I sit here. Frozen. Because I didn’t expect any of this.
With how she acted toward me earlier today, I thought she’d shut down their idea. I thought it would be a hard no.
When her eyes meet mine again, I see it.
That familiar spark.
That reckless softness I remember from the bar in the city.
“I think…” She clears her throat. “I think I’m done pretending I don’t already know what my answer is.” My pulse kicks hard against my ribs as she continues. “I don’t love the idea. But I don’t hate it either.”
“If this is what it takes to help you, I’ll do it.”
Her head tips to the side. “Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
She narrows her eyes, curiously. And it hits me. The difference between seeing me on the property to seeing me here. She doesn’t trust me because I left her. I fucking left that morning without a goodbye or asking for her number like it didn’t matter—likeshedidn’t matter. At the time, I thought keeping it casual would protect me, but now all I feel is guilt.
And I carry enough of that with me through life.
But if this is a chance to show her that I’m not that guy, then yeah, this is the least I can do.
“I’m not a complicated person,” I continue when she doesn’t say anything back. “I’m also not the type to flake when it comes to my agreements. Just tell me what you need, and I’ll be there.”
She searches my face with a long look, trying to figure out what my angle is, but there is none. She exhales a breath that resembles relief, brushing the loose strands of hair that have fallen from her messy bun out of her face. “If we do this, we keep it simple. Professional. No mixed signals like last time.”
And there it is. Confirmation of my thoughts just moments ago.
No mixed signals like last time.
That hurts more than I want it to, because there were no mixed signals that night. If it wasn’t already late, and I wasn’t exhausted, I’d open that can of worms and tell her exactly how I felt about her that night—how I didn’t want to leave, but Dallas was eager to get on the road and back home to Bluestone Lakes.
I nod anyway. “Got it.”
“On camera, we give them what they want. Off camera…” She trails off, still staring at me. “We don’t blur the lines.”
I smirk. “I’ll do my best.”
The corner of her lip twitches like she’s fighting a smile. “You’re impossible.”
“But I’m reliable.”
Her gaze softens, just for a moment. She picks up a french fry and pops it into her mouth. I can see by the way she’s sitting there in silence that she has a dozen questions.
“Scottie?” I say, forcing her to look at me again. “I might not be the guy you’d want with you in front of the camera, but I am the guy who can keep things together. I’m hardworking and a good friend. If you’ll allow me to be that,” I say with a wink, keeping the conversation light when it’s anything but. “But Iwant you to know, you can count on me for this project, for this arrangement.”
Her expression is unreadable as her eyes flicker over my face like she isn’t sure if she wants to believe me. But I can tell she does. I see the shift in her eyes.
“That’s all this needs to be,” she says. “I’ll let Andrea and Jade know we’re in when I talk to them in the morning.”
I nod, standing from the chair. “I’ll see you soon, Scottie.”
I have no idea how I’m going to make this work when the cameras are rolling.
But as I head back to my house, I tell myself I can do this.
Fake is safe.
