Page 38 of The Guy Who Fake Dated Me

“Is that when you fell in love?” Greta raised her drawn-on eyebrows.

Alarms went off in my brain, and I put up a hand. We were not going into L-word territory. “That’s another question.”

Greta huffed. “Fine. To answer your inquiry, Natalie is my granddaughter, and Courtney is my great-niece. Natalie decided to come out here for school, which is where she met Kyle. Now she’s one of the west coast relatives and will probably be partly shunned for life.”

“You have a dramatic family,” I said.

“You have no idea.” Her eyes moved to Logan. “What do you do, young man?”

“I own and manage a diner, a bar, and a chic restaurant up in Big Bear. I went to school at the University of Pennsylvania.”

Greta frowned and turned to Logan. “You dated Courtney.”

He nodded, and I noticed the slight tightening of his lips.

“She mentioned you once or twice but said you’d broken things off.”

Logan opened his mouth, then closed it. A dark look settled on his face.

“It doesn’t matter what happened.” Greta waved a hand. “Courtney has done nothing but leave a trail of disappointed, good men in her wake. I’m not sure what her deal is, but you’re lucky you got out when you did.”

Logan didn’t look convinced, but he nodded.

The vehicle slowed, and we all looked up.

I’d expected to arrive at a park with a picnic and hiking or something. Kyle had warned me that there may be animals around. What he hadn’t said is that we’d be trapped with them.

A city street lay before us. A dirty sign that read “Animal Shelter” hung from the building to my right. I looked out the other side of the vehicle hoping to see a more inviting destination, but it was an interior design company.

A rock fell into my stomach as I saw several employees come out of the shelter. One of them waved at us.

Images of what could be inside assaulted my mind. Vicious dogs with glistening, hungry teeth. One-eyed cats. Hamsters without a leg. Snakes. Mice. Rats. A shiver ran through me.

I was going to kill Kyle.

We could have gone to help clean up a condemned building. Bugs and mold aren’t an issue for me. We could have stopped by a tent city and handed out meals to people who hadn’t bathed in way too long. No problem. I’d even be willing to pick up trash along a trail known as a spot where people did a lot of drugs. I can do safety first.

What I wasn’t good at was animals.

Chapter 10

-Logan-

The second Victoria saw the sign for the animal shelter, the happy expression on her face fell into a look of worry.

Two computer screens hinged down from the ceiling of the limo, and a video popped up on them.

Greta rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“What is it?” I asked.

“You’ll see.”

Victoria’s attention was still riveted on the sign outside, so I took her hand and squeezed until she looked at me, then I jerked my head toward the screen.

A video started. A guy appeared from the waist up. The stylish shirt and blazer fit him perfectly, but he looked decidedly uncomfortable in the outfit. Brown curly hair topped his head, and his smile lit up his handsome face.

I assumed this was Kyle, although I hadn’t met him yet. He gave the camera a little wave. “Hey, everyone, thanks for joining us today.”

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