Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 91846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
“Darling?” Hunter asked Kyle.
Kyle shrugged. “We’re fake dating.”
Three female voices cried out, “What?”
Candace grinned, lifted her wine glass, and took a sip.
Directing my attention down the table toward her, I said, “I’m sorry I accused you of blabbing your mouth.”
“It’s fine. I’ll need to borrow that green velvet dress you have.”
I gasped. “No, not the green velvet.”
Everyone swung their gazes from me to Candace. “Yes, that one.”
All eyes were back on me. “That is a two-thousand-dollar dress, Candace.”
A wicked smile appeared on her face. “I know…darling.”
“Okay.” Willa tossed her hands up in the air. “Enough of this.”
It was then I noticed the two empty chairs. “Where are Abby and Bishop?”
“Here we are!” Abby’s voice called out. She looked adorable in a cream-colored dress that showed off her little pregnant bump.
Bishop glanced around as he held the chair out for his wife. “What did we miss?”
Everyone turned to look at me.
Twenty minutes later, all of my friends were caught up. I had also informed them that Luke had indeed tried to reach out numerous times after I’d fled from the…scene of the kiss.
“But he hasn’t contacted you since you told him to leave your office?” Abby asked while she ran her hand over her tummy.
Taking a sip of my third drink, I shook my head. “No.”
“And he showed up out of the blue today on your birthday?” Bishop asked.
Nodding, I replied, “Yep.”
“What a douche,” Hunter said. “I’m never ever watching another one of his movies.”
I couldn’t help but smile at him. I loved my friends. Sighing, I replied, “It’s for the better. It would have never worked.”
“Why not?” Willa asked. “You said you loved him, and now that you’ve reflected on things, you don’t think he cheated. So why do you think it wouldn’t work?”
Hudson caught my eye. He was a writer—a famous writer. Not as famous as Luke, but there were moments when someone recognized him. Greer had even admitted to me once that when they were in Boston at one of his book signings, she was stunned by the number of women who paid him so much attention. I had assured her it was because he wrote good books and not because he was handsome. She didn’t call me out, but I was pretty sure she knew I was feeding her a line of bullshit.
“He wasn’t going to leave his career, and I would never ask him to,” I said. “I wasn’t going to move to LA, and the back-and-forth, long-distance relationship couldn’t last much longer. Not to mention having to watch him have pretend sex with other women. I don’t want that. I mean, I know I dated him, and I let myself believe it would all be okay. But I was also living in a world of make believe. I guess I was doing a bit of acting myself.”
“How do you know he won’t give up acting? Did you ask him?” Kyle asked.
I chewed on my lip. “No. The last time we talked was that day in my office.”
“No,” he said with a laugh. “It was earlier today, when he was standing in the lobby of the Willow Tree.”
Gasps echoed through the restaurant, and other tables turned to look in our direction.
“Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, he’s in Boggy Creek,” Candace stated.
Hunter nearly jumped up out of his seat. “Mark Johnson is here? In Boggy Creek?”
Kyle nodded in excitement. “Dude, right?”
“Wait, I’m still confused. Who’s Mark Johnson?” Aiden asked.
“Luke Walters,” Hudson said with a laugh. “It’s the character he played in Till Death Do Us Part.”
Bishop cleared his throat and raised his hand as if seeking permission to speak. I rolled my eyes and said, “Yes, Bishop?”
“So this guy you dated for a year suddenly shows up at your folks’ bed and breakfast, and you don’t find that odd?”
“Of course I find it odd! I’m confused, angry, confused.”
“You said confused already,” Kyle whispered.
I glared at him. “I wasn’t expecting it, and when he showed up, I panicked. Then Kyle walked in, and we kissed.”
Everyone’s eyes went wide with either confusion or shock.
“Wait, wait,” Willa said. “You kissed Luke?”
I sank down in my chair while Kyle started to look everywhere except at me or our friends.
“Holy shit,” Bishop said.
“What? I’m missing something,” Bella said.
Hunter turned and looked at Kyle. “You?”
Kyle frowned. “Don’t sound so surprised.”
Hunter, Bishop, Hudson and Aiden all busted out laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Kyle asked, his voice a few pitches too high.
Greer covered her mouth to keep her own laughter at bay, then looked at me. “Bree, you honestly kissed my brother?”
“It was an emergency!” I said, reaching for Kyle’s beer and nearly downing it in one drink.
“Hey, we may be fake dating, but that doesn’t mean you get to drink my real beer.”
Willa placed her finger and thumb on the bridge of her nose. “Let me get this straight, because I feel like things are spiraling out of control.”