by Jami Wagner
“Conner’s not—”
“Oh, trust me, he is. He’s a tease, too, so don’t go thinking he’s into you if he flirts. That’s just who he is. And if you’re not looking for a guy, then you might want to keep to the story that you and Conner are a thing or whatever. If you don’t, Pete will be all over you.”
She hasn’t looked at me once, and a part of me wonders if it’s possible someone told her the wrong thing about me and Conner, and this could be the reason for her attitude toward me.
“I’m sure you’ve heard of me. You are hanging out with some people who aren’t very fond of me. And I’m sure nothing you’ve heard is good, but you really shouldn’t judge me from what you hear.”
“I agree,” I say, hoping she catches the hint. By the pause, I’d say she caught on pretty fast.
“Anyway, if you take my advice on anything, it’s this: Pete is a cool guy and all, but when he wants something he gets serious fast and it’s scary.”
“You say that like you’ve had firsthand experience.”
“Just take my word for it.” This time she looks me right in the eyes and it makes me cringe. Her eyes mean business. I don’t make another comment; instead we fold almost the entire bin, which I’m estimating is at least fifty towels, in silence.
“So are you for real dating Conner Brian? Because I saw him the other night and it didn’t look like he was dating anyone,” Pete says the moment he’s back.
Abby is still folding towels like he isn’t even there.
“Sure am,” I reply.
Abby makes a choking noise and throws her head back before returning to her never-ending task. “They’re practically living together,” she adds.
“Seriously? Well, shit,” Pete says with disbelief. “I guess we’d better get to work then. Follow me.”
And I do. He teaches me how to pick up weights, clean machines, fill shampoo/ conditioner/body wash and lotion bottles, and take pool temperature. After learning all that, those memberships sound like a fantastic idea. Anything sounds better than having to admit to Conner that I’ve made him my fake boyfriend. And I’ve known him less than a week. This should go well.
Conner
For the first time in a few days, I find myself with free time that I have no idea what to do with. I’ve done everything inside my apartment that a guy can do. I’ve taken out the trash, I’ve washed sheets and attempted to fold them neatly, I’ve gone through my junk drawer in the kitchen, and I’ve made a list of home repair projects I can do on my next day off. Jake is going to love the new shelf I plan to build him. When I ran out of ideas, I even cleaned the bathroom, scrubbed the toilet and all. Now I’m on the couch, bored and not finding anything else to take my mind off my new neighbor or the fact Heather hasn’t called me like she said she would and that she isn’t answering my calls. I couldn’t care less that she hasn’t talked to me, but she has my kid so I worry about him. If she’s ignoring me … would she ignore him?
Alex is this breath of fresh air and although I’m really enjoying this upbeat mood that she gave me after hanging out a couple nights ago, I can’t help but worry how this is going to affect my relationship with Jake’s mom.
I know he and I will be fine, but if Heather knew that I even had the idea of a hanging out with another woman, I’m afraid of how she would lash out at me for it. If she ever tried to take Jake from me, I’d fall apart. That kid is my life. Therefore, I don’t feel like sharing any of this information with her just yet. And Alex, she has no idea what’s going on between me and Heather. I should probably tell her before it blows up in my face and Alex starts to think for some reason it’s her fault I don’t want to be with Jake’s mom.
I’ve just leaned back and am about to turn the television on when my cell chimes with an incoming text. It’s from Lucas; he wants to head to the gym to shoot some hoops.
I send a quick message back letting him know I can meet him in fifteen minutes. I stuff some clothes into my bag and hop in my truck. The thought that I might run into Alex crosses my mind. I haven’t crossed paths with her even once since dinner and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking for an excuse to see her again.
With my bag slung over my shoulder and Lucas, who arrives at the same time as I do, doing the same, we head inside. We swipe our cards, and Abby comes out from the small kitchen behind the counter.
“Hey, Conner.” She waves at me with a smile that quickly disappears when her eyes find Lucas. She rolls them and walks off.
“What’s that about?” I ask.
“Who the heck knows. That girl is pissed at me every other day, I swear it. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s over something as dumb as our schedule at the BA. Logan’s been giving me Fridays off, and I think it annoys her.”
“Why do we all keep hanging out with her?”
“Technically, we all just work together so we aren’t actually hanging out,” he answers.
“One day I’ll have an—”
“Brian! Since when do you have a wicked hot girlfriend and everyone but me knows about it? I swear when the girl told me you two were dating, I didn’t believe her.”
What’s Pete talking about? Shit, is Heather telling people we’re an official couple?
“I …”
“Oh, babe! I didn’t know you were coming in tonight. I would have been up front, had I known.” The odd and fully fake tone Alex uses as she walks up to me is creepy. The moment she wraps her arms around me, we both freeze. I swear, if I didn’t know she was pretending, I’d dip my head and place my lips against hers right now. Self-control out the window.
The right side of her mouth tugs into a smile, and she hugs me tighter. I’m definitely going to play along with whatever this it. I give her a squeeze.
“I couldn’t wait to see you,” I tell her, and it isn’t a total lie. It’s part of the reason I was so eager to come. Keeping my arms wrapped around her waist, I pull her next to me. She complies easily. Pete just stands there, watching with a doubtful expression on his face, and one quick look at Lucas reveals the exact same expression. He doesn’t believe us.
The small shaking from Alex’s hand on my hip makes me wonder why she would feel the need to pretend like this. I’ve heard Pete can come on pretty strong, but I don’t remember him being someone you needed protection against.
That’s the moment I decide to lean down and kiss the top her head the way I did last night. The moment my lips touch her, she leans into me and I feel as her entire body relax in my arms.
“Alright, well, I’ll give you a minute to get whatever display of affection you two need out of your system before we get back to training.” Pete pins his stare on Alex. “I’ll be up front when you’re ready.”
He stands there for a good ten more seconds before he glares at me and walks off. I don’t think we were as convincing as I wanted us to be.
“Sooo, who is going to explain this to me and can I be there when you explain it to Heather?” Lucas says the moment Pete is out of ears’ reach.
Instead of letting go of Alex and answering his question, I keep my hand firmly resting on her hip.
“Can you give us a minute? I’ll meet you on the court in about ten minutes.”
Lucas leaves without a word, and I’m finally alone with Alexis, and he last thing I want her to do is ask about Heather, so I answer before she gets the chance.
“Heather is Jake’s mom.”
She only nods.
“I’m so sorry about that, but Abby said he was the type of guy who doesn’t stop till he gets what he wants, and then she mentioned how he was looking at me like I was something he wanted, so her suggestion was that since you and I are neighbors, it would be best for me to pretend you are my boyfriend and then I wouldn’t have to worry about Pete and—”
“And it sounds like Abby set you up for something.”
Her head jerks back slightly as her confused eyes finally make their way back to mine.
“For what?”
; I chuckle, shaking my head. “If you can figure out why Abby does half the things she does before the rest of us, please let me know.”
“I think she was being honest.”
Poor Alex. She hasn’t met the real Abby yet. I resist the urge to pull my hand away, moving it from her waist to rub her arm.
“Why do you think this?”
“Well, she mentioned it as a way to make me feel more comfortable here. If she is a bad as you all say she is, wouldn’t she have let Pete pester me?”
She has a point, but it’s still a little hard for me to believe that Abby would do a good deed, asking for nothing in return.
“Besides, it doesn’t matter. I feel more comfortable doing this, and I’m sorry I just sprung it on you, but can you please play along?”
“This could have been avoided, you know.” I’m really only making this comment to put her at ease, because really, I enjoy her hands touching me and claiming me and I hate being worked up about whatever scheme Abby is up to this time.
“How? I didn’t know you were going to come in here to work out. I planned to tell you about it when I got home later tonight.”
“You could have texted me.”
“I don’t have your number.”
“Yeah, I know. You could have it, though.”
“Okay.” She pulls out her phone, taps the screen a few times, and thrusts the phone toward me.
“You have to ask,” I flash her a grin.
“For your phone number?”
I nod.
“Are you being serious right now?”
Her laugh hits me hard. The sound warms my entire body.
“I never joke when a girl is asking me for my number.”
She tries her hardest to keep her lips from cracking a smile but finally gives in.
“Conner, may I please get your—”
“Babe, I told you we could selfie it later, but right now I’ll give you what you want till you get home,” I cut her off the minute I see Pete walking toward us. I grab her phone, quickly tap the photo button and pull her next to me, my lips gently caress her temple.
It takes a good 5 seconds for her to figure everything out, then, like before, she does that fake laugh thing that weirds me out as she wraps her arms around me.
“Alright, Brian. You can’t come in here and be all over her while she’s working.”
He’s annoyed, but I don’t care. He isn’t going to touch her now or ever. And after today, that fake laugh is going to be replaced with a real one.
I save the photo we just took and add myself as a contact with the same photo as my profile picture. Then I shoot myself a quick text.
“See you at home,” I say with a wink, handing her the phone and heading into the locker room.
As I strip to change into my gym clothes, I send her a message of my own.
Me: Can I give you a ride home later?
I’m fully changed and about to lock my phone inside my locker when I hear the buzz.
Alex: What makes you think I need a ride?
Me: Your car was at the apartment before I left to come here.
Alex: Creeper, but yes. That would be nice.
I smile, placing my phone in my locker before I step out to join Lucas. I have to tell Heather that being together isn’t a good idea. I said I’d try, but it’s clear neither of us is going to work hard enough. I can’t be with her when this feeling she wants me to have for her is developing for someone else.
Chapter Six
Alexis
It’s been a few days since I saw Conner at the gym. Three days I’ve worked there, and this little voice in the back of my mind hopes he’s going to come in. That same little voice is also telling me I should stay clear of him until I come clean to my brother that I’m here. Conner made it clear he isn’t a fan of secrets, and I have a one. A big one, too. It may not include him, but it does include someone he clearly cares about. So, yes, there is that. He also asked me, again, via text since I pretended to not be home when he knocked on my door yesterday, to go to this barbeque next weekend and I’m running out of excuses. I told him I had to work, and he said come by after. I said I worked the evening shift, and he said stop by on your way. My only solution now is to completely avoid him until after next weekend.
Between Conner, my new job, the information I’ve learned since I got here about my brother, and the self-inflicted stress of this secret, my journaling has been in high gear. Today, however, I do not have to work, so instead of writing, I’m going to bake. Since I finally made it to the store, alone I might add, I have everything I need to whip up a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies.
The dough is made and the first tray is in the oven. I am putting the last measuring cup into the dishwasher when my door opens and in walks Conner. At first I focus on the fact he didn’t knock, then I focus on the fact it doesn’t bother me and that I’m happy to see him.
“Smells good in here,” he says, closing the door behind him.
“Shouldn’t you ask permission before you enter an apartment that doesn’t belong to you?” I ask playfully. The timer dings and I switch out the baked batch for another one with dough.
“Not when it belongs to my girlfriend.”
The oven door slips from my grip and slams shut.
Conner’s gaze is drawn to the two pieces of toast with butter and grape jelly spread on them, sitting on a white paper towel in my kitchen. “You’re eating that and baking cookies?” he asks.
“Yeah, why not?”
“My old roommate used to eat his toast like that. I honestly never thought I’d meet another person who enjoys it.”
“It’s good. You should try it, but first let’s talk about this girlfriend thing,” I joke with him.
“I’m kidding, sort of,” he says. “I was at the gym this morning and saw Pete, and I thought to myself, ‘We should have a story.’”
“A story?”
“Yeah, like how we met, how long we’ve been dating, and so on.”
“Oh, I don’t think anyone is going to interrogate you.” I laugh, resetting the timer and moving to the couch. Conner sits next to me, and although he’s wearing jeans, the moment his leg touches mine, I’m suddenly very aware that we are alone, again.
“I like to be prepared. What if … we met—”
“In college,” I add.
“Ah, no.”
“You didn’t go to college?”
“Yes and no, why? Does that bother you?”
“Not at all. I didn’t go right out of high school. I plan to one day, but not yet.”
The right side of his mouth tugs a little as he holds back a smile.
“How about I’m the cousin or sibling of someone you know who he wouldn’t know?” It’s both a real idea and to test how he would feel about it. Other than Beth, he’s the only person I feel comfortable with here so far, so his opinion matters.
“You have the worst ideas ever.” He chuckles.
That stings.
“What, how?” I ask, succeeding slightly in hiding my concern over his reply.
His eyes slowly roam over my face.
“Because if you were the sister or cousin of any one of my friends, you’d be off limits. No questions asked. And that is not something I want to think about.”
My heart pounds. He just openly admitted that he’s attracted to me. He also just told me that if he knew I was Logan’s sister, whatever we have going on wouldn’t have a chance. Not in so many words, of course.
“Don’t look so panicked. It was a good try, but we can’t go with that idea.”
The timer dings again, and I spring away from my seat to the kitchen. With a new batch cooling, I begin dropping spoonfuls of dough on to the cookie sheet.
“So, I was thinking.” Conner comes up behind me, grabs a cookie, and leans against the counter next to me. He tilts his head, positioning his face closer to mine. My eyes go straight to his lips.
What has gotten into him? Before today, he
was a normal hot guy. Now, he’s this normal hot guy who is hardcore flirting with me and about to cause my nerves to have a meltdown.
An all-white smile and his deep chuckles forces me to blink and realize that I’m staring and I’m trying to make a giant cookie on the sheet in front of me.
“You want some help?”
“Nope, I’ve got it.”
He nods, his smile growing wider.
“Okay, well, aside from us creating a story, we should go out in public. You know, make it seem more real.”
“And do what?”
“Dinner and a movie.”
“Like a date?”
“Yes. Exactly like a date.”
With the oven timer set once again, I give him my full attention. I swallow, thinking of my answer and praying he can’t hear my heartbeat as loudly as I can feel it in my ears.
“Sure. I mean, other than the lake and hiking, I haven’t explored much else of this town. We could do that?”
“Great.” He grabs two more cookies and heads for the door. “Since you’re busy working tomorrow, we can go tonight. I’ll pick you up in an hour.”
“Sure,” I answer again. He flashes me a wink and leaves.
I stand there frozen, staring at the door as if I imagined this entire thing. I’m going on a date with Conner and I have less than an hour to get ready. One hour to shower and get dressed. Not to mention shave my legs, because, let’s face it, Conner stirs something inside me that I didn’t know was there and I’m not sure I’ll be able to resist. That, and I can’t wear a dress with hairy legs. I head for the bathroom. I can’t waste any time. I want to look good for Conner tonight.
Conner
I’ve still got it.
I still know how to flirt with a woman. It wasn’t easy because nothing with Alex comes easy for me. I mean, seriously, I haven’t seen her at the gym and I’ve been trying to talk to her in person since I gave her a ride home on her first day of work. She’s replied to a couple of text messages I’ve sent her about attending Logan’s barbeque with me, but I can’t read emotion in a text and it bugs me.
Somehow she managed to make it to the grocery without me. Not that it’s a big deal, but I get the feeling she’s intentionally trying not to run into me and I have no idea why. Still, I’m not going to let that scare me out of asking her out. Yeah, we had a rocky start, but the night she was over for dinner, I was relaxed. I could just be me and I didn’t feel like I had to try hard to impress her. We talked like we’ve known each other for years, and each time she let out her quirky laugh, I couldn’t help but join her. I’m in the mood to feel that way again.
