Page 26 of Something Cheeky

“You’re hesitating, so it’s not a hell no,” Keisha pointed out. “You haven’t dated anyone seriously in a while. Perhaps it’s worth testing the waters?”

“Or you could just bang him and get it out of both your systems,” Reina suggested.

“Reina!” Josie cried. “That’s not helpful.”

Reina shrugged. “All that sexual tension can mess with your head. So why not get it out of the way before you spend all that time working together?”

“I’ve never allowed myself to see him as more than a friend.” Until one hug made her all tingling and she flung him out of her arms like he was hot iron.

“Never?” Josie raised an eyebrow. “I just googled him, and he is fine.”

Keisha grabbed the phone from Josie. “Damn, girl, he’s hot—in a nerdy way. Not my type but totally yours.”

“Babes, give Zoe some space to figure out what she wants,” Trixie said. “It’s been only two days since she ran into him.”

Zoe whispered a thank-you to her roommate.

“I wish you could hear the songs, but he made me promise not to share them with anyone.” Zoe hummed what she could remember. If she didn’t sing the lyrics, she technically wasn’t breaking her promise. “That song was so haunting and beautiful. I had to sketch out some costume ideas after listening to it on repeat.”

“Zoe, you have to do this. For me. For us.” Trixie squeezed her arm in excitement.

Her friend was right. This was an extraordinary chance to make a difference. What better way to test out the theater again than a show that she’d been dreaming about since college? She owed it to herself to give it a try.

“I’m going to do it.” Zoe took a deep breath and smiled. “But when tech week is looming and I’m pulling all-nighters to finish the costumes, I’m blaming all of you.”

“Promise me you’ll introduce me to some hot actors?”

“Reina!” the other women cried and everyone broke out in laughter.

Chapter 12

“Why hasn’t Zoe called or texted?” Derek paced the rehearsal room at Prestige Rep. “I don’t have a backup plan for our costumes.”

“Chill, Derek.” Th?o grabbed him by the arms and guided him into a chair. “It’s a big ask. Give her time.”

“What if she hated the songs? Or I remembered our version incorrectly and fucked it up?” Derek took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “Then she’ll never want to go out with me.”

“That escalated quickly.” Th?o laughed.

“I’m pathetic.” Derek dropped into the metal folding chair in front of their makeshift worktable. The sticky notes on his laptop screen fluttered.

“You’re not. You’re in love,” she reassured him. “I’d be flattered if a woman felt that way about me.”

“Would you date her if she were your best friend?”

“Maybe. Depends how hot she is.” Th?o grinned unabashedly.

“Not helping.” Derek tossed her a pained expression.

“Kidding. Bros before—”

“Don’t you even,” he cut her off sternly as her chest shook with silent laughter. Th?o may not be his sister by birth, but she’d acted like one ever since they met working at the diner. He was shit at waiting tables, but thanks to her, he got better at it. Not great, but passable enough to get decent tips.

“I would never, but seriously, Derek, you have to tell her how you feel.” Th?o gave him one of her sisterly looks of concern that he was all too familiar with. “You can barely focus on our work now. The more time you spend together and the longer you go without—”

“I know. Let me figure it out,” he snapped. Then immediately regretted it. “I didn’t mean to yell at you. I thought it’d be easier.”

“What makes it so hard to tell her how you feel?”

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