Page 70 of The Fake Out

Then the team lost again to Florida, which I knew because I actually turned the game on to listen to while I worked on my painting. It was bad, and I let Blaise rant to me about how the special teams weren’t working hard enough. I didn’t know what special teams were, but I let him vent because he needed someone to listen.

Liv put a coffee down in front of me. I hugged her. “Oh my God, you’re an angel.”

She smirked at me, her dark eyes twinkling. “That’s what all the boys tell me.”

I laughed. “Sit with me while I finish this concept art? I feel like I’ve been an awful friend lately.”

She nodded and sat in my tattoo chair. “Why are you so exhausted today?”

I took a sip of my coffee. “Nuh-uh. Tell me about your date last night.”

She sighed. “It was the worst.”

“Why?” I traced my pen around the lines of the stencil while I waited for her to respond.

“He ordered for me.”

I pretended to gag. “Ugh. Why are men? Well, what did he order for you?”

“Wine and steak!” she cried.

I looked up from my work. “You hate both of those things.”

“I know! I told him I was veggie and everything. Ugh. Any hot hockey players you want to hook me up with?”

I laughed. “Hmm…not sure. Blaise might have a single brother…actually no, that’s Ayden, and I’m not subjecting you to that.”

She laughed. “So things with Blaise are good?”

I glared at her. “You know what it’s like.”

“Hmmm…okay…” she trailed off, unconvinced, and smiled at me like she was up to something.

“What?” I demanded.

“Why are you so tired?” she asked.

“Because I was talking to Blaise last night.” She got the giddy look on her face again. “NO!”

“But what if it’s turning into something more?”

I shook my head. “It can’t.”

“It could.”

“You read too many romance novels.”

I finished with my artwork just in time because my client showed up a few minutes later, standing at the reception desk waiting for Liv. I nodded at her, and she got up to prepare him for his appointment.

As much as I enjoyed my time with Blaise, I knew we would part ways in a couple weeks after asshat’s wedding, and that would be that. No muss, no fuss, just the way I preferred.

So why did my chest hurt whenever I thought about it?

“Logan, right?” I asked the lanky redhead standing in front of me and held my hand out toward him.

He smiled at me and shook my hand. “Right. Um…Blaise probably called me Cully, though?”

I nodded. “Yeah, it confused me when you made the appointment. I didn’t realize you guys got back already.”