“It was a scouting session with Marty, but I had to run out to take a call. How was the massage?”
“Good.”
“You know, I give great massages.” He reaches near my hip, grabbing the hem of his—my?— jersey. It’s not one he’s wornbefore, but it has his name on it, and if elementary school taught me anything, it’s that if someone’s name is written on something, it belongs to them. That only applies to the jersey. Notme. “Next time you need one …”
“Why do I get the feeling you’ve used this line before?”
“Because you’re inclined to think the worst of me.” His arch expression is challenging.
“Or maybe because I know your type.”
“No type. I’m one of a kind, baby.”
“GROAN,” I say, pushing his chest. “You are such a flirt.”
“I’m not a flirt.”
“Oh, really? Tell that to the thousands of women you take selfies with.”
“What, so I’m not allowed to smile at fans?”
“Like smiling isallthey get.“
“Why is that so hard to believe?”
“Because you’re Cooper Kellogg. You’ve aged on stage. The whole world knows your exploits.”
“Man, you go on two dates with Jenna Ortega …”
“You dated Jenna Ortega??”
“I just said it was two dates!”
A soft bell sounds, signaling that the breakout is at an end. Coop and I both take a step back. “I’m going to go.”
“Don’t look up pictures of us,” he says, backwards walking slowly away.
“Which us? You and me? Or you andJenna Ortega?”
His playful look makes me smile in spite of myself. A couple of people walk between us, though, and the break in eye contact helps me turn away to go to my next session.
A moment later, I get a text.
Cooper
I mean it.
Liesel
Like I care enough to check.
I turn around and see him turn to face me at the exact same time. I drop my grin as fast as it appears, though. There are too many watchful eyes, and I don’t want him thinking I care. Even if the second I’m in my seat, I do, in fact, search for the pictures of him with his famous ex.
I only want to vomit a little, though, because then I pull up the picture of us from last night, and I don’t care if it’s just a good angle. He’s not looking at her the way he looks at me.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
COOPER
