Page 69 of Pretend Girl (The Lucky Girls 4)

I frown. “Why not? What’s wrong with wanting to be with him for the rest of my life.”

Samantha raises her eyebrows. “Forever is a long time, Rach.”

“Yeah, okay. I wasn’t talking about forever, you know. I’m just saying I’m serious about him. Why is that wrong?”

Samantha hesitates. “He’s so much older than you.”

“So? Since when is that a thing?”

“Since when don’t you care about something like that?”

She’s right; I might have worried about something like that before. But that was before I met Blake and we forged a connection that’s stronger than anything I’ve experienced before.

“My feelings about that have changed,” I say.

“Clearly,” Samantha says. “As long as he feels the same way, I guess that’s okay.”

“Why wouldn’t he feel the same way?”

Samantha isn’t nearly as excited about this for me as I hoped she would be. She’s skeptical about it, and that’s taking away from the thrill of sharing this with her. She’s my best friend and if she thinks it isn’t a good idea…

“I just didn’t know that this is really serious. I thought you said you were together for the sake of the rest of them because that’s what they thought.”

“Well, yeah,” I say slowly. “But he said he cares about me. He wants this to work.”

“Did he say that in so many words?” Sam asks. “Did he tell you he’s in love with you, and he wants to give it a shot?”

I can’t answer that. It’s what I heard, but are those the words Blake used? I’m suddenly not so sure.

“I just didn’t think it was more than a fling for the sake of saving face at his work thing. And, you know, the fact that you’re getting a shit ton of money out of this. I thought it’s more like a work perk.”

“With sex?” I asked, incredulous.

“That’s an added bonus, obviously,” Samantha says before she sighs. “I know I don’t sound very supportive. But I just don’t want you to get hurt. And it seems to me like there are way too many variables here.”

My stomach twists. Is it really like that? I can’t remember what Blake said now. I only remember how he made me feel—he made me feel like I was everything. I thought he meant in the long run, but now that Samantha questions it, I’m suddenly worried about it, too.

“It’s not just a work thing,” I finally say. “And I’m serious about him. I really like him, Sam.”

“I’m worried about you.”

I groan, frustrated. “Why can’t you just be happy for me?”

Sam’s features soften. “You know I’m happy for you. I just want to be sure you’re okay. And this… doesn’t sound to me like it’s completely fine. It sounds like there are more questions than answers and you deserve more than that.”

I nod. I know what she’s trying to say, but I can’t help but feel that she’s against my relationship with Blake.

And now, after what she said, I doubt what we are and how he feels about me. I know what I feel for him. After such a short time, the intensity of my emotions scares me.

“I have to go,” I say.

“I have a few things to do, too,” Sam says tightly.

It’s strained between us, and I hate it. I wanted my best friend to gush about Blake with me, not for her to tell me that it's all in my head that we’re going somewhere.

When I drive home, Sam’s words echo in my mind, only coaxing my worries into being even more.

What did he really say? Did he confess his feelings? Did he say he wanted this to go somewhere?

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