“Shhh,” I hiss, gently placing my hands on her shoulders and moving her further away from the group to avoid any wandering ears.
If Vanessa, a woman I’ve only met a handful of times, can tell that I am a lovesick wreck, Katherine’s going to catch on. I consider doing damage control, lying my way out of the situation, but if Finn has taught me anything about his sister it’s that she is loyal, trustworthy, and gifted with a surprising ability to hold her liquor.
“I met her at Finn’s. And we’ve been friendly,” I confess.
“Friendly?” Her question is a challenge I instantly fail.
“We may have fooled around a bit on Monday.”
“You little slut!” Vanessa squeals, placing a hand over her mouth.
“It’s not like that. Katherine and I ...”
“Are broken up?” she says, finishing my thought.
“Did she tell you?” I ask, unbelieving.
With how tightly Katherine’s been holding onto the threads of our relationship, I have a hard time believing she would let anyone know that we’re not together—even someone like Vanessa.
“Katherine is not hard to read,” she replies. “She hasn’t posted a single photo of you guys together on her story or feed in weeks. And my brother might have mentioned you do more flirting than working. And since I know you’re not the type of guy who would cheat, I put the pieces together.”
“That gossip,” I squawk, pretending to be appalled.
“Finn looks like a hard-ass, but he loves the drama,” Vanessa laughs.
“So, I’m assuming Adrian knows?”
“Not yet. I wanted to confirm my hypothesis first, but we’ve had a bet going and I can’t wait to gloat.”
“What was the bet?”
“The usual. Back rubs and pick of the TV selection for the week. It’s going to beGilmore Girlsall day every day.”
“Do me a favor and keep it between the two of you,” I say nervously.
She holds up her hands innocently. “I’m not one to blast other people’s personal drama, but why would it matter?”
“I don’t think Katherine would take it too well.”
“Oh, so are you and Mira sneaking off in secret? Hot.”
“Not exactly.”
Vanessa crosses her arms over her chest. “What does that mean?”
I drag my hand through my hair, regretfully. I’ve had a million chances to tell Mira the truth. The night she casually asked me if I’d ever be a participant onThe Bachelor, I could have made a joke that the reason my relationship ended was because my ex thought it would be a good idea to bring strangers into our relationship. Or when she asked if I ever took a night off after seeing me four in a row, I could have told her that being at Finn’s and serving college students was better than a second spent in my apartment with Katherine.
“I may have omitted a few of the messier details of my life.”
“Wait. So what? Mira thinks you’re with Katherine?”
I nod my head.
“This explains the bus.”
“The bus?”
“Mira said she disliked you, which I found weird, because you’re great.”
