Page 31 of Don't Puck the Wrong Brother

Lennox:I have time. And wine. Coming over.

Before I can talk her out of it, there's a knock on my door. I know it's her without even checking. I open the door to find Lennox standing there with a bottle of rosé and a judgmental expression.

"Start talking," she says, pushing past me into the room.

I close the door, leaning against it for a moment before facing her. "Cade came by."

Her eyes widen. "While Sanderson was here?"

"Yeah," I say, running a hand through my hair. "He hid in my closet."

"This is better than any Netflix series out there," she says, unscrewing the wine cap and taking a swig straight from the bottle. "So, what happened?"

I tell her everything—Cade's confession about Anna, my admission about what happened with Sanderson, the ugly fight that followed. By the time I get to Sanderson emerging from the closet after Cade left, Lennox is sitting on my bed, mouth agape.

"So let me get this straight," she says when I finish. "Your ex-boyfriend's brother, who you accidentally slept with, wants to take you on a date? After hiding in your closet while you and his brother had a knock-down, drag-out fight about how you both cheated on each other?"

When she puts it like that, it sounds even more insane. "Pretty much."

"And you're actually considering it?" She passes me the bottle of wine.

I guess we are drinking straight from the bottle, so I take a long sip. "I don't know. It's complicated."

"Complicated is an understatement." She studies me for a moment. "You like him, don't you? Sanderson."

I scoff, trying to brush that thought away. "I barely know him."

"That's not a denial."

I sigh, setting the bottle on my desk. "There's something there. I don't know what it is, but…"

"But it's enough to make you consider breaking every unwritten rule in the relationship handbook."

I meet her eyes. "Am I crazy?"

"Probably." She shrugs. "But I get it. Chemistry is chemistry. And if he's half as good in bed as the rumors say—"

"Lennox!"

"Just saying." She grins. "Though I guess you'd know better than most."

"Can we not?" I groan. "I'm still processing the fact that Cade cheated on me, called me a whore, and stormed out. Not to mention the whole closet situation."

Her expression softens. "Hey, for what it's worth, I think you handled it all pretty admirably. You told the truth when you could have lied. That counts for something."

"Does it? Because right now it feels like all it did was blow up in my face." I sink onto the bed beside her. "Maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut."

"And what? Let Cade think he was the only one who did something wrong? Let him use that to manipulate you back into a relationship?" She shakes her head. "Nope. You did the right thing."

"Then why do I feel so terrible?"

"Because doing the right thing often feels like shit in the moment." She puts an arm around my shoulders. "So…dinner with Sanderson? Are you going?"

I lean my head against her shoulder. "I don't know yet."

But even as I say it, I know I'm lying to myself. Because despite all the reasons I shouldn't, despite all the complications and potential fallout, there's a part of me—a growing part—that wants to say yes. That wants to see where this strange, unexpected connection might lead.

"You'll figure it out," Lennox says, giving me a squeeze. "And whatever you decide, I've got your back."

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