Page 119 of Just One Fake Date

“Whenareyou getting married, honey?” Cassie taunted, interrupting his thoughts with her perfect imitation of his mother. “You’re not getting any younger.”

“That’s what I hear,” Kyle said. “She thinks I need to make more money to improve my appeal to women.”

Cassie laughed so hard that a tear worked its way free. “Poor Kyle. Slumming in the big city for minimum wage when you could retrain to be a”—she cast around for a suitable occupation for him—“a licensed plumber!”

“Did you see the bills from the trades? Don’t under-estimate their earning power.”

“I just can’t imagine you getting mucky. It might mess up your hair.”

Kyle laughed despite himself. “She never gives it up.”

“She probably wants grandchildren. Mine does.”

“Shehasgrandchildren. Dave is working that angle.”

“Mine doesn’t,” Cassie said with a sigh and a shake of her head.

“What do you tell her anyway?”

“About what?”

“Your job.”

“I work in a private gym, teaching exercise classes for executives.”

“Well, that’s kind of true. It’s pretty much what I say, but she acts like I’m still teaching summer lifeguard classes at the Y.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t do that for the money.”

“I would have paid them.” Kyle put a fist over his heart. “Teaching mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a dozen pretty girls at a time. Those were the days.”

Cassie laughed again. “Funny how things don’t change, isn’t it?”

Damon paused on his way out. He had his jacket on, and Kyle was surprised he was still in the club. It was almost six, after all. “Is the joke good enough to share?”

“We’re whining about our mothers,” Cassie said and Damon’s mouth tightened. “What do you tell yours?”

“About what?” Damon was always hard to read, but he seemed a particularly wary to Kyle. He also seemed to be in a hurry.

Natasha must be waiting.

“About love and romance, marriage, and grandbabies,” Kyle said, turning it into a joke.

“I told her years ago that I was gay.”

Kyle was astonished.

“No!” Cassie protested in shock. “Who would believe that?”

“My mom, evidently,” Damon said.

“Seriously?” Kyle asked. “You let even your mom think that?”

“Well, she was halfway there. She had some magazine with an article ‘is your son gay?’ and she’d left it out on the coffee table. The quiet type with few friends in school was one of the possibilities.” Damon shrugged. “I just went with it. It seemed easiest.”

Kyle shoved a hand through his hair. “I don’t think it’s worth it. I don’t think I could tell anyone that I was gay.”

Cassie rolled her eyes at that.

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