Page 28 of Gap Control

"I mean… yeah. A little."

"What do you think?"

"I think we'd still be teammates, but I wouldn't have known how good you are at noticing things."

Mason didn't say anything. His elbow brushed mine as we neared the front door; it wasn't an accident.

There was no noise but the sound of traffic half a block over and wind playing with the flags outside the arena two blocks down.

I held open the hotel's front door, and he stepped through.

Inside, the lobby lighting made everything feel too bright.

I stuffed my phone in my pocket. "I'll send the photo to Brady. He'll probably schedule it for morning."

"Okay."

We stood there like neither of us was sure what was supposed to happen next.

"See you in a couple of hours for warmups?" I asked.

"Yeah."

I started for the elevator and then paused. "Thanks. For the fries."

"Thank you for the company."

I grinned. "And thanks for lunch. And for not making it weird."

He joined me in the elevator.

I watched the doors close. His shampoo was starting to smell familiar, and it was getting harder to pretend I didn't want to stand closer to him.

Mercier was asleep. He was flat on his back, one arm hanging off the bed, blanket bunched at his waist like he'd lost a fight with a bear. He'd left the bathroom light on. He'd told me once he preferred "ambient threat levels" when he napped.

I headed for the bathroom, looked at myself in the mirror, and winced. Not because I looked bad. Just because I looked too much like me. Same tired eyes, same messy hair, and same "Oops, I fell for my fake boyfriend" expression I hadn't figured out how to erase yet.

My phone buzzed when I plopped down on my bed.

Not Mason.

Peggy:Hey. You free?

TJ:Sure. We gotta be quiet though. Roomie's unconscious.

She FaceTimed anyway.

I answered with the volume down while pulling the bedspread over my head.

She blinked at me through the screen. "You look like you committed a crime and then fell in love with the detective."

"I need you to stop nailing my life in one sentence."

She grinned. "You're welcome."

"What's up?" I asked, keeping my voice low. "You calling for gossip or guidance?"

"A little of both. I saw the photo. The one with the lighting that makes you look like someone's golden retriever boyfriend."

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