Which ex was he talking about? “Do you mean Evelyn? Didn’t you twojustbreak up?”
“Pretty much. She left me three months ago for another trainer. Not just any trainer, but my supervisor, Jared.”
What a shitty move. “Ouch. That sucks.”
“Yeah, it was brutal.” He released a ragged breath. “The worst part was—I kind of saw it coming. Back in May, when he was hired at Northlife, I was worried because he and Evelyn had a history together. Two years ago, they worked at the same gym in Vancouver and dated on and off. But when I brought it up to Evelyn, she said I was being paranoid.”
Rosie’s jaw tightened.Classic gaslighting. She’d been through it before.
He continued. “In August, Evelyn admitted they’d been sneaking around behind my back. Then she chose him over me, which was a tough blow. But not as bad as getting their wedding invitation two days ago. They’re getting married on December twenty-second.”
Holy shit.Rosie’s heart went out to Drew. “I’m sorry. Do…do you still have feelings for her?”
“Not anymore.” He looked down and wiped up a stray drop of salsa with his napkin. “Toward the end, things got ugly. We were arguing constantly. It was a relief when she finally told me the truth. But because we work at the same gym, the rest of the staff are concerned about me. Especially after she invitedallof us to her wedding.”
Rosie could only imagine how painful that would be. “You’re not going, are you?”
“I’d like to.” He met her eyes again. “Maybe it’s childish, but I want to prove to her—and everyone else—that I’m doing just fine.”
She wanted to reach over and take his hand—anything to console him—but wasn’t sure she should cross that line. Instead, she tried to lighten the mood. “That sounds excruciating, though not as grueling as multiple family events where I’m forced to make small talk with a complete stranger.”
“I’ll trade you,” he said. “Or wait…”
“What? Do you want to make a bet? To see whose holiday season is going to be worse?” She snatched up the last few tortilla chips from the basket.
“Nope. But I do have an idea that might spare us a little agony.”
* * *
Before Drew could sharehis idea, the server arrived with their tacos and a fresh round of drinks. Since they’d have to drive home eventually, they’d both ordered Jarritos soda rather than more margaritas. He pushed aside the empty basket of tortilla chips to make room for their plates.
Upon taking the first bite of her taco, Rosie let out a groan of pleasure. “Mmmm. I was so hungry. Today’s sad desk lunch was an apple and a bag of pretzels from the vending machine.”
Even if that groan hadn’t been directed at him, Drew’s groin tightened. Fuck, she was sexy. He’d really missed her. Missed her laugh, her self-deprecating humor, and her quirky passion for action movies. She’d seen tons of them, even the janky, low-budget ones that went direct to streaming. They’d once spent an entire workout ranking the movies in theFast & Furiousfranchise.
But then he’d gotten involved with Evelyn, who’d put him through the wringer. Once he was single again, he’d thought about reaching out to Rosie but hesitated because he worried that he’d driven her away from the gym. Now that he understood why she’d been absent, he wished he could have supported her when she’d been dealing with her dad’s health issues.
Rosie added a spoonful of salsa to her taco. “What’s your idea?”
“You need a date for a few dinners and some holiday events, right? Just to get your parents off your back for a while?”
“Yeah. What with everything going on at the hotel, I’m at my limit.”
“And I want to get the wedding-from-hell over with. So, here’s a thought. Why don’t you come as my plus-one? In return, you can bring me home and tell your folks we’re dating.”
As he waited for her to respond, sweat beaded on his forehead. Was it nerves or a reaction to the “Disco Inferno” salsa he’d added to his taco?
Rosie narrowed her eyes. “Are you punking me? This is a rom-com scenario. No oneactuallyfake dates in real life.”
“Maybe they don’t, but it’s a decent plan.” He paused, afraid he’d insulted her. He didn’t want her to think she wasn’t worthy of a real date. “It’s not that I’m opposed to actualdating, but I’m not in a good place for a romantic relationship. Not after all the shit I went through with Evelyn. And…”
He stopped before he unloaded any further. His issues stemmed from his teenage years, when his parents had turned their house into a battlefield, but he wasn’t about to burden her with all that baggage.
“I don’t have any room in my life for romantic entanglements, either,” Rosie said. “Not with my job hanging by a thread. And Idefinitelydon’t have the bandwidth to massage some guy’s ego when he yells at me for not spending enough time with him.”
The bitterness in her voice made Drew suspect she was speaking from experience. “I take it that’s happened before?”
“Yep. Not a great scene.” She finished her taco in a couple of bites.
