Page 26 of The Fake Play

The problem isI can’t. I stare at him, unsure whether to laugh or scream. This is not how I envisioned my career when I signed on to manage Luke's PR. But the more I think about it, the more I realize he’s right.

It can work. In fact, it’s the only thing that will work. This whack-a-doodle idea ticks all the boxes.

“You're serious about this?”

“I wouldn't have said it otherwise. I trust you, Keke. You've got my back, and I know you won't let me screw this up. This isn't just about keeping me out of the tabloids. It's about getting my career back on track, and if this is what it takes to do that, to help the team, then I'm all in.”

I study his face. It’s a good face. But more than that, there’s a hint of fear, a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. He’s relying on me to fix his career. He’s letting me see beyond the cocky athlete everyone else sees. He’s scared, and somehow, I have to fix it.

I sigh deeply, shaking my head. “If we're going to do this, we're going to need some ground rules.”

Luke smirks, and for a moment, I almost regret agreeing to the plan. “Of course, whatever you say, boss.”

“First rule is this is strictly professional. We arefakinga relationship, we are not actually dating.”

“As stated. Second rule?”

“No more flirting.” I shoot him a warning glare. “You're going to have to act like a responsible boyfriend now.”

“I'll give it my best shot.”

“I can't believe I’m doing this,” I mumble. “This is going to be a disaster, you know that, right?”

“Nah.” He stands up and stretches before heading toward the fridge. “This is going to be fun.”

I’m not so sure about that, but as I watch him pull a bottle of water from the fridge, I can’t help but feel like we've crossed a line I didn’t even know was there. Fake or not, this is about to get a lot more complicated than either of us anticipated.

Chapter 11

Luke

Keke's laugh is something else, a mixture of relief and disbelief, guarded and nervous. She shakes her head, leans back slightly, and lets out a breath. “I still can't believe I'm letting you talk me into this.”

“Can you think of a better way? Because I can't. But you're the brains here, so maybe you will come up with else.”

She groans, dipping her head in defeat. “No. I can’t. And professionally speaking, that is shameful. Just shameful.”

I chuckle. “It's like I said, people don't change overnight, so us dating is really the only way to make it believable.”

“Fakedating, and I know what we said, but it's still crazy. I must be losing my mind because I'm seriously considering it. So far, neither of us have done anything that we can't take back. But once we tell Whitney about this, that’s the point of no return.” Her arms are folded across her chest, as if that will somehow keep her steady.

I realize in that moment just how little I know about her. I know she has a brother, but that doesn’t mean she has someone in her corner. Something I’ve always noticed with people who have never done team sports is they don’t know how to lean on others, how to open up and ask someone for help. They tend tohandle everything on their own and that weighs on them, even if they don’t realize it. They think of themselves as independent and strong, and that's true, they are, until the day they break from doing it all alone without any help from anyone else.

Keke strikes me as the kind of person who would break rather than ask for help. I didn't want that for her. I wanted her to see me as somebody she could lean on. That truth shook me when I realized it—that I wanted her to trust me the way I trusted her.

“We're already living together. That part’s believable, at least. And I know you've seen the tabloids. They're just looking for a juicy story. A guy like me settling down is headline news.”

She appears browbeaten. “All true and you can't buy that kind of press. Well, not at this level. This isn’t politics.”

I lean forward, feeling a surge of excitement in my chest as curiosity sparks in her eyes. If I lean in closer and kiss her, will she push me away? It’s too soon to find out but I very much want to.

I clear my throat to change the topic. “So, here's the deal. You continue to keep me in check, make sure I'm staying out of trouble. But we’ll go out and have a good time in public while keeping it under control. We’ll make it look like I've turned over a new leaf with a wonderful girl. Everyone wins.”

She narrows her eyes, holding herself a little tighter. Seeing her do that makes my chest squeeze. How long has she been on her own? How long has she not had anyone else to rely on?

“So what's in it for me? Beyond being able to easily keep you in check.”

“You’re a control freak.” I give her a half smile. “For you, it's a good PR move for your career that you can manage me moment by moment. I'm a mess. Being able to turn me around is a huge job.”

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