“Please don’t call me sir. It makes me feel so much older than I am.”
Lily steps between us, poking the man in the chest. “Dallas. You almost broke my friend.”
He laughs, deep and gravelly. “I didn’t almost break anyone.”
“Oh, there you are,” a female voice sounds from behind Dallas. “I was wondering where you went, Lil.”
“I’m here” Lily says, wrapping her arms around the woman. She’s beautiful—long strawberry blonde hair wrapped in a ponytail behind her head and a few freckles painted on her cheeks. “And it got busy!” She pulls back from her and hooks her arm in mine again. “This is Scottie.” She looks at me and places her other hand on the woman’s forearm. “This is my sister, Poppy. And the wall you ran into is her boyfriend, Dallas.”
“It’s so nice to meet you two,” I say.
“Scottie,” Dallas says. “You’re the one doing that project over on Redwood with Tucker.”
I nod, straightening my spine and feeling nervous all of a sudden. “That’s me.”
“He told us all about it,” he adds.
I’m not sure how I feel about Tucker talking about me with people in town. First, Lily’s brother, and now this man I just met three seconds ago. It puts an uneasy feeling in my gut and makes me wonder what else he’s saying.
Does everyone know we’re in a fake relationship for the show, too?
And more importantly…do they know our history?
Lily must catch my nervousness, because she smacks his upper arm with the back of her hand, forcing Dallas to raise both hands in defense. “What? He didn’t say anything bad. He just told us all about the project and that his team is working on it with Scottie.”
“Correct,” Lily warns, sticking her pointer finger in his face. “You guys better not mess with my friend.”
I turn to face Lily and a warmth fills my chest. I’ve never had anyone defend me like this, despite there being nothing to defend. They were only talking about the show, which I expect in a small town like this.
I place a hand on Lily’s shoulder and laugh to break the tension. “It’s all good. I’m sure this show is pretty big for a town like this. People are going to talk.”
“Apparently, Nan says this show is the most exciting thing to happen in town since the water tower got repainted,” Dallas says over the brim of his whiskey-filled glass before taking a sip. “And to clear the air and remove the elephant in the room, we know you two are pretending to date for the show.”
“Dallas,” Poppy and Lily say at the same time.
“What?” He shrugs. “I can feel the weird energy around us. Like we’re all hiding something from her. I don’t want to start a blossoming friendship on lies.”
The three of us stare at him for a beat before we all bend over in laughter.
Without even trying, he successfully breaks the “weird energy” in the air.
“Thank you for that,” I say as my laughter dies down. “We’repretending because the producers say it works well for the plot. That’s it.”
Something shifts across his face. That almost grimace people get when a truth bumps too close to the surface. Like Dallas knows something he can’t say out loud. It’s not judgment or pity burning my skin the longer he stares at me. It’s the protectiveness of his friend. And suddenly, I feel that weird energy we just joked about coming back.
When my eyes narrow in question, Dallas looks away, schooling his expression fast as he forces a smile.
But that look?
That isn’t about me.
That’s about Tucker.
“Well, now that that’s out…we need drinks. Stat,” Lily says.
The moment Dallas moves to the side to allow Lily and me to make our way to the bar, I almost trip over my feet. Standing behind the bar, sleeves rolled to his elbows, and pouring drinks like it’s second nature to him is Tucker. The dim amber light of the bar catches on the curve of his jaw, and my breath hitches.
Of course, the universe would throw me into another version of him I’m not prepared for.
