Page 12 of One Pucking Chance

I furrow my brows and hold her stare in mine. “That’s not cool, Mir. You know I’m not pleased about this evening as it is. I must’ve tried on twenty outfit combinations before settling on this.”

“Yeah, I know.” She smiles and releases my hand before gesturing toward the mountain of clothes piled on my bed. “The guy is obviously smitten. You could pull a garbage bag over your head and wear it as a dress, and I’m sure he’d still be fascinated by you. That”—she once again points at the obscene pile of clothes—“is excessive. Don’t you think?”

“No,” I huff, crossing my arms. “I don’t think it’s excessive, and you know what? This whole night is your fault, so you can put all that crap away.”

“Gladly. If that’s the price I must pay to get you out of this trailer, I’m happy to do so.” She bops me on my nose with her index finger. “Because I love you.”

“If you loved me, you would’ve politely declined when that lady called you.”

Miranda shrugs. “She made it sound like you and Mr. Hockey had already made plans and just needed to iron out a few details.”

“I told you that no plans were made. Plus, he’s not my type.” I toss my hands up. “Not that it matters because I’m not interested in dating anyone right now. You know that.”

“Listen, Anna. I know you…sometimes better than I think you know yourself. As your publicist, it is my professional opinion that a night out will do you good.”

I turn to the mirror and fuss with a few errant waves in my hair. “I think we need to review the parameters of your job. There might be some confusion as to your role.”

“Fine by me.” She retrieves my favorite lip gloss from my purse and hands it to me. “Because this falls under my best friend duties, anyway.”

“I don’t even know what we’re doing,” I grumble.

“Well, you’re dressed for a perfect autumn evening in Michigan, so you can’t go wrong.”

I place my lip gloss back in my purse, then check the time before tossing my phone inside as well. “I’m only doing this because I think a night away from all this and my stress over Simon will do me good, like you said. This isn’t going to be a love match, Mir. I hope you know that.”

“Of course.” She supplies a wink before exiting the trailer.

With one more backward glance into the mirror, I follow her out. We’re silent as we make our way through the studio and to the front parking lot. Miranda opens the studio door and motions me outside.

I can’t help but smile. “I said I would go. You don’t have to escort me the entire way.”

“I’m curious. You know I have to get a peek at this guy. I’m not following you because I think you’re going to bolt.”

We step outside at seven o’clock just as a fancy navy blue sports car pulls into the lot. “Well, at least he’s punctual,” I say.

“He’s taking one of the most amazing women in the world out on a date. He damn well better be punctual,” Miranda states.

The car stops a few feet in front of the door, and Jaden steps out. He sports a smile so big, it’s contagious, and I find myself grinning back as he closes the distance between us.

“Ladies.” He nods.

“Hi, I’m Miranda.” She extends her hand, and he shakes it. “The publicist and best friend.”

“Nice to meet you. So you’re the one who ironed out the details with Ms. Dreven? Thank you.”

“No problem,” Miranda beams, clearly pleased with herself.

Jaden wears a pair of tennis shoes, jeans, and a thin black sweater, reassuring me that I chose the correct outfit. “You ready?” he asks.

I nod. “Yeah.”

He extends an arm, motioning me forward and rests his hand on the small of my back as he leads me to the passenger side of the car. He opens the car door.

Miranda shouts, “Don’t stay out too late, kids.”

I shoot her a mock glare as I sink into the car’s supple leather seats. Jaden closes my door and makes his way around the vehicle before taking his place behind the wheel.

He heads out of the parking lot toward the main street. “Where are we headed?” I ask.

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