Page 63 of The Game We Played

“What are you going to use these pictures for?” he asks as we sit across from each other.

I hold up my recorder. “This okay?”

“It’s fine.”

“Thanks. I’ll probably use the pictures on social media. Or maybe in the newspaper. It depends on which interview is the best.”

“And how do you determine what’s best?”

I shrug. “Usually, Mike, he’s the editor-in-chief of theSmuggler’s Gazette,decides what articles are ‘newspaper worthy’.”

His eyes sharpen. “You don’t sound impressed with Mike.”

I sigh. “I don’t hate Mike. He’s a nice guy. But whenever I want to write a more serious article, he nixes it. Instead, I end up writing about crab day on the beach.”

Mike is yet another man who believes I can’t stand on my own. Who needs to manipulate things for ‘my own good’. Joke’s on him. He won’t be the one to save theGazette.I will.

He chuckles. “The article was hilarious.”

My head rears back. “You read it?”

“Duh. You’re dating one of my closest friends. Of course, I read it.”

Dating? My brow furrows. According to Tanner, his closest friends know the truth. Do I correct him? Or let it slide? I squirm in my chair as I try to figure out how to answer. I hate being indecisive.

Nolan barks out a laugh. “Your face.”

“What’s wrong with my face?”

I slept in my apartment last night. The twins shouldn’t have had an opportunity to torture me. I pat my eyebrows. Still there. Phew.

“Nothing’s wrong with your face except you appear constipated. I know you and Tanner are faking it.”

My shoulders drop. “I hate lying to people I like.”

He grins. “You like me.”

I narrow my eyes on him. “Don’t push it. I know why Terri’spissed at you.”

He growls. “You can’t write about what’s happening with Terri.”

I glare at him. “Terri’s my friend. I would never betray her by writing about her love life.”

He gulps. “Love life?”

I raise an eyebrow. “You’re going to deny it?”

“Damn.” He shakes his head. “I agreed to this interview as a favor to Tanner. I didn’t realize you’re a hardcore journalist.”

I scowl. “I’m a serious journalist. Just because I haven’t had my big break yet doesn’t mean I’m not serious. Do you think it’s easy to write about sheep escaping or crabs attacking tourists and making the articles funny but not ridiculous? Let me tell you. It’s not. And then there’s theSiren’s Spill.Will any newspaper ever take me seriously if they know I wrote a gossip column?”

“Whoa. I’m sorry. I was joking around.”

“Therein lies the problem. Everyone’s always joking around. No one takes me seriously.”

He leans forward. “I’ll be serious. Are you going to break Tanner’s heart?”

“As you pointed out less than three minutes ago, my relationship with Tanner is fake.”