by Linde, K. A.
Annie held her hands up. “Don’t stress!”
“Like that helps.”
“I don’t want you to have a panic attack. This is why I wanted to talk to you. We can figure it out together. I’m sure there is an easy solution. Even if it means I’m not moving.”
I laughed. “That’s not an option.”
“It is.”
I rolled my eyes at her. “Okay. Maybe we could find another roommate. I don’t know anyone either. Maybe Piper and Blaire do?”
Annie snapped her fingers. “Good idea. You know Piper has that unused third bedroom.”
My eyes widened. “You think she’d want another roommate?”
“Wouldn’t hurt to ask, right?”
“Yeah, for sure. It’s an option.” I smiled at her. “Though I’ll miss these nights.”
“I’m going to crash with y’all all the time.”
“No, you’re not. Not with that hot piece of Wright in your bed.”
Annie burst into laughter. “Did you just say hot piece of Wright?”
I snort-laughed. “I did.”
“Speaking of the other hot piece of Wright ass.”
I buried my face into my hands. “Stop.”
“You and Julian? Tell me the truth. You were being all weird about it yesterday before you disappeared.”
“That was really nothing.”
“And?”
I sighed and lifted my gaze. “He’s coming with me to my brother’s graduation.”
Annie’s eyes whipped wide, and she gasped. “Oh my God, like a date?”
“No,” I said quickly. “It’s not like that. We kind of…agreed to fake date.”
Annie looked skeptical. “Explain.”
“So, I have to go to my brother’s graduation, which my parents are being dumb about. You know how they are.”
She nodded. “Sure.”
She wasn’t around them much, but she’d heard the arguments.
“Anyway, he has a charity function that he planned with Ashleigh for the vineyard. And, well, Ashleigh was at the winery yesterday.”
“What?” Annie gasped.
“Uh, yeah…and Julian and I hid in his office to escape her. But she found us anyway, and he kissed me.”
“He kissed you?!”
“It was fake,” I said, waving her away.
“No. Way! He’s into you.”
“Shush! Let me finish. It made Ashleigh angry, and he thinks having a date there will do the same thing again. But he’s not ready to date, and I’m not dating either. So, we’re going to go as each other’s dates to help one about out.”
Annie crossed her arms and looked at me with a sly smile. “Remember how Jordan and I were all we’re not into each other and we just like sex? Friends with benefits? Blah, blah. That was a lie to get together.”
“This is not like you and Jordan. The two of you couldn’t keep your clothes on the first day you met each other.”
“Whatever.” Annie dismissed the idea so easily. “I will put money on it.”
“We’re not betting on my love life.”
“So, it is a love life?” Annie’s eyes twinkled.
“Sometimes I hate you.”
She cackled. “I know. I’m rooting for y’all.”
“Thanks. But seriously, we’re just friends.”
“You owe me a Coke if you turn out to be more.”
I shook my head. “I’ll give you a whole twelve-pack. He’s not into me.”
Annie’s smile went full Cheshire. “Oh, I’m in.”
Part of me hoped that she was right, but the rest of me knew that hope only made the disappointment hurt worse.
8
Jennifer
Bertha’s trunk snapped shut with a thunk.
“That’ll do it,” I said with a smile as Julian looked on in dismay. “What?”
“Nothing,” he said quickly.
Bertha was my hooptie white Honda Civic. She had intermittent AC issues, no automatic locks or windows, and lacked cruise control. I’d had her since high school. We’d had our ups and downs, but I couldn’t give her up. We were a pair.
I opened my driver’s side door and reached across the console to pop the lock her Julian. He slipped into the passenger side as I revved the engine.
By revved, it was really more of praying and clicking the engine over until it caught.
“Phew, okay,” I said with a smile. “Bertha has her moments.”
“You want to drive this to Austin?”
I glanced over at him. “Why not?”
“No reason,” he said with a smirk.
It was uncomfortable how attractive he was. His dark hair was styled artfully, short on the sides and a little longer on the top. His toned body was hidden underneath a cerulean-blue polo and khakis that ended a few good inches above his knee, revealing his muscular quads. I realized I was staring and returned my attention to Bertha.
I flipped the air-conditioning on and prayed to a higher being that it would turn on. It had been going out for years. It probably needed to be repaired, but I could get a whole new car for the cost to replace the AC unit.
Unfortunately, it didn’t come on.
“Fuck,” I ground out. I banged on the top of the console. “Turn on, you piece of shit. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
This time, Julian couldn’t keep it together. “I don’t know that I’ve ever heard you cuss.”
I blushed. “I use it to color conversation, not to make conversation.”
He chuckled. “Does yelling at Bertha usually make her work?”
“Yes,” I said, hitting the car again. When the AC didn’t kick on, I sank back into the driver’s seat with a huff. “She usually works…eventually.”
“You know, I could drive us.”
I glared at him. “Do you have a problem with Bertha?”
He held his hands up. “Absolutely not. I have a problem with driving six hours through Texas without AC…in May.”
“It builds character,” I quipped.
He quirked a smile at me. “You did say you wanted to make an impression.”
I glanced over at the fancy new sports car he’d parked in my driveway. It was a silver Jaguar convertible that had to have come straight off a conveyor belt. I’d never owned anything that new or shiny in my entire life. Neither had my parents. It probably would be more comfortable, plus the bonus of working air-conditioning.
I sighed. “Fine.”
Julian chuckled and nudged me. “Don’t act like I held you at gunpoint to make this decision.”
“There’s nothing wrong with Bertha.”
“Of course not. She’s perfectly wonderful.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Don’t condescend to me, Wright.”
He put his hand to his heart. “Never.”
I rolled my eyes and then hopped out of the car. “Don’t forget to lock the door.”
He pushed the lock down. “No problem.”
His car beep-beeped next to me, and I jumped. I hadn’t expected it. I covered my embarrassed flush by popping Bertha’s trunk open again. I removed my duffel, and Julian extracted his sleek rolling suitcase.
“May I?” he asked, reaching for my duffel.
I let him have it, and he opened the Jag’s trunk.
“Is it even going to fit?” I asked, staring dubiously at the tiny trunk space.
He smirked. “That’s what she said.”
I covered my face. “Oh my God, you did not just say that.”
“You set me up,” he countered, sliding the suitcase and my duffel into the trunk.
“Well, now, I’m mortified. I didn’t mean…”
He laughed and opened the passenger door. “Just get in the car, Jen.”
“Are you sure you still want to go with me this weekend?” I asked when I stood before him.
“I’m sure.”
“It might be…awkward.”
Julian leaned forward against the door and smiled a smile
that nearly knocked me off my feet. “I think it’s going to be fun.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
It was now or never. Once we were on the road, I was committed. I’d agonized over whether or not to go through with this enough the last week. I hadn’t even told my parents about bringing a boyfriend, just in case. But now, we were here, and he was smiling at me, and fuck it, I wanted him with me.
I dropped into the passenger seat. “So, what have you named her?”
“Who?”
“The car.”
He laughed. “She doesn’t have a name.”
He jogged around and got into the driver’s seat. The engine purred when he barely touched it. As if it really were a jaguar responding to his touch.
“She’s not real until you name her.”
“You name her,” he said automatically.
I shrugged. “Okay. You might regret that. I did name my car Bertha.”
“I’m already regretting the decision.”
“Cornelia,” I told him.
His eyes bulged as he veered us away from my house. “How does my new Jaguar look like a Cornelia?”
“It was that or Millicent.”
“Hey, I like Millicent. We can call her Milli.”
I snort-laughed and covered my face. “Milli!”
“All right, Milli. I’ll let you take it from here.”
He gunned it, and then we were out of the city and into the countryside beyond.
* * *
As we pulled into Austin city limits, Julian forced us to stop at a local coffee shop, so he could survive the impending traffic. He was more used to it than me, having grown up in Vancouver, but it had been almost four years for him. Both of us were irritable as we merged into the mess.
“I really don’t miss this,” he said with a yawn. He took a sip of his coffee. “Still not as bad as Vancouver, but fuck.”
“Yeah. I’m kind of glad that you’re driving now. I’d be a wreck.”
He shot me a grin. “See, we took Milli for a reason.”
After an hour of bad traffic conditions and a few close calls, we made it through the city and to the Airbnb that Chester had reserved for us near the UT campus. It didn’t look like much, but that wasn’t surprising. My parents wouldn’t have wanted to spend much money on…anything.
Julian parked Milli in the driveway. A brand-new Jag had never looked more out of place. But he didn’t say anything, just went to grab our luggage.
“Ready?” he asked.
I nodded. “I think so.”
I wasn’t sure though. It hadn’t occurred to me until now that we’d really be lying to everyone. I was a terrible liar. Even if it was a small deception that would make it easier to endure this weekend, I was starting to feel weird about it.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
“It’s just…I don’t know how I feel about lying to my parents. Now that I’m here.”
“You never lied to them when you were growing up?”
I shrugged. “Not really. They always found out.”
He dropped my bag and reached for my hand, pulling me a little closer. My eyes widened. “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. We can tell them the truth—that I’m your friend and you didn’t want to drive alone. That would be fine, too, Jen.”
My pulse jumped at how sincere he was—and how much I wanted him to lean down and kiss me. “No, it’ll be fine, right? We don’t have to go into details. Just that it’s new.”
“Yes, and I didn’t want you to drive down alone.”
“Right. Yes.”
“We’ll do whatever makes you comfortable,” he assured me. “It’s not like we’re planning to make out in front of your parents.”
I laughed as if the very idea was ridiculous and stepped back. “You’re right. It’s just nerves. It’ll be fine.”
He frowned and opened his mouth to say something else, but whatever he was about to say was lost to the front door opening. My mom stood on the porch in mom jeans that she’d probably had since the ’80s and an Atlanta zoo T-shirt she had gotten on a trip for one of Chester’s chess tournaments. I didn’t think my mom had purchased much clothing since then either.
“Hey, kiddos,” she said with a wide smile. “What do we have here?”
“Hey, Mom.” I strode across the yard, and she pulled me into a hug. “This is Julian.”
“Ma’am,” Julian said, holding his hand out.
“Oh, we’re huggers here, dear.” She squeezed Julian tightly. “I’m Connie.”
“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Julian Wright.”
“Wright,” my mom said with an eyebrow raise in my direction. No one was immune to the name.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Well, all of these ma’ams. Aren’t you precious? Come on inside. Jennifer, you didn’t tell me you were bringing a boy.”
I laughed awkwardly and followed her inside. “Last-minute decision.”
Julian hefted the luggage into the living room. “I didn’t want her to drive all the way to Austin alone.”
“That’s sweet of you.”
Julian’s eyes swept to me. Something passed between us, like a light flickering on. There wasn’t just friendship in that glance. He’d turned something on, and now, I had the full weight of Julian Wright’s gaze. A tenderness in those deep, dark eyes.
“I care about Jen’s well-being,” he said softly.
I cleared my throat and quickly looked away. I wanted that look to be real. How had he faked it so easily?
“Well, I wish you’d told me you were bringing a…date,” she said the word cautiously.
“Boyfriend,” Julian said with ease, slipping his arm around my shoulders.
“A boyfriend.” My mom’s eyes widened. She was going to have this out with me later. I could feel it. “It’s certainly been long enough since I’ve heard that word associated with my daughter.”
I tensed. Seriously? She had gone there.
My smile fractured, and Julian squeezed my shoulder.
“I’m so glad to finally meet you,” Julian said smoothly.
“Finally? How long have you been dating?”
Julian looked down at me. “Gah, how long has it been?”
I squirmed. “Feels like it started yesterday.”
He laughed. “Doesn’t it?”
“Ah, young love,” my mom said with an almost-mocking tone.
“Which room is mine?” I asked, shuffling out of Julian’s grip. God, he was a little too good at this.
“Of course. You two will be right back here.”
You two.
My head spun at that notion. Right. We were dating. We’d be sharing a room. My parents were annoying in a whole host of other topics, but they weren’t prudish. I hadn’t considered that when we agreed for Julian to accompany me. It was only a two-bedroom house. My parents would be in one room. Julian and I would share the other one. But maybe it’d have two queens or bunks or something. BNBs sometimes did that to try to accommodate more people.
But then Julian pushed open the door that led to our room, and I froze.
There was only one bed.
And not just that…it was one double bed.
What were we going to do?
9
Julian
“We have dinner plans in an hour. I’ll leave you two to unpack and get dressed. Let me know if you need anything,” Connie said. Her eyebrows rose as she looked at her daughter. “Jennifer, we should talk later.”
“Okay,” she said softly.
Connie pulled the door closed behind her, leaving me and Jen all alone in a room with only one small bed. A double bed. I hadn’t slept on a double bed since I was a kid. Definitely not with another person in it. I hadn’t considered this option about our subterfuge. I actually hadn’t known we were even staying in a house until we pulled up. I’d figured a hotel with multiple beds. That was what I got for assuming.
As much as I wanted to get in that bed with J
ennifer, that wasn’t what she wanted.
“I’ll take the couch,” I told her immediately.
“Oh,” she whispered. “No. I don’t know. I wouldn’t know how to explain that.”
“I’ll say that I wasn’t comfortable.”
She eyed me skeptically. “You’re a Wright.”
“What does that mean?”
“Your family reputation precedes you.” Jennifer shrugged when I moved to object. “Sutton had a shotgun wedding. My parents have never forgotten that. I put money on my mom asking if I’m being careful.” Her cheeks brightened as the words left her mouth.
“Ah,” I said. “Then I’ll take the floor.”
“Yeah…we could alternate if you want.”
“No way. You take the bed. I’ll make a pillow fort.”
“I’m sorry, Julian. I didn’t think about it.”
“Don’t even worry. I want you to be comfortable.”
She smiled shyly. “Then, uh…I’ll just…change in the bathroom.”
My eyes roamed her body. Fuck. Right. She’d change in the bathroom. Where she wouldn’t be naked in front of me. My cock swelled at the thought. This weekend was going to be…hard. In more ways than one.
Jennifer grabbed clothes out of her duffel and shuffled into the connected bathroom. I adjusted myself in her absence. When I’d suggested that we do this, I’d thought it would be a good way for us to be around each other a lot. I couldn’t deny that I would be interested in trying with Jennifer.
When I’d first moved here, I’d been in the wrong place for us to have a relationship. With my mom’s cancer, it felt like too much to concentrate on anything else. Then I lifted my head from the clouds, and Ashleigh was there. She had been so into me. Look where that had gotten me.
I wasn’t going to push Jennifer for something she didn’t want, but I wasn’t going to resist my flirtations. If she was my girlfriend this weekend, maybe, just maybe, I could find out if my affections were reciprocated.
* * *
I changed into fitted khakis with a thick brown belt, a bright blue button-up, rolled to my elbows, and a fresh pair of white tennis shoes. Jennifer’s eyes rounded slightly as they trailed down my body. I smiled confidently. At least she wasn’t completely immune to me.
