Page 19 of Sincerely, Your Enemy

“I…” I need a moment to regain my composure. “That’s none of your business.”

A deep laugh packed with mischief leaves his mouth. “Oh, come on. Humor me.”

I turn my back to him. “Fuck off.”

He doesn’t let that faze him, filling the distance between us until he’s standing inches away from me. I feel his closeness in my stomach.

“I’ll tell you what. I help you get the guy, and you keep me from flunking out of school.”

His offer gives me pause.

I look up, our eyes locking in the mirror. “What guy?”

He lets out a breathy laugh. “None of that shit. You want Aaron. You were practically drooling all over him earlier. Andfor some reason, he looks like he might be into you, too. But you have to play your cards right.”

Okay,rude.

He made it sound like he couldn’t possibly imagine why a guy like Aaron would be into me.

I shrug. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He sighs. “Look, you want real talk? You’re fucking terrible at flirting. You have no game, you’re awkward, and you don’t know when to shut up. You need me.”

Is he serious?

“Gee, TJ, you really know how to sweet-talk a lady.”

He smirks. “Yeah, yeah, I’m a dick. We’ve already established that. But that doesn’t mean we can’t help each other.”

I crack a mocking laugh. “And how would you help me exactly?”

He stops to think for a moment. “We need to get your confidence back, for starters. Then, we’ll need to work on your flirting. Maybe throw in a few seduction tips. I can find out what he likes, what kind of relationship he’s looking for. Think about it. I’m going to be spending a lot of time with the guy.”

He’s really thought this through. He must be pretty desperate.

“So? What do you say?”

I can’t believe the thoughts colliding in my head. TJ might be a prick, but even I have to recognize everything he just said is spot-on. I’ve lost all confidence in myself, especially when it comes to guys.

And I’ve said some crazy things in my life, but… none of them even come close to this.

“Okay.”

Lacey

Some matches are made in heaven.

But others…

Others are made out ofloneliness.

If you were to ask me why my stepdad and my mom got together, the first thing that would come to mind is it just made sense. It wasn’t love, or passion, or even money that drew them together.

My mom stayed single for years after Clark, my biological dad, left for his coworker. She didn’t believe in love anymore, and if you ask me, she still doesn’t. But she needed that human warmth, that companionship so many of us spend our lives searching for.

She and Daniel met through a dating app for divorced people when I was seven years old.

Mom comes from old money, and she wanted a man who didn’t rely on her financially. Daniel is a lawyer, a successful one at that, and a kind, gentle soul who tolerates Mom’s whims and mood swings.

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