“The whole thing. Pretending like I’m in love with your girlfriend. It was one thing to do it with a date when we were teenagers, but a long-term girlfriend? It’s too much.”
“How?”
“Am I supposed to touch her? Don’t you think we already crossed too many lines already?”
“Trust me, Summer will touch you whether you’re pretending to be me or not. She’s just an affectionate, touchy person all around. Just follow her lead.”
“I did that the other night, and we ended up making out.”
Justin throws a pencil at me, the tip hitting my chest.
“Ow! That could’ve taken off my nipple.” I rub the spot in question.
“Then put a shirt on for once.” Justin tries to act mad, but the smile he’s holding back tells me we’re fine. “Listen, you don’t have to touch her or pretend like you’re in love with her. Just show up. Get to know the family. That’s all I need. Then I can come tomorrow and do all the physical affection boyfriend stuff.”
“Just show up?”
“Just show up.” He nods. “I mean, you owe me that much for the passport, for staying here for free”—he glances around the condo—“for making everything messy.”
My eyes follow his. There’s a drip of chocolate ice cream melting on his kitchen table. My shoes and coat are thrown haphazardly in front of the door. The blanket I used while watching TV last night is crumpled on the floor beside the couch. There are soda cans and a bowl of yesterday’s popcorn on the coffee table. And that’s just what we can see. I know what the guest bathroom looks like. And I’m keenly aware of the pile of dishes in the sink. I’m sure my messes are a lot for my clean-freak brother.
I shift my gaze to him. “So you’re implying that me posing for you tonight is like my payment for all the other things.”
“Yes.”
“And then we’ll be even?”
“Then we’ll be even.” Justin shrugs. “Plus, it will mean a lot to me. You’d really be helping me out. I don’t want to lose Summer, but I also can’t risk neglecting my business.”
His eyes are sincere, and in that moment, all I want is to be the kind of brother that Justin can rely on.
“Fine.” I slap the table as I stand. “I’ll go. But I’m only doing it one time. Just because I’m taking a break from work and don’t have anything going on doesn’t mean I’m available to stand in for you whenever you want.”
“Yeah, just this one time.”
“When does the party start?”
“6:30.” Justin taps on his home screen, and we both glance down at the clock. It’s 6:27 right now. “You better hurry. If you’re really late, it will make me look bad.” There’s amusement in his expression, but I’m still annoyed.
“You make yourself look bad.” I throw an irritated look at him as I walk toward my bedroom. “Follow me.” I signal. “Tell me everything I need to know about her family.”
“I don’t know much.” Justin’s voice is behind me as I dig through the clean clothes in my bag. I haven’t really unpacked yet, so wrinkles cover every shirt I hold up.
“Why don’t you wear something of mine? You’re impersonating me, after all.”
I glance over my shoulder at his button-up shirt and iron-pressed slacks before turning back to my own clothes. “No, thanks.”
“Anyway, I’ve only met her parents twice.”
This piece of information causes me to pause and glance at him again with raised brows. “Twice in nine months?”
“Yeah, I’ve been busy.”
“No wonder they hate you.”
“Can we just stay focused here? Her parents’ names are Marty and Janet. And then she has four sisters I’ve never met. Anna, Erin, Hailey, and Juliet, and she’s the youngest.”
Four protective older sisters. Yikes.
