Jenna’s phone buzzed twice, and she glanced down to read the message. As she was reading it, she heard Tiana’s voice.
“Sorry I’m late.”
Jenna looked up and saw she was out of breath, and she wasn’t alone. She brought Niko Costas, Yaya’s grandson. Her “fake boyfriend.” As much as Jenna wanted a relationship, Tiana didnot. She’d had a horrific divorce, in the public eye, with a professional NFL player. She’d sworn off men for the foreseeable future while she built her business.
Unfortunately, her ex was currently in Hope Falls, making her life miserable, so she’d agreed to fake-date his nemesis, Niko Costas. No one knew that the relationship wasn’t real except Jenna, obviously. Niko offered her the opportunity, he’d even sent her a cute text where he superimposed his face on Julia Roberts’ body fromNotting Hill,saying that he was just a boy, standing in front of a girl, asking her to be his fake girlfriend. Jenna told her if she didn’t say yes, they couldn’t be friends. And she meant it.
And now, there they were, the ‘happy couple.’ So cute.
“Thanks for rushing, but it’s actually for no reason. Kiki and Robbie just texted, and Layla has the flu.”
Layla was Kiki’s younger sister, who, Kiki was raising.
“Oh.”
“I’ll play,” Niko volunteered easily.
Yaya always said Niko was the easy, go-with-the-flow one. Tiana needed someone like that in her life.
“You will?” Tiana seemed surprised.
“Sure.” He nodded.
“Thanks, but we need four.” Jenna would have loved to get to know Niko better, but maybe this was the sign that her last Trivia Night was just not meant to be. “So we’re still one person short. I’m Jenna, by the way,” she introduced herself.
“Oh!” Tiana glanced between them both, her eyes moving rapidly. “You two haven’t met?”
Niko held out his hand. “Hi, I’m Niko.”
“Oh, I know.” Jenna couldn’t help but smile as she shook his hand. If he only knew the things Yaya had told her about him.
“You said you needfourpeople?” he asked in way of clarification.
“Four minimum,” Jenna confirmed.
His lips curled in a cocky grin. “I can find us a fourth.”
Jenna watched him turn and head to the bar in full hunter/gatherer mode. She loved to see a confident man, but most of the people in the place were already in teams.
“So how’s it going?” Jenna asked as soon as he was out of earshot, and Tiana sat down.
A blush appeared on her friend’s face. “Yeah, it’s um, good.”
“Whoa.” Her face shade was a rapid change. “What happened? Did you guysfake-hook-up?”
“What? No!”
“Didyou?” Jenna asked again.
“No!” Tiana insisted in a whisper.
Jenna believed her, butsomethinghad happened or changed. She could see it in her friend’s face. She stared at her, trying to figure out what had happened when she felt the atmosphere shift and she got goosebumps on her arm.
“This is my girlfriend, Tiana. And this is Jenna.”
“She owns The Beauty Spot,” Tiana added.
Jenna saw a hand in front of her face, and she reached out to shake it. When she looked up to the man attached to it, she felt like the universe punched her right in the stomach. The only other time she felt like that was when Carmela Sanders, a senior at Clairemont High, sucker punched Jenna, who was a freshman, in the stomach because she thought Jenna was flirting with her boyfriend, also a senior. Jenna didn’t even know who Carmela Sanders’ boyfriend was.
