Page 56 of The Love Wager

“Holy shit.” He shucked off his jeans, dropped them into his suitcase, and went back over to the bed. “What happened? You sure you’re okay?”

“Alex had to take me to the ER, and I’m pretty sure he heard me puking my guts out into a barf cone as I waited for the doctor.”

“Holy shit,” he said, wishing he’d been there to help her. “Also, what is a barf cone?”

“The nurse handed me this thing that was like a cardboard circle with a long, latex reservoir attached—barf cone. Vomit condom.”

He started laughing, in spite of his foul mood and the fact that she’d had a health scare. “I’m so sorry you had to use the retch receptacle.”

“It’s okay... that I went HAM on the puke pocket.”

“I would’ve held your hair,” he said, still laughing. “If I’d been there.”

“Well, I would’ve eaten with you so you weren’t lonely, if I’d beenthere,” Hallie said, and her words did something to him. For fuck’s sake,shedid something to him.

He cleared his throat and said, “So how’s the cat?”

“Jack, he’s amazing. How is it that I lived my entire life without him, but now, just like that, I can’t even remember the before? Does that sound crazy, to be attached that fast?”

“No,” he said, sitting down on the bed. “It doesn’t sound crazy at all.”

Chapter

FOURTEEN

Hallie

She watched through the window as Alex pulled up in front of Starbucks. They were grabbing a quick post-work coffee, and even though she was happy to see him, she’d kind of been in a fog of missing Jack all day.

She missed her best friend. He’d been gone for almost two weeks, and even though they talked and texted every day, it wasn’t the same as him being there.

And things were going great with Alex—they were. He was attentive and funny and easy on the eyes, so she had no complaints. In fact, she’d decided while running that morning that she was going to do it.

She was going to ask him.

After he sat down and they talked about what’d happened at their respective jobs that day, she did it. She’d been dreading it for ages, but it wasn’t going away and she really didn’t want to go alone.

Hot mess shit showwas still too fresh in her mind.

“I know we aren’t really a ‘thing’ yet,” Hallie said, awkwardly looking at her Frappuccino instead of Alex’s face, “but would you want to go with me to my sister’s wedding? It’s a destination wedding at a resort in Vail—just family and a few close friends. You could be my plus-one, but there are no strings—”

“I would love that so much,” Alex said, taking her hand. “I would really like for us to become a ‘thing,’ if that’s okay with you.”

“You would?” she asked, not sure ifshewas ready to be a thing. Even though—shit—she’d been the one to bring up whether or not they were.

“Absolutely,” he said, smiling. He had a nice smile, complete with the crinkles at the corners of his eyes, and she knew he was a catch. Alex was agreatguy. He leaned forward and pressed his mouth against hers. It was sweet, and she closed her eyes, trying to fall into it. His tongue touched hers briefly—theywerein Starbucks, after all—before he pulled back and squeezed her hand. “I can’t wait for us to go on a trip together.”

She was thrilled that she wouldn’t be dateless at her perfect sister’s wedding, but after she got home, she couldn’t shake the reality that she wasn’t excited to go with Alex. Everything with him was great, but it was great in the way a Hallmark Christmas movie was great. Everything looked perfect—the clothing, the setting, the words—but none of it felt... real.

It felt forced, like they were each playing the part of two people falling in love.

She texted Jack, needing to shake off the unease and not think about it.

Hallie:Guess what? Alex said he’ll go with me to Lillie’s wedding.

Jack:You’re taking him to Vail? You really want to do the family thing with him already?

Hallie shrugged in her empty apartment before texting:Maybe...?

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