Page 70 of False Play
My heart stumbled at the brand-new nickname. I loved it a little too much, though I was determined to deny it.
My face heated, and I was grateful it couldn’t show on my cheeks. “Hi,” I said breathlessly, still in a haze.
He gave me a chaste kiss this time, followed by a small smile I couldn’t help but match.
There was a tightness in my chest I couldn’t understand. What was happening? My heart was confused, and my head was all but screaming at me how stupid I was being.
Henry cleared his throat and straightened in his chair, facing the table. “Sorry, guys. But it’s hard to resist Kenny when she wears these cute, floral dresses.” He leaned back in his chair and casually draped his arm behind me.
Joe’s stare was practically leaving fire in its wake, while Meghan stared at him in confusion.
David extended his hand and said, “Nice to meet you, man. I’m David. I’m a huge fan.”
Henry leaned slightly forward, meeting David’s handshake with a nod and one of his killer smiles. “Always nice to meet a fan.”
Henry’s arm was still draped behind me, his fingers lazily caressing my forearm. The touch was innocentenough, but I swear I could feel every brush from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. He was a little too good at this fake dating thing; it was borderline terrifying.
“How long have you two been dating?” Evelyn asked.
“Not long. It’s fairly recent. About a month and a half, wouldn’t you say, baby?” Henry asked me.
I swallowed hard, my throat uncomfortably dry. “Uh, yeah.”
“Moving on so quickly, are we?” Joe asked sarcastically.
The audacity of this man was something else. I understood women were held to a different standard when it came to moving on from relationships, but for him to sit there next to hisnewgirlfriend and throw such a ridiculous comment was astonishing.How fucking dare he?
Double standards and misogyny were, once again, being taken to a whole new level, ladies and gentlemen.Who didn’t see that one coming?
“What are you talking about? You started dating Meghan after being broken up with Kennedy for like a month,” David commented innocently with a frown.
Henry gripped my arm in silent solidarity, and while I appreciated it, it wasn’t needed. I was the one who was pretty set in our decision to break up, anyway. Still, a newfound appreciation took residence in my chest, because Henry didn’t have to be doing any of this. I was the one who could have lost my career and damaged my reputation if people found out this was fake. But he washere. Maybe it wasn’t for me, but it didn’t matter. I was still grateful.
The server came and took our drink and food orders at the same time, and everyone fell into a comfortable conversation. Henry had a natural charisma and was like a magnet; people gravitated to him. Joe had been nothing but rude, throwing jabshere and there, and Henry had successfully ignored every single one of them.
The girls had been gossiping, but of course, I had nothing to add to the conversation because I couldn’t remember the last time we hung out. Meghan was comfortable around them, which explained why the girls hadn’t reached out to me. They were buddies with her now, which made sense. I didn’t hold anything over them. And doll-looking Meghan, with her perfect blonde hair and green eyes, seemed nice enough.
I was sure that under different circumstances, we could have been friends.
“How is the anniversary party plan going? Are you nervous?” I asked Evelyn.
It was their tenth anniversary, and they had decided to renew their vows, so it was kind of like a wedding, but more for family and close friends. But Evelyn and David lived an extravagant life, so they were doing the whole thing—bridesmaids, a combined bachelor-bachelorette party (which made no sense to me), renewing their vows in a fancy ballroom.
She took a sip of her wine with a nod. “It’s been stressful, and my mother-in-law has been a nightmare to deal with.” She rolled her eyes. “She was not happy when I decided to add another bridesmaid.”
I frowned. “Who?”
She gave Meghan a side hug like they were the best of friends in the world. “Meghan, of course.” She sighed. “Originally, I had asked her because after you broke up with Joe, I honestly thought you were going to bail,” she commented casually. “But I mean, you’re here, so I decided to just add one more.”
The remark stung. I didn’t understand why I wanted to hold on to these people so badly. They belonged to a part of mylife I was no longer part of, and it was becoming more and more clear.
I reared back in surprise. “Evelyn, I would never.”
I may have thought about it, sure, but I would have nevergonethroughwith it. I knew I wasn’t the friendliest person most of the time, but I wasn’t a bitch either. Much less to someone I’d considered a friend. But I couldn’t lie to myself—I found myself becoming skeptical the longer I sat there. The air was still stuffy and uncomfortable, and I didn’t know if it was my insecurities or if they really were acting strange around me.
She shrugged. “It was a precaution.”
Joe joined the conversation, like the insistent pest he’d become throughout the lunch. “Give her a break, Kennedy. You walked away from a whole-ass engagement. Of course, she was going to think you would bail on this, too.”
