said.

Brooke took hold of my hand and grinned. “You’re doing hard things.”

“From now on hard things are going to include styling my hair and having lunch with my mom. I might even include going to the gym.”

“Darlin’, this is exactly where you need to be.”

I clamped my teeth shut as a guy with two medium-sized dogs walked past us and into the dog park. I hadn’t even known there were parks where you could take your pets so they could socialize with other pets. Like a play date for children, but with animals.

The whole enclosure was only a couple hundred feet in diameter and surrounded by a chain link fence. Beyond that, the place looked like a kid’s playground, complete with ramps, large concrete pipes, a splash pad, several other things that might be doggie swing sets, a water bowl at the bottom of the drinking fountain, and a handful of benches scattered throughout. Signs reminded everyone to clean up their dog’s poop and pointed out the abundance of bags provided.

Canines of all shapes and sizes roamed the park. Some owners kept their animals on leashes, and others did not. Leashes weren’t required here but were encouraged if you had a dog that was prone to aggression or anxiety.

“What if one dog decides they don’t like another dog?” My voice shook as I spoke.

Brooke patted me on the shoulder. “It happens, but most owners are really good about supervising their pets.”

A duo of growls broke out nearby, and I took a step back as a German shepherd and something a little bigger started fighting on the other side of the fence.

“They’re playing.” Brooke pointed. “Tails still wagging.”

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