Page 90 of The Guy Who Fake Dated Me

I glanced at the other man. “That’s unusual?” The older woman had been sassy ever since I’d met her.

“She’d normally participate, but she’d grumble about it the whole time.”

“Victoria is a bad influence.”

“Or perhaps a good one.”

Nothing short of a wild animal could hold Victoria’s excitement back. That was one of the things I loved about her.

One of many.

The line dance continued, and I watched Victoria’s every move. She swung her hips, threw her arms in the air, and laughed. My heart stopped beating when she managed to make eye contact with me during a turn. She winked and smiled, and I thought I might be the luckiest guy in the world.

Before the song ended, I managed to get a few pictures and a short video. Natalie had a whole crew running around taking photos, but I wanted these for myself.

By the time the music wound down, most of the women were laughing, and all of the men were clapping. I stood and joined in, ready to welcome Victoria back to the table with a kiss.

If I hadn’t been watching Victoria, I wouldn’t have noticed Greta stumble. Victoria’s hand shot out to steady her. I’d taken several steps in their direction before Victoria looked up, saw me coming, and waved me off. She laughed at something Greta said, pointed at the bathroom, and started dragging the older woman in that direction.

“She has a kind soul,” William said.

I jumped, not realizing that he’d been standing beside me. He didn’t sound jealous, but maybe a little wistful. “She does,” I replied.

Only then did I see Courtney headed in our direction.

The urge to move to a different table overtook me, but everything around us was full. As soon as the happy couple had their first dance, the floor would be open for everyone, which is where Victoria and I planned to spend the rest of the evening.

I could handle Courtney for a few minutes.

Courtney breezed past me and sat in my seat.

Of course.

William gave me a sort of flat stare, which I’d figured out was his eye roll, and shrugged. It didn’t matter which chair I was in, so I grabbed my drink and sat across from Courtney.

Just as William was about to take the spot next to his sister, she held up a hand. “Will you go get me some water?”

There was a server making the rounds, who would be here in less than a minute, but William nodded and headed for the bar.

Was he so easily dominated, or was this just how it was between them?

Or was he anxious to get away from whatever Courtney was brewing?

The hairs on the back of my now sweaty neck rose, and I found Courtney watching me. We were alone.

Only two days before, being alone with her might have pushed me into a panic, but now I knew that her leaving had maybe been the best thing that had ever happened to me. I’d spent the past ten years getting to know myself, not trying to impress other people. She’d forced me to take a long, hard look at myself, and back then, I hadn’t liked what I’d seen, but now I did.

Was there room for improvement? Of course. Had any of it stopped Victoria from noticing me? Nope.

Courtney was watching me with a predatory gaze. I smiled, thinking about how much better Victoria was for me than Courtney, took another sip of water, and steeled myself for whatever was about to come out of Courtney’s mouth.

I didn’t have to wait long. Courtney put her forearms on the table, clasped her hands together, and stared hard at me. “Can we talk?”

“About what?” The possibilities were endless.

“About us.”

I gestured between her and me. “We’reover.”

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