Page 115 of Not Fooling Anyone

He looks at us expectantly, frowning when we don’t seem overjoyed to meet her.

“Oh, we’ve met,” Ethan says, dropping his fork in his salad bowl.

“Hey, guys.” Savannah gives an awkward wave. “I didn’t realize Jordan was your brother,” she says to Ethan.

“Well, we certainly look enough alike.”

“I… guess.” She gives a nervous chuckle, her gaze shifting repeatedly from Ethan to Jordan and back again, as if she’s just now making the connection. Seriously?

Jordan finally picks up on the awkward vibe, glancing between his brother and his new girlfriend. “How do you know each other?”

“We were in a study group for our Psychology class,” Savannah says before Ethan or I can answer. “I stopped going, though.”

Yeah, because I’m pretty sure I scared you off.

Ethan turns to me, raising his brows as if to askdo you want to tell him or should I?

I shake my head, not wanting to get into it right outside the student center.

“Well,” Jordan says, clapping his hands together, “if you all already know each other, how about we go on a double date sometime?”

I nearly choke on the bite of sandwich I just took, turning away to cough.

“I don’t think we’re up for that,” Ethan tells him diplomatically.

“Okay, but at least come to dinner tonight. Mom should have texted you already about a family dinner. It’s to introduce Savannah to everyone.”

It’s been, what? Two weeks since that frat party? And he’s already bringing her home to meet his family? The guy moves quick.

“And it’d be great if you came too, Lexie,” Jordan adds. “Another girlfriend would take some of the pressure off Savannah.”

Oh, yeah. I’d love to do her a favor.

Not.

“I’m not sure if we can make it,” Ethan says, “but I’ll let you know.” There’s clear dismissal in his tone, Jordan at least picking up on that as he makes his goodbyes.

Beside him, Savannah is silent, staring at Ethan until they walk away.

I wait until they’re out of earshot to say, “What alternate reality did we step into?”

“I know, right?” He eats another mouthful of salad, leaving it at that, but there’s something niggling at the back of my mind.

“Would you want me to meet your family?” I ask, voicing it aloud rather than keeping the question to myself. He said he wants me to share my thoughts with him more.

He looks over at me sharply. “Of course,” he mumbles through a full mouth.

I peel the remaining crust off my bread, giving my hands something to do. “Well you said you didn’t know if we’d go, but it sounded like you were leaning toward no.”

“I wasn’t going to make the decision for you. Last time, you yelled at me for doing that.”

Yeah, I did, didn’t I?

“And besides, I figured you wouldn’t want to willingly spend another night with Savannah. She and Jordan are a match made in narcissistic heaven.”

So there’s tension with his brother, then? “It doesn’t bother you they’re seeing each other? I mean, she made her interest in youveryclear.”

He lets out a soft chuckle. “If he can’t see through her act, that’s on him. And if I told him she wasn’t worth it, he’d probably propose to her just to spite me. He thinks he’s hot shit, that he knows best. So, whatever. Doesn’t affect me.”

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