Page 30 of Just One Moment

Fuckme.

Ipress down on the growing bulge in my pants, soIdon’t have a boner whenItalk to my brother.I’vealready called theThairestaurant inJacob’sBluffto place our order, and nowI’mwaiting forBoothto answer my call.Thelonger the ringing echoes through my phone, the more antsyIget.

“What’sup?” he finally answers.

“She’shere,”Ihiss, cupping my hand around the phone soQuinndoesn’t hear.

“Umm…who is?”

“Quinn.”

“Where?”

“Inmy apartment.”Iswipe a hand across the room like he can see me asImarch back and forth along the tiled floor. “Shejust moved in.”

Thehowling laughter from down the line has me wincing.Ittakes him a few deep breaths to stop the wheezing until he’s able to form a full sentence, and even then, he’s still chuckling. “Christ,Gray.Isaid fake date her, not move her in, propose, and start a family.Howdid this happen?”

“Sheneeded somewhere to stay for a while.Plus,Ifelt it was the leastIcould do considering she’s helping me out.”Iignore the pang of excitementIget whenIhear him mentionproposeandfamilywhen talking aboutQuinnand me.

“Isshe staying with you until the wedding?”

“No.Hervan needs repairs.Ithink she’ll be here for a week max.”

“Hmm.Well, if this doesn’t make it believable,Idon’t know what will.Areyou going to bring her toMom’sonThursday?It’sthe only eveningPatrick,Johanna, andIcan get time off from the restaurant for a while.Mightbe a good way to easeMominto it.”

“I’mtelling her it’s fake.”

“Nooo.Don’tdo that,” he groans.

“Whynot?”I’mbound to wear a hole in the floor,I’mpacing so much.

“She’scoming out of her obsessive phase withPatandJofinally being together and now she’s sniffing around me.Ifyou have a girlfriend, she’ll get off my back for a while.Please.”

“Oryou could find yourself a girlfriend and bring her to dinner.”

“Justdo it.I’llwalkCurlyfor a month.”

Myeyes roll so hard. “No,Ilike walking him.Youcan follow us around with a pooper scooper.”

“Deal.”

“Nowwhat the fuck doIdo?She’shere and she’s agreed to go along with this ridiculous plan, but what doIdo next?”

“Hangon, let me get the texts up fromFlorence.”Theline is silent for a moment andBoothhums to himself as he searches through the advice from our little sister.

I’vebeen avoiding texts fromFlorenceall week sinceBoothtold her about this plan.It’sa good thing she’s backpacking aroundCentralAmericaright now, orIwould never hear the end of it from her.Herlast chain of texts went a little something like this:

Florence: If this works, do I get to officiate your wedding?

Florence: On the flight to Costa Rica I read this cute small-town romance, and I couldn’t stop laughing. This is your life now.

Florence: It’s a shame you have a two-bed apartment…people go wild for a one bed trope.

Florence: She sounds like a cutie. Anyone is an upgrade from that reptile.

Safeto sayFlorencewasn’t a fan ofJenna’seither.

“Ah-ha.”Mybrother breaks the silence. “Soyou need to set some boundaries.Like, will you kiss or hold hands in public?Apparently, one of you needs to tell the other that ‘you have to promise not to fall in love with me,’ but…Ifear that’s too late for you.”

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