Page 24 of Love Medley
In fact, everything about Jake is appealing—his dimples, his dark wavy hair, his steady gaze, his strong hands. But even more than that: his gentle nature, his steadying presence, his calm in the midst of my chaos.
Clearly, I need to control my thoughts over this guy. Nothing good will come of me daydreaming about Jake. I need to focus.
Iz’s brow furrows. “What do you mean it doesn’t matter?”
I take a deep breath. Here we go. “Imighthave gotten myself into a pretend relationship.”
Isabelle’s eyes pop wider. “Lucy Chang. Way to bury the lede! Tell me everything right this instant, you brazen hussy!”
Some of my initial consternation fading, I laugh at Isabelle’s obvious delight. Over the next few minutes, I update her on how Iran into Weston in the ER and how I convinced Jake to be my fake boyfriend. I leave out the panic attack and the abused patient; that moment still feels too raw.
“And now Jake’s coming with me to the Centennial Dinner.”
Iz claps her hands together in glee. “Oh yay! Then I’ll get to meet this mystery man. I have to go to the Centennial because Daddy is flying in from Georgia.”
“Are Zoe and Amelia going?” I doubt it because the event is expensive, and it’s mostly for the higher ups in Blackwell. Originally, I was only going as Weston’s date.
“Nah,” Isabelle says. “And I’m jealous they’re not. Before you told me you were going, I was dreading it, to be honest. These dinners tend to be incredibly boring.”
“Since Weston and I had broken up, I hadn’t planned on attending,” I admit. “But Weston kind of forced the issue.”
Then it hits me: I asked Jake to the dinner, but I don’t actually have a way to get him in. Tickets are exclusive…and expensive.
“Can I ask you a huge favor? I only have my ticket to the Dinner, but I need one for Jake. I know you guys usually get extras—does your dad have any?”
Isabelle nods without hesitation. “Oh yeah, that’s no problem. We always have more tickets than we know what to do with. I’ll meet you out front with your ticket the night of the event.”
Then she sighs, deeply and happily. “Fake dating is one of my all time favorite tropes. This is the perfect start to your love story.”
“Iz!” I exclaim, my cheeks flushing. “This is just to get rid of Weston! Remember our pact to swear off love this year?”
Iz rolls her eyes. “Pact shmact. Who cares about that? We all just agreed to it because of stupid Weston. Don’t pass up this hot nurse because we’ve all had some rotten luck with guys. Jake sounds like one of the rare good ones.”
She’s not wrong.
“He's really sweet.” Even as I say the words, I know they’re a huge understatement. I remember how grounded he made me feel during the most stressful moments of the day. All at once, my cheeks grow even hotter.
“Lucy, you're blushing, girlfriend!” Isabelle is gleeful. “You are crushing hard for Jake!”
“No way. I don't have crushes.” I only noticed Weston because he made it impossible for me to ignore him. As for Jake…could I really be crushing on him? It definitely feels overly warm in here.
Iz’s eyes glow. “Maybe Jake is your type, and you never knew it until now."
"Hah." But even as I say that, I have to admit—my instant reaction to Jake was completely unexpected. The moment we shook hands for the first time. And his scent—that mix of musk and spice—left me dazed. Then came the panic attack. And the whole fake dating situation. So yeah, daydreaming about a guy like this? Not only is itsonot my style, it’s a terrible idea.
I mean look at my ex. Weston is just more evidence of my stellar decision-making skills.
And anyway, there’s Sam.
I attempt to ignore the pang that hits my chest.
Iz clasps her hands together. “I’m so thrilled for you, Luce. This is even better than a movie.”
“Always the romantic,” I laugh. I’ve forgotten how fun this was—just gossiping about cute guys. She’s the champion of love, after all.
And maybe of me too?
I’m probably overthinking things, but this feels like we’re making our way back to each other.
