Page 94 of Rewrite the Rules

My chewing slows as I study Quinn. Her expression is spacey and secretive. Not a look I’m used to seeing on her. “He got to you, didn’t he?”

“Please, Addie. No one gets to me. Did you know he’s Sawyer’s football hero? What a coincidence that he just pops up out of nowhere. They’ve been spending time together, training. Sawyer is obsessed with Cody and we’re getting the inside scoop on University of Alabama. So of course I’m nice to him. He’s helping us.”

Quinn shrugs like it’s just business. Like she’s just working deals…but I see it. Something weird in her eyes…like…distracted? Smitten?Damn. Cody is good.

“Are you sure you want to get involved with him? I don’t think Cody’s looking for a hookup.”

“We’re notinvolved. We’re just—you know what? Don’t worry about me. You need to worry about your own messy situation.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Joel and I are fine. You said friends with benefits was bound to blow up and it hasn’t. So tell me—what flavor is that humble pie?”

Quinn shoots me a condescending smile and pats my knee to further her point. “That’s because you guys aren’t friends. You’re dating. You’re besotted. He’s completely whipped. Call it whatever you want but we all see it clear as day.” Quinn throws her thumb backwards over her shoulder. My eyes follow her finger to a full bouquet of flowers and a flat red box sitting on my kitchen table. “Those arrived while you were in the shower.”

“We’re not dating,” I say as I rise to smell the beautiful yellow and cream rose bouquet. “These are the color offriendship.”

“Oh, please,” she snarks, returning to the charcuterie board. “And what’s in the box?” The way she asks tells me she’s already peeked. I open the red gift box and notice the seal is broken. I’d complain, but who am I kidding? I’d do the same to her. My friends and I may need to work on boundaries.

I open the box to see a set of hot-pink lingerie. I recognize the brand name from the tag. I’m amused knowing that Joel had to go to the store to pick these out. This boutique shop doesn’t have an online store. I mentally laugh, picturing the looks he must’ve gotten. No doubt there were jealous women eyeing him while foaming at the mouth, wishing they were his gift recipient. The panties are bikini style and tie together at the sides with satin pink ribbon. Even the bra ties together in front, easily undone with one pull. This is exactly Joel’s style. He wants to dress me up like a present that is very easy to unwrap.

I read the little card that’s nestled into the side of the wrapping paper, written in Joel’s neat handwriting:I know how you are about gifts, Baby Spice, but before you go postal, these are actually a gift for me.-Joel

I blush and smile like a fool, hardly distracted by my phone buzzing on the table. Quinn, again boundary-less, flips my phone over and makes a puzzled face.

“Why is someone called The Cat Lady calling you on a Friday night?”

“Let it go to voicemail. She told me she’d call to confirm when she got the deposit check,” I say as if it’s obvious.

“You’re getting a cat?”

“No. I got Joel a cat for Christmas.”

“Joel has a cat. Some sort of ridiculously overpriced jungle cat. Cody says it’s evil.”

Good grief.“Felices isn’t evil. He’s a sweetheart and he needs a friend.”

“Addie.” Quinn’s face grows serious and she smacks her hands together, brushing off the remnants of our finger food. “You bought Joel one of his fancy cats? Cody told me the damn thing cost as much as a brand-new Harley Davidson.”

I roll my eyes. But I don’t bother lying to Quinn. Her eyes bulge when I don’t disagree.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she asks, her tone harshening.

“What? They are really hard to find, and I sort of stumbled upon it. Joel mentioned he wished Felices had a friend. And the kitten is a snowy. She’s white with dark spots. Sooo freaking cute.”

“You stumbled across it? Like you stumbled across that wine?” Quinn’s eyes are still wide. “And by stumbling please know I mean obsessively researching and going far out of your way to make things happen.”

“The cat is a little more than that wine if I’m being honest.”

“How much?”

“One thousand,” I admit. “For the first deposit.” I grimace. “Another two grand for the second deposit.”

Quinn’s eyes slant. “What percentage of the total are the deposits?”

“Fifteen percent.”

“Adler Monroe Haley! You paid twenty-one thousand dollars for a fucking cat?” Damn, she does fast money math. “How are you able to afford that?” Her breathing quickens as she works herself into a protective huff. This is exactly the way my mother would react if she could be bothered to act like a real mother.

“My advance,” I say as if it’s not a big deal.

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