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I bite my lip, smirking to myself as I slip my phone back into my pocket.
“If nothing else, Tenley’s got to regret letting you watchTed Lassoby now,” I add, hoping to continue diverting their attention. With the way my face must look right now, I’m probably a dead giveaway.
Technically, thisisthe opportune moment for me to announce that Loren and I are dating. But I don’t think I could pull off the lie in front of JD, not without Loren by my side, anyway. I might get away with stretching the truth most of the time, but he’s always been able to sniff out my tell.
“Relax, guys. I was smart enough to marry a woman who thinks puns and fart jokes are funny. And Tenley already said she doesn’t mind the gas, so long as I continue to make up for it in arm circumference,” he declares with a flex.
“Good, I’m glad,” I reply without thinking. “I mean, I don’t have time to draw up annulment papers.”
He stares at me strangely. “You sure?”
I huff. “Yeah, but if you keep making it weird, I’ll take it all back.”
“Does that mean you’re finally going to rethink your lifestyle and consider settling down, starting by introducing us to your new girlfriend?” he ventures with a hopeful smile, and Ethan stifles a laugh.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I mumble, just as a small flock of ducks lands in front of us.
We leave the duck blind about an hour later, JD directing Ethan to take care of our spoils in Ag class. It’s one of the benefits of living in Sportsman’s Paradise, I suppose.
I drive home for a quick shower, thinking about what kind of takeout I’m going to bring home for Loren later. Then I get dressed in a button-down and slacks, skipping the tie since I don’t have court today. I head into work, and Jada briefs me on what needs to be done as soon as I sit at my desk.
She squints at me before she leaves. “Something’s different about you lately.”
I blink and sit up straighter in my chair. “What do you mean?”
“You seem …” She taps her chin. “Happy … smitten. You’ve got a girlfriend, don’t you?”
I scoff. “Are you implying that I’d need a relationship to be happy?”
“No, but I can recognize that look on you when I see it, especially since I’ve never seen it on you before,” she replies.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I mutter, waving her off and pretending to dig into the pile of work on my desk. But a smile creeps across my face again.
She gasps. “It’s her, isn’t it?” Then she plops down on the chair across from my desk. “Loren Reed?”
My eyes dart around nervously as I instinctively move to deny it. But I won’t be able to pull off lying to Jada, either. There’s also a part of me who wants to give her the wrong impression, just to see what it feels like to claim Loren as mine. And since I’ll have to tell Jada about the baby, I could use this as a trial run.
“How did you know?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at her. My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I find myself hoping it’s Loren again.
She squeals excitedly. “Iknewyou had a thing for her,” Jada proclaims as I check the text that just came through. It’s from my old, recently-divorced buddy, Jase. He’s trying to get me to go out with him on Friday night, but I don’t even bother to read the whole thing before I tell him I’m busy.
“So, this is really a thing?” she continues as I put my phone away.
I shrug and smile shyly. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
“An actual-relationship thing?” She bites her lip and stares hopefully.
I roll my eyes, reminding myself not to oversell it. Loren and I will eventually have to stage a breakup, so I figure I should keep it vague. “I’m not sure yet, Jada.”
I wait for the punchline, fully expecting her to deliver one of those jokes about my reputation that I haven’t actually found all that funny in years. She’ll at least want to question my motives.
Instead, Jada leans over and pats my hand. “I’m happy for you, Blake. You’re a good man, and you deserve this. And I’m not just saying that because you sign my very generous paychecks.”
My chest expands as I study her more carefully. I was right. I like this feeling entirely too much.
“You really think I’m a good man?” I don’t mean to ask the question aloud, and I hate the way my voice cracks even more.
Her expression softens, and she nods. “Of course I do. Why do you think I’m always begging you to take better care of yourself?”
