Page 40 of The Player I Can’t Pick

A smile slowly spreads across her face. “I might have a job?”

I laugh and pull her into a hug. “You might have a job.”

She’s laughing when I release her. “I can’t believe you did that. Guy, I’ve applied at every school in Jasper.”

“Well, this one’s in Whiskey Run, but it’s only about twenty minutes away.”

She hugs me again. “Thank you. Seriously. Thank you. I owe you big time.”

I put my hand back on her thigh. “You don’t owe me anything.”

What I don’t tell her is how much I like the idea of her teaching at the school right down the road from my house. Maybe eventually I can convince her to spend more time there too.

She’s smiling from ear to ear. “Oh, I definitely owe you. Name it.”

I squeeze her thigh. “Okay. I’m ready to collect.”

She searches my eyes. “What do you want?”

I slowly let out a breath. “I want you off Pick Me.”

She opens her mouth, closes it, then opens it again. “Excuse me?”

I reach up and brush a strand of hair away from her face. “I want you to delete your profile.”

She tilts her head. “And what exactly am I supposed to tell the guy who asked me out for Friday night?”

My teeth clench. “Tell him you’re busy Friday night. Hell, tell him you’re busy for the foreseeable future.”

“But—”

I shake my head. “You’re not going on that date, Nicole. I don’t share.”

She stares at me with wide eyes before propping her elbow on the table. “So does that mean you’re getting off Pick Me too?” I don’t answer quickly enough. She lifts an eyebrow. “I mean, that’s the only way you know I’m still on there. You have to have an account too.”

I pull my phone from my pocket and set it on the table between us. I open the app, and my profile pops up. She leans closer. “Uh… is that your brother Ozzy?”

I shrug. “Yeah. I didn’t want to make one for myself, so I figured setting one up for my single brother wouldn’t hurt anything.”

Her eyebrows lift. “Does he know about this?”

I smirk, already imagining his reaction. “No, but I’ll make sure he does.”

He’s going to be pissed, which works for me. I’ll call it payback for ambushing Nicole with the whole family.

She scrunches up her nose. “Wait. You joined Pick Me just to see if I was still on it? Why didn’t you just ask me?”

I shrug, but insecurity starts creeping in. “I don’t know. I guess I hoped you’d already deleted it without me asking. I thought maybe you were done with it.”

Her eyes soften. “Guy…”

I look at her. “You want to keep this hidden, fine. But I’m not sharing you, Nicole. You’re mine, even if only you and I know it.”

She smiles softly. “And my dad. Don’t forget him.”

I put my hand along the back of the booth and run my fingers through her hair. “And your dad.”

She pulls out her phone, opens the app, and starts tapping the screen. “Fine. I’m canceling it.”