He blinks, still processing. “The one who called you an arrogant show-off at the team gala last year?”
“Yup.”
“The one who told Chloe she’d rather date a lamp than you?”
“Still yup.”
Wyatt throws his head back, laughing so hard it echoes through the empty gym. “Oh, this is going to be good. Please tell me she’s in on it, and you didn’t just decide this for her.”
“She’s in on it,” I say, rolling my eyes. “We made a deal. I help her with your wedding, and she helps me with the reunion. It’s fake dating. Simple.”
“Simple?” Wyatt grins, shaking his head. “Have you met Lainey? She doesn’t do simple. She’s got a plan for everything—probably down to how many seconds you’re allowed to hold her hand.”
“She’s got it all figured out,” I reply with a shrug. “As long as we stick to the plan, it’ll be fine.”
Wyatt raises an eyebrow, his skepticism written all over his face. “You seriously believe that? You and Lainey playing house is like tossing a match into dry grass—there’s no way this doesn’t catch fire.”
“Not if we keep things under control,” I say, keeping my tone even. “Boundaries. Rules.”
He laughs, crossing his arms. “Boundaries, huh? Those are great on paper, but when feelings get involved—and they will—rules won’t save you.”
I shrug, brushing him off. “We’ll stick to the plan.”
“Sure,” Wyatt says, smirking. “Because nothing ever goes off-script with you two. Look, I still think this is nuts, and Chloe’sprobably going to lose her mind when she finds out, but I’ll admit—if anyone can pull this off, it’s you.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I reply.
“Don’t thank me yet,” Wyatt adds as we head toward the locker room. “This could still go sideways fast. But honestly? I’d like to see it work out. Might save us all the pain of dealing with your constant bickering.”
I chuckle. “Not going to happen. We’ve got this handled.”
He points at me as he grabs his towel. “Sure you do. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Wyatt slings his towel over his shoulder and walks off, leaving me standing there with his words hanging in the air.
Feelings for Lainey? No chance.
Chapter 8
Lainey
“Well,well,”Zachdrawls,his voice dripping with amusement. “Who’s stalking who now?”
I glance up from the registration table to find Zach Darling standing just a few feet away, dressed in a fitted polo shirt and wearing his signature cocky grin. The sunlight glints off his tousled dark hair, making him look annoyingly perfect in this country club scene he’d insisted on for our first date.
The local golf tournament fundraiser is in full swing, with clusters of people scattered across the manicured fairways. It’s the kind of sunny day that should make me feel relaxed.
I roll my eyes, fighting the urge to smirk. “Chloe invited me,” I say, my tone cool. “Don’t flatter yourself. Not everything revolves around you, you know.”
He chuckles, his blue eyes gleaming with mischief. “If you say so.” His grin widens, completely unfazed.
As I lean closer to sign my name on the clipboard, I lower my voice just enough for him to hear. “How did I do?”
“You did good, baby,” he says, winking as his voice dips into that low, teasing tone that always manages to fluster me.
A blush creeps up my cheeks, but I force myself to maintain my composure as Chloe steps up beside me, clearly catching the tail end of our exchange.
“Can you two please play nice today?” Chloe asks, exasperation written all over her face.
