Page 24 of Wildly Inappropriate

“Honestly?” she asks, and I nod.

“Izzy mentioned there are a couple of single guys who are going to be here tonight, and I don’t want them to think we are dating.”

“Don’t want me to besmirch your good name? I get it,” I say.

“Yeah…something like that,” she says, climbing out of the pickup and making her way to the front of the house.

Jameson asked me to look after his sister, so I will certainly help Lila make a good impression with her new neighbors. However, I also know Jameson wouldn’t want Lila trying to hook up with some rando. So, like the above-average friend I am, I make my way inside, fully intent on stopping any guy from getting too close to Lila tonight.

Chapter twelve

Lila

“No way! That doesn’tcount!” I yell, pointing to the 3-year-old neighbor of Ken and Jen who just dropped JT’s bean bag directly into the hole on the board across from us. Kelsey and Izzy spent the last hour filling me in on all I need to know to survive a BBQ where each of the seventy-five guests is related, feuding, or both. I can’t keep it all straight, but luckily Kelsey has stayed by my side the whole night. She’s not a bubbly person, but I really have enjoyed working for her. She’s smart and driven and seems to really care about her company and her employees—even if I’m the only one she sees in person most days.

Now, Kelsey and I are playing corn hole against JT and one of the three single guys in town who’s here. After mentioning I wanted to start dating the other day to Izzy, she’s made sure to point out any single man we’ve seen. She even confirmed a couple of times if I was sure I wasn’t interested in women, since that would increase my pool of potential dates. Unfortunately for my odds, we are sticking to the single men. Izzy orchestrated this game for me to get to know Carter Mitchell, the brother of the owner of the competing security firm in town. I was shocked to learn there were two security firms in Wild Bluffs, but as it turns out, remote work has really allowed some locals to move back home and still have the careers they want. Similar to Kelsey’s firm, Mitchell Security works with clients worldwide.

Carter apparently didn’t get the memo we are supposed to be using this time to meet, and he all but ran to stand next to Kelsey before I had the chance to send JT her way. I hissed at JT to go ask Carter to change, but JT just shrugged, giving me a “what can I do about it?” face. Now JT and I are stuck competing against each other the whole game. The problem is that I’m very competitive and so is JT, so being on our best behavior is proving to be a challenge.

Kelsey and Carter look like they are having an okay time. They’ve mostly just stood there in silence, occasionally commenting on the game or the weather or other inane things. Kelsey is currently asking him a question about a new earpiece their guys in the field are using when providing personal security. We stick more to the technology side of the security field rather than boots-on-the-ground, but Kelsey mentioned this morning that she was considering expanding to offer more services. I’m not cut out to be a bodyguard, but Kelsey with her military background could probably kick some crazy fan or stalker’s ass if needed. Carter seems to only be responding in grunts or head shakes, but it’s still more than I’ve seen from him the rest of the game.

“Hey, kid!” I yell at the little ankle-biter who just helped JT score three points. “Come back here!” The kid in question stops running away from us and looks back at me. “Come put this one in that hole too!”

“No way!” JT makes a quick grab for the red bag in my hand, but I hide it behind my back as the kid in question chooses to ignore me and restart his mad dash around the yard. “I didn’t ask him to do it,” JT continues. “He just decided he didn’t like where it was sitting on the grass. And you can’t blame him. It looked sad down there.”

“That’s on you. You’re the one who is remarkably bad at this for being a professional golfer. Your job is literally to get things in holes.”

JT wiggles his eyebrows at me.

“Eww,” I say, giving his arm a shove.

“No one has paid me for that…yet,” he teases.

“Have you considered that you’re just earning what you’re worth?” I toss my bag to the other side of the yard, doing a little dance when it lands on the board. It’s Kelsey and Carter’s turn to throw now, so as they start to pick up the bags, I take a long swig of my beer before turning to look at JT’s stunned face.

“I can’t believe you just said that,” he says.

“It’s hard to hear the truth sometimes.” I nod. “I understand.”

“Was that your experience?” he asks, his tone lowering in pitch and volume.

“I’m sure—based on the rules we set less than two hours ago—that I have no idea what you could be talking about.”

“I’m sure—based on the way you moaned my name—that you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

A bag smacks down on the corn hole board between us, and we both jump apart. I hadn’t realized how close we’d drifted as we’d talked, but, thankfully, Kelsey and Carter are both focused on their throws, clearly unaware of the inappropriate conversation happening at this end of the game. I take a long look at Carter, trying to imagine my night if it had gone to plan, with me on the other side of the board, talking to Carter. He’s a good-looking guy with dark hair and dark eyes. He’s a bit shorter than the men I’m usually attracted to, probably not quite six feet based on the difference between him and Kelsey.

“We can’t talk about it, JT.”

His gaze is on me, a flinty glean to his normally sunny blue eyes. “Right. I remember the lecture. I’m not an idiot. I’m aware that you are trying to hide who you really are so you’ll have a chance of convincing one of these townies to date you.”

There’s a hint of anger in his tone. I’m a bit taken aback by his shift in attitude, and I briefly wonder what caused him to have such an unkind response, but then I remind myself that I really don’t care. He’s being a judgmental prick…to both me and the men from Wild Bluffs.

“Are you sure about that?” I ask him. “You sure seem pretty dumb to me. But, whatever, let’s just get this game over with. I didn’t want to hang out with you tonight, anyway, and if you’re going to be a jerk, then honestly, I want nothing to do with you.”

He doesn’t say anything, but his shoulders are tense as he finishes off the rest of his drink in one long gulp. Getting along was the other thing I'd asked of him, and he’s already proven he can’t keep from talking about us hooking up. And, for the record, that was one of the most humiliating asks I’ve ever had to make. But Ineededto be clear that I can’t have people in Wild Bluffs thinking I’m either not serious and just hooking up with random guys or that Iam seriouswith JT. Both would ruin my chances of getting set up with men who are interested in long-term relationships.

Kelsey, luckily, sinks her final bag through the hole, winning the game for us. I put on a smile I don’t quite feel like wearing and go insert myself into her conversation with Carter. JT congratulates Kelsey on his way back into the Harpers’ house but doesn’t stop to talk, claiming he needs another drink.

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