Page 5 of The Guy Who Fake Dated Me

“Because you two text every day.”

I hadn’t told anyone we’d been texting, but maybe she’d told Rachel who had, in turn, told Shane. “We just send stupid stuff we find on social media.” I wiggled my eyebrows. “Once in a while, I send her direct quotes of what you and Rachel say to each other when you think no one is listening.”

Shane scowled. “That’s creepy.”

“No creepier than you and Rachel getting married.”

The light in Shane’s eyes grew brighter at the mention of his fiancée. He’d asked her to marry him a week before, during the Halloween dance, and the two of them had been on cloud nine ever since.

The three of us had befriended each other when we were kids, and I was thrilled that they were tying the knot. The only problem with it was that Rachel and I had been single besties for years, but now she had to pay attention to Shane all the time, which left me…lonely.

Lonely enough to text Victoria each and every day over the past few months.

Lonely enough to look forward to those conversations, even if they were only digital.

Lonely enough to wonder how I could finagle a trip to California.

A tragic sigh almost escaped, but I held it back. Vincent, my chef at the Magnificent Moose, interrupted my musings when he brought out our food and set the plates on the wood bar with a clunk.

“Thanks,” Shane said.

“No problem.” Vincent grinned. The guy, just a few years younger than Shane and me, towered over us both, but stood rail-thin in his black pants, white shirt, and apron. A hair net contained his curly black mop. “Have you and Rachel decided between the menus I gave you?” he asked Shane.

“Not yet.” Shane propped his chin in his hand. “They all sound amazing.”

“I told you I could make samples of everything so you two could do a taste test.”

“I know. I need to find out when Rachel has a couple of hours. I’ll let you know tonight.”

Vincent nodded. “Great.” Then he turned his eyes on me. “Have you thought about that restaurant show later this month?”

I shook my head. “Not really.” I had way too much going on to get away.

“You should look into it. My culinary instructors said it was one of the best in the world, and I can probably get you discounted tickets.”

“Maybe next year.” It sounded like something I should be thinking about, but between running a bar, a diner, and now an upscale restaurant, I barely had time to chat with Shane on a weekly basis. Leaving for five days was out of the question.

Vincent shook his head as if he were highly disappointed in me, then he hurried back to the kitchen where I knew he was going to take a break for a couple of hours before the dinner rush.

Shane took a bite of the pasta special and let out an appreciative moan. “You need to pay him more.”

“I do pay him more.” I wound noodles around my fork, shoved them into my mouth, and let the flavors of the white sauce linger on my tongue before I swallowed. “And he’s worth every penny.” Vincent had been knocking it out of the park with the Magnificent Moose menu and had been itching to add a few options to the diner.

I could tell by the look in Shane’s eye that he was going to dig about Victoria some more, so I distracted him. “How were the kids today?”

“I lit the top of my desk on fire.”

“Rocket fuel?” I asked.

“Yup. They were stoked.”

“Do kids say stoked anymore?”

Shane shrugged. “I have no idea. I’d lose my mind if I tried to keep up with their ever-changing slang. It’s worse than a new phone, which is obsolete before you buy it.”

I laughed, and we talked about Rachel, the upcoming wedding, and how many film studios had contacted Shane about using his dad’s house as a movie set.

Each time I thought about that house, my mind went directly to Victoria. We’d spent two weeks together helping clean it out. We’d gone on a hike, cuddled watching movies, and had repelled assailants boarding our ship duringJawson the Water.

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