“Sure. My sister is coming soon. Maybe you could do some sister shots?”
“Yes!”
Asher returns with his sexy forest scent and perches at the end of my lounger. “Ooh. Are we getting free pictures? I want in. You make everyone look like supermodels.”
Yayoi perks up even more. “Really? Could I do pretend engagement photos with you guys? I want in that game so bad. From there, it’s only a stepping stone to full weddings.”
Pretendengagementphotos?
Asher and I exchange a stilted glance.
“Uh...” I say at the same time Asher blurts out, “Suuure?”
Yayoi throws her hands in the air. “Yes!” She turns toward the deck. “Geoff! Ash and Joss are going to pretend to be engaged for me.”
He makes the touchdown sign. “One step closer to weddings! Get it, girl.”
She grins at us. “I love him.”
I laugh, but deep inside my protective walls, my soul writhes, certain I’ve agreed to something that might have disastrous consequences. That weird discomfort in my chest tugs again.
But it’s just pretend. It won’t take more than an hour. I can pretend to be in love with Asher for an hour. NBD. Seriously.
No.
Big.
Deal.
Jocelyn
2 Years Ago
When people talk about hurricanes along the Texas coast, they always say things like,Remember Harvey?orI’ll never forget Harvey.
Harvey is the zenith. The benchmark against which all other hurricanes must be measured. Mostly, this is because it was the most severe storm to hit Texas in recent memory. But also—it flooded a major city.
When a tropical depression morphs into Hurricane Isaiah in mid-October, we take the same precautions we always do—gas, food, water. Those who can evacuate, do. Medical personnel, however, can’t evacuate. We’re assigned to Team A—in-house during the storm—or Team B—relief for Team A when the storm ends.
I’m not freaking out.
I’mnot.
When the email confirming my team assignment comes, I immediately text Asher.
You team b too?
Yeah. Sucks.
I call him. “Asher, I can’t stay in my house for this storm. I know it says it’s going to hit closer to Mexico, but—”
“Who made the schedule? Can you talk to them? Maybe they’ll remove you completely, so you can evacuate.”
I sigh. “It was Cassie. She’s in charge of all our schedules now.”
“Oh.”
I can practically hear his body droop. No way will Cassie Hersl do me any favors.
