Page 11 of Only Between Us

“I haven’t had pictures go viral in, like, a year,” Siena muses, tipping her head at the phone.

My stomach plummets.Viral?

Stuffing my lollipop into my cheek, I reach for her phone. In the ten minutes since she posted it, it’s well into the five-digit likes, and there are hundreds of comments below it.

Now, that’s one hell of an UPGRADE! Go Cece!

It’s a long stream of messages along the same lines—little fires and something about revenge being best served with a side offootball daddy?

What the fuck is a football daddy?

“What’s this about an upgrade?” My ringtone cuts off whatever she was about to say. I dig my phone out to find Josh’s contact lighting up the screen. “Shit, it’s my agent. He’s probably pissed about the picture.”

“Oh, it’s definitely about the picture.” Siena turns her phone around. It’s an article on theAll-Starswebsite. An online tabloid.

Theonline tabloid.

COMEBACK KID BROOKS ATTWOOD COZIES UP WITH CECE PIPPEN, JUST MONTHS AFTER HER BREAKUP WITH NFL STAR THOMAS IVERS

Chapter4Brooks

“You’re fucking brilliant, you know that?”

Wind rushes over Josh’s voice, like he’s driving with the windows down, and for a second I think I hear him wrong. “I gotta tell you: I thought this fake girlfriend thing was peak stupidity. But you really know what you’re doing, don’t you? Fuckingbrilliant. It’s already all over the internet—it just came up on ESPN radio, for fuck’s sake. The Rebels ownership team forwarded me an article, asking how long you’ve been dating.”

“I… Hang on a minute—”

“No idea how you managed to snag someone this quick, let alone some beloved, internet-famous girl, but you really knocked it out of the park.” I’ve never heard Josh this pumped up. “You’ll have to really sell this, Brooksy. Get her to post pictures of you both on social media—hell, get Pete in those pictures. People love dogs, they’ll eat it up. Bring her to that Huskies alumni game you’re hosting next week. If we can convince the Rebels you’re in a loving, stable relationship, you’ll be on that training camp invite list in no time. I guarantee it.”

My stomach sinks, heart pumps furiously.Beloved? Internet famous?

“Hang on, Josh. This isn’t what you think—I never said I was going to do the dating thing.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’m saying this is a misunderstanding. I don’t even know this girl. There’s no way I’m dating her.” I wince, turning to Siena, who looks deeply amused by the entire thing. “No offense.”

She widens her eyes, plucking the lollipop out of her mouth. “Your loss.”

“Brooks, let me be very clear about your situation, in case you didn’t quite get me before.” All traces of energy have been sucked out of Josh’s voice. “I don’t care if it’s real or fake, if you just met her or have known her since you were both snot-nosed kids in diapers. This isn’t going to be yet another photo of you and a woman looking cozy, only for her never to be seen again. Not when that’s the one thing keeping you from a contract with the Rebels. Am I getting this wrong, Brooks? Do younotwant to sign with the Rebels? Should I focus my efforts elsewhere?”

“No,” I say quickly. “That’s where I want to play.”

“Then I don’t care if you have to get on your knees and beg her to date you. I don’t care if you have to pay her a damn salary. You stick with this girl until that contract is signed and sealed. You get me?”

Siena is texting away beside me, oblivious to the mad scheme she’s being weaved into over the course of this phone call.

“These girls are all about chasing clout,” Josh continues. “You’re all over the news. You can talk her into it.”

These girls?

I hate his words, the tone of his voice. I especially hate that all of it is pointed at the woman beside me. Except…

JUST MONTHS AFTER HER BREAKUP WITH NFL STAR THOMAS IVERS

Thomas fucking Ivers. Star quarterback for the Ravens, the second team out in Los Angeles. He’s the face of the NFL, at the verytop of the pay scale. I know the guy, have met him countless times at events around LA.

Suddenly, this is all too familiar.

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