Walt: Are you coming to the wedding or not?
Oh my god, I can’t deal with this right now.
Jo punched Brooke’s number.
“Hang on,” Brooke answered with a sleepy whisper. Sheets rustled in the background.
Ugh. She’d forgotten they were going to christen his—their—apartment. As if they hadn’t been going at it for months.
“I can call back later,” she whispered back.
A door clicked, and Brooke’s volume picked up. “No, I can talk. Aaron’s asleep.”
“It’s only one o’clock. Did you wear him out already?”
“Sure did.” The smile in Brooke’s words was infectious. “What’s up?”
“Are you free to go shopping tomorrow after waffles?”
“I don’t know shit about mixers, but I’ll be happy to stand by for moral support. Aaron’s playing golf with one of the partners.”
“That’s not what I’m shopping for.”Though I might when this stupid fake dating thing is over.“I need a dress.”
“Since when do you wear a dress to an interview?”
“I don’t.”
“Then what—” She gasped. “Oh my god, please tell me you did it. You called Avery Preston?”
Jo sighed, wishing she could be as excited as Brooke. It would make this a whole lot easier. “I just had lunch with him.”
“And?”
“It’s official. Call me Cinderella. I’m going to a ball.”
With the big bad wolf.
Chapter Five
Allowing for the crisp wind off the lake, Avery cemented his stance on the green and lined up the putt. With a light tap, he finished the game in seventh place out of eight behind Gage. Not bad considering the guys he played with could have gone on to become pros. Avery preferred soccer, though he hadn’t caught a game in a few months.
Shit.Did that mean he was growing up? Nah, just busy.
Blaze bumped shoulders with a bleary-eyed Gage. “Looks like you’re buying the first round.”
Gage groaned, still looking a little green. He’d spent most of his game in the trees, vomiting last night’s turn up at Pulse. Avery started the morning that way, too; a nine o’clock tee time was Dane’s idea of fun. Sadistic bastard.
“Yeah, man,” Kade said, with a slap to Gage’s back, “thanks for the shit game.”
“He looks like shit.” Blaze had always been Captain Obvious. Avery was tall, but Blaze had another two inches on him. He’d been an NFL hopeful but tore his ACL and received one too many concussions.
Gage ran a hand over his face. “I feel like fucking shit.”
Ping.
They grabbed their bags and joined Bryce, Dane, Linc, and Maverick who’d played ahead of them and were waiting just off the green. It wasn’t often all eight Sigmas were on the course. Not like in college. Maverick lived in Austin and was hardly ever here, and these days, one or more of the others were always away on business.
Fuck, maybe wearegrown up.
