“I meant about us. This is our first public outing as a couple?—”
“Fake couple,” I added. “We aren’t actually dating, Vera.”
“I know that, Cara. I assume you have rules and expectations for this. Let me see if I’ve clocked you correctly.” She shifted in her seat and cleared her throat, I assume to imitate my voice.
“We need rules. No touching, no flirting, and absolutely no kissing, no matter how badly I want to. How’d I do?” She returned to her normal voice and I had to cough to clear away my smile.
“I do not sound like that. And we have to make it look like we are actually together, so light flirting is fine. Just no mentions of Fairview. We have to make it believable, so I expect some sort of touching. Hand holding is okay, I guess. If we need to. Maybe a hug. And as far as kissing…”
I wanted to say hell no to that one, but I knew that wasn’t an option. “On the cheek only.
Her smile was irritatingly charming. “That’s more than I thought I’d get. I can work with that.”
I rolled my eyes, letting silence fill the air as we made our way to the club.
I never thought I’d be the type of person to frequent a country club. It wasn’t like it was an elite exclusive club that you could only get into if you were invited and paid fourteen arms and legs for, but it was still a really nice club. They had a few restaurants, a salon, and several different sports areas. One of which was my favorite, pickleball.
I’d been playing the sport since I was about ten, seeing a couple playing it at the park, and I asked my parents what it was and to teach me the game. It became a regular thing we did every weekend together.
We pulled up to the club and were greeted by their new sign they just put in.
“Grandview. I’ve never been here before. It looks fancy,” Vera said, reading the sign.
I wasn’t surprised she hadn’t been here. Not that I didn’t think she could afford it, but she didn’t seem like the country club going type.
“I come here a lot. Usually with Blair or Drea. Sometimes both.”
She smiled and shook her head. “Of course you do, princesa.”
I frowned. “Is that supposed to be an insult? I didn’t judge you for not coming here before.”
She placed a hand on my leg and I tried not to flinch at the contact. “Of course not. I would never dream of insulting you. I was just saying that a place like this, seems like your kind of place. It’s beautiful and polished, just like you. It’s the type of place you belong.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. I’d always just thought of it as a place I liked to come to. Maybe it was because it wasprivate and felt more pretentious than it actually was. Like I was important enough to have a membership to a place like the country club.
I smiled and led us inside. When we got to the pickleball court, Drea and Blair were already there, of course, getting cozy. I cleared my throat and shut the door behind us, grabbing their attention.
“You made it, love! And you brought Vera. It’s good to see you again,” Drea said as they started walking over to us.
“You guys look great!” Blair brought me in for a hug.
“Thanks, babe. So do you. Have you been waiting long?” I asked.
Drea shook her head as Vera exchanged hugs with my friends. “No, not at all. We only just arrived. I figured we could do some light stretching first, then get started. How do we feel about me on Blair’s team and Vera on yours? That way there is equal parts muscle and beauty on each team and it’s fair.”
I rolled my eyes and smirked when Blair glared at Drea. “How nice of you. How about me and Cara Versus you two ‘muscles.’ I think we’ll manage just fine without you.”
I raised an eyebrow at Drea’s reaction to Blair’s defiance. I thought she would’ve argued a little more. Drea was very competitive on the court. But instead, she kissed her cheek and smiled.
“Of course, dear. I’m fully confident in your ability to win without me. I love you.”
“Wow,” I said. “What a crock of shit. Let’s go warm up, Blair.”
Blair grinned and kissed Drea before turning to head to our side of the court. “Good luck, you two. You’re going to need it,” I teased.
“Don’t go easy on me, princesa. I can take it,” Vera said with a wink.
I plastered on a smile and touched her arm, forcing myself not to squeeze the muscle there. She was ripped as shit and I had to clench my teeth so I didn’t let out a whimper when she purposefully flexed that toned arm.
