Page 28 of Down & Dirty

Might as well get this over with. I still wasn’t convinced we were going to pull this off.

Sky: No, send them.

Cory: Okay. Just re-sent. Now the games begin. You come down to the garage and smile in my presence. While looking at me. We can start small. (laughing emoji)

Sky: Is my brother back yet from his ride?

Cory: You hoping to miss him or make sure he’s witness to your first performance?

Sky: I’m trying to prepare myself. Keeping a straight face around him won’t be easy.

Cory: I’ll be ready to kiss you then. Keep that smirk out of sight.

My stomach lurched. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone on a date with a guy, let alone been properly kissed. Micah was the best thing that ever happened to me, but he was also a very effective crush-killer.

Cory: Get down here, Sky. We’ll take it slow.

The man was a motocross racer, I wasn’t sure he even knew what slow looked like.

CHAPTER 11

CORY

She’d said yes.

Sky had actually agreed to my crazy idea.

It was news that should have made me happy. It had made Cass and Bruce happy. They’d both been overjoyed when I’d called to tell them. Bruce was probably already scheduling lunch with the marketing team at Harmsch to fill them in on my progress. I hadn’t quite liked the way he’d seized on Skylar being a single mom, as if that was a selling point to be emphasized. Micah wasn’t part of this deal, I’d stressed that to him more than once. But I wasn’t convinced he’d heard me.

Cass had thought it was a bold move to strike so close to home. But given the logistics, it made sense. Plus, when I shared how much Sky despised me, she agreed it was a perfect opportunity.

Now we just had to pull it off.

Having been in so many of these fake relationships, I shouldn’t have been nervous. But my eyes flicked over to Ronnie on the other side of the room too often as my anticipation built. As I watched the clock in the garage, knowing that Sky was due to arrive any minute, my neck got tight.

Whatever. It didn’t matter. Out of the two of us, Sky was theliability. Keeping her calm and helping her through the first few outings was on me. Even though she’d never admit it, she was going to need my help to navigate all this. And since it was my idea in the first place, I didn’t have the option to get scared now.

So I swallowed down my anxiety as she pushed through the double doors from the office, her hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail that matched her form-fitting black dress. I stood up a little taller when she stepped into the room, and gave her a wide smile.

She did not smile back.

No, instead, she ignored me altogether and beelined it for her brother who was with his mechanic looking over his suspension. She couldn’t have given me more a freeze out if she’d tried.

Billy strode up beside me. “Since when are you so excited to see Stormy?”

His nickname for her was more accurate by the second and I huffed out a frustrated breath, answering him tightly, “We had a nice night.”

Even without turning, I could feel his eyes on me. “Are you telling mesheis why I had to bring you to your truck this morning?”

I shook my head, refocusing on my bike. “It wasn’t like that. We just talked.”

My nerves rattled harder. I hadn’t gone over any of this with Sky and if it had been anyone but Billy, I’d have kept my mouth shut. But we had to start somewhere, and my best friend was as safe as it was going to get.

“You’re fucking kidding me right now. That woman has wanted you dead for weeks. And now you’re telling me you had anice night. What’s that even mean? Anice night?”

“Will you stop saying that?” I glanced over my shoulder, but Sky was still ignoring me, seemingly engrossed in her brother’s computer readout.

“I’ll stop talking when you start, Ellis.”

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