On the bright side, he’d worn the T-shirt she’d made for him and given to him the night of their spaghetti meal…and this without her reminding him. An act that thrilled her. He could have so easily pretended he had forgotten that part of their pact. She glanced down at his combat boots. Yep, there were stains.
He was a striking figure in hisReal-Life Book Boyfriend in TrainingT-shirt. He wore it like a second skin. The guy’s muscles bulged in a very un-cinnamon-roll-like fashion. Something she wasn’t hating at all.
He caught her scrutinizing glance and scowled. “I look ridiculous.”
“On the contrary. You wear my creation well. And if I recall, per our last in-person conversation, you’re supposed to be all smiles today.” She could sell the hell out of that T-shirt on Etsy if he’d model it for her.
“I do not recall that conversation, but here you go.” Stone gave her a half-assed grin.
“If that’s your idea of a smile, we’re going to have to practice them over lunch.” She refused to be baited into a bad mood. Today, they were on a quest to find a book-boyfriend twin from the wrong side of the tracks.
He gave her another smile. “Better?”
“Only by a margin. How about we swap the smile out for your making more of an effort at conversation?”
He sighed. “What would you like to talk about?”
“I’m glad to see you kept your promise to let your hair grow out and to see that it seems to have done so evenly. No permanent damage from the glue of the wig.” His hair was dark and curly, leaving her fingers twitching to touch.
“Alberto and I will have words the next time I run into him,” Stone said in a low voice that sent a shudder through Sophie, reminding her he made a living embracing conflict.
“Don’t you dare bully that sweet guy. I’m certain he only did what he was told to do. Besides, you have more important things to worry about.”
“I’m capable of worrying about more than one thing at a time. Speaking of which, now that we’re working together, what’s on your agenda for me to worry about?”
She’d had him meet her at the subway but hadn’t told him where they were headed. Mainly because she’d known he’d get all bristly when he found out. She decided to stall some more. “Seeing you here—looking extra macho despite my shirt—it has become painfully obvious I won’t be able to pass you off as a boyfriend that I’d actually pick in real life.”
For some reason, that caused his brows to furrow. “And?”
“And we’re going to have to revamp our plan.”
Stone grunted but didn’t expand.
“I’m not fluent in grunts,” she said.
“You’ve finally said something that makes sense. Do you have a backup plan? If not, may I offer the obvious one?”
“There is no need for backup plans when you operate under the philosophy that all of your endeavors will succeed.” Gah, she’d missed his testy banter.
He rubbed his forehead. “Then let me offer a strategy. Ditch the whole idea of presenting me as a boyfriend?”
Oh. Two and half months apart had not fixed that broken record. “That is quite an obvious backup plan, except that my contract withNaked Runwaystates I will have you with me at all interviews and will present you as my boyfriend to the public.” Sophie tugged at the hem of her own T-shirt, drawing his attention there. It readBook Boyfriend Finderin playful, bold letters.
He didn’t roll his eyes, but his nostrils flared, and that was pretty much the same thing on him. “And it also said you would take me with you to every interview, yet you left me out of your first three.”
“Because you were otherwise occupied. Besides, Ms. Birdie personally knew all three men. Thus, your scary presence wasn’t needed.” Realizing his eyes were still on her chest, she snapped her finger in front of his face to get his eyes to moveupward. Once they did, she continued, “Anyway, we need a new boyfriend type for you.”
He stood, towering over her. “How about we don’t define my type and leave everyone guessing?”
She opened her mouth to argue but decided it wasn’t the worst idea. “Fine. I won’t pigeonhole you, but I will introduce you as my boyfriend. I can only hope our wearing matching mission gear does a lot to soften your image in the eyes of my boyfriend candidates. If not, I predict no one will talk to me.”
“Speaking of which, where exactly are we headed? I don’t normally take the subway.”
“To a repair shop in Little Italy.”
His eyes narrowed. “Our interview is with a guy who works in the Bronx?”
Was he a Bronx snob? That was very shortsighted of him. “The person who nominated Antonio says he embodies the tough exterior but has hidden depths worth drilling down for. I can’t wait to see if he lives up to the hype.”
