“Fuck off,” I say with a roll of the eyes, but there’s no heat behind it as I add, “Tatum wanted a spa day.”
“Ah, I see.” Jace glances behind me to where Tate’s sprawled out over my couch cushions and waves. “Hi, Tate.”
She sits, lifting one cucumber with a huge grin on her face. “Hi, boys.”
“Where’s your man?” Jace asks as Icut him with a glare.
“Back at school.” Tate shrugs.
“Ah.” Jace nods in understanding. “Must be hard when he’s gone, huh?”
“What the hell are you doing?” I snap under my breath.
“It’s not so bad,” Tate says, her gaze darting toward me in a way that makes my chest swell.
“Sure, it’s not. Why would she need her man when she has you as a stand-in?” Jace mutters out of the corner of his mouth as he flashes Tatum a winning smile.
“So,thisis your grand plan to woo her?” Chris hisses at me when I turn back to him. “Because I gotta say, I’m not sure it’s working for you.”
I roll my eyes, then step out into the hallway, shoving them away from the door. “Get out.”
“She came running the second he left,” Jace says to Chris like I’m not here.
“Yeah.” Chris scratches the back of his neck and frowns. “Not sure whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”
“Out!” I point toward the exit.
Chris’s brows rise as he looks at me. “You know, it’s really hard to take you seriously with that shit all over your face.”
Jace sniffs me. “You smell like a muffin.”
“Hmmm . . . banana?” Chris asks, leaning closer for a better look. Then he drags a finger down the side of my face and tastes it. “Mmm. Banana and honey.”
“I gotta tell ya, bro,” Jace places his hands on his hips, looking me up and down, “I think you need to man up.”
I close my eyes and count to three, trying not to lose my shit. “This is not helpful,” I say, blinking my eyes open again. “Just . . . go.” I wave an arm down the hall, then turn and stomp back toward the door, slamming it behind me.
The guys are right. What the hell am I doing?
Ethan wouldn’t be caught dead doing this shit. Instead, he’d probably just hand her a wad of cash and send her off to some fancy-ass spa where she could get pampered by someone who knows what the fuck they’re doing, and here I am, acting like one of her girl friends.
It’s because you can’t say no to her, asshole.
I frown as I head to the kitchen and pour myself a glass of water, downing it in three gulps.
Just because I’m her best friend and it’s always been this way between us, doesn’t mean it needs to stay this way. Sure, I’m supposed to be the supportive best friend. I’m going to stand by her side until she realizes Ethan is all wrong for her. But that doesn’t mean I can’t also show her what she’s missing.
Right?
I run a hand through my hair and turn to find Tate watchingme with a grin. “Sorry about that. The guys were just checking on me.”
“Oh.” Tatum frowns. “Why would they need to check on you?”
Ignoring her question, I head to the bathroom and wash the gunk off my face, then towel it dry before sinking back down into the cushion beside her.
“Hey—” she starts to protest, but I stop her with a finger to her lips.
“Change of plans. Why don’t I giveyoua spa day?”
