Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 87275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
The thought alone eats through me.
“Do you two have a plan?” Tate asks.
“For what?” Waffles jumps at the sound of my voice. I pet the top of his head until he falls asleep again. When I speak again, it’s quieter. “Do we have a plan for what?”
He grins. “How not to kill each other primarily.”
“No, but we need one.” I need one.
How am I going to navigate this and come out unscathed?
Our exchange echoes through my brain as I gaze out the window.
“Better be sure you can handle this, big girl.”
“Oh, little boy, you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”
It’s like a light goes off—a big, bright light that shines directly on the path I need to travel.
A slow smile splits my cheeks. “I know what I’m going to do.”
“I thought I wanted to know, but by the sound of your voice, maybe I don’t.”
I turn to him. “I’m going to beat her at her own damn game.”
“Meaning …”
“If Georgia’s anything, she’s predictable,” I say, still working out the details in my head. “As much as I hate to admit it, she’s good at what she does.”
Tate lifts a brow.
“Not like that.” Probably like that, but I wouldn’t know. “I mean that when the cameras are on, she will play her role to a T. She’ll think in her pretty little head that she’s getting to me and making me fall for her. She’s just arrogant enough to believe that.”
“And you won’t be falling for her?”
I scoff at his question. “Are you serious?”
“I’m just saying that while I don’t know what all this entails, if the idea is seeing if two people will fall in love, then I imagine there will be some talking, touching—maybe a little kissing.”
My pulse quickens, but I ignore it. “Tate, I take offense to your suggestion that I would be weak enough to actually fall for her.”
“I apologize.”
“No, you don’t.”
He laughs. “Okay, so you’re impervious to her. You’re just arrogant enough to believe she’ll fall for you.”
“Don’t be a smart-ass, giving my words back to me.”
“Did I do that?” He plays oblivious. “I had no idea. I was calling it as I see it.”
I roll my eyes. “Listen, I don’t have a choice in this situation. I’ve given Jonah my word, and I will see that through. I might as well have some fun with it and establish the upper hand with Georgia once and for all.”
His chest shakes as he struggles not to laugh again.
“What?” I ask, sighing.
“I just hope you win.”
“Asshole.”
He glances at his phone. “I need to take this. I’ll be back.”
“Sure.”
As Tate leaves, Waffles wakes up and squirms out of my hands. He follows my brother out the door and down the hall.
My body vibrates with energy, still pumped with adrenaline from earlier. But unlike before, I’m finally starting to see things clearly. My emotions are falling by the wayside, and reality is easier to untangle.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and find Myla’s email with the filming schedule. We’re set to film our first date on Thursday night.
I slide out of my email and to my text app. Then I find Georgia’s name with the peach emoji beside it.
Me: First date is Thursday.
Georgia: I’ll file this under Texts I Never Thought I’d Get From Ripley.
Me: It’s a dream come true, isn’t it?
Georgia: Keep telling yourself that. Is there a point to this communication? I might have agreed to do Sutton a favor and pretend to date you, but I never agreed to random texts.
I roll my eyes.
Me: We need to lay out some ground rules.
Georgia: Do we, though?
Me: Think about it …
I stare at the screen for a minute and then two. Finally, her message pops up.
Georgia: Fine. Ground rules meeting tomorrow night at The Swill?
Me: Seven?
Georgia: Fine.
Me: Fine.
Georgia: You’re paying.
Me: Fine.
I almost expect her to text fine again just to get in the last word, but she doesn’t.
Tate waltzes back into his office with a tennis ball, and Waffles jumps high, trying to take it from him.
“I promised Waffles I’d take him outside and throw the ball around,” Tate says.
“You hungry?”
“I’m always hungry.”
“All right. I’ll order a pizza and meet you outside.”
Tate opens the door to the back patio, nearly tripping over my dog, who is entirely too excited to go outside and play. I meander through Tate’s house and stare at my text exchange with Georgia.
“I imagine there will be some talking, touching—maybe a little kissing.”
My muscles tighten as I hear Tate’s voice repeatedly in my head.
“Touching—maybe a little kissing.”
A slow, mischievous smile slips across my lips.
I might have been wrong to focus on the inconvenience of this setup. Because this? This might just be a hell of a lot of fun.
Georgia Hayes is going down.
I chuckle.
Better keep that visual out of my head.
Chapter Ten
Ripley
The Swill is calm when I walk in. I find a table in the back corner, nestled in the shadows, and sit with my back to the wall so I can watch for Georgia to arrive. I’m early—not only because I was anxious to get this over with but also because establishing oneself early is the best way to take control of a situation.