Page 57 of Set Play

I glare at her.

Fucking traitor.

We’re silent as I climb into the Audi. I feel him watching me, but I refuse to meet his eyes.

“What the hell is going on, Élise? On Sunday, you ran like el diablo was chasing you and have ignored me since.1”

I know he deserves an explanation, but I don’t have one to give him. We’ve mostly avoided talking about the rivalry thus far, and I’d like to keep it that way. That whole issue makes my head, and heart, hurt.

He’s nothing like the man Henri described, but why would Henri lie? And if he didn’t, then Mateo has to be, right?

Mateo stays quiet, waiting for my reply.

Sighing, I glance at him, hating how tired he looks. “You’re right, I’m sorry. To be honest, I don’t know how to explain it. Can we get through this event and then talk?”

“Fine, but no icing me out.” When his stormy eyes meet mine, his lips turn up in a wary smile.

“I promise,” I say with a matching smile even as my chest squeezes.

Mateo

The German Shepherd puppy that Élise is currently playing tug of war with is the cutest dog here, and if it weren’t for my travel schedule, I’d adopt him right now.

Watching them play together should be heartwarming, but instead it makes me regret this whole fake dating thing. She thinks she’s slick, focusing on the dogs to avoid me, but I see right through her act.

If only I could see through to her reasoning.

Despite her promise, she’s barely talked to me since I picked her up from brunch, let alone interacted with me. Hell, even the few times we’ve had to pose for the cameras have felt stiff. It’s like she’s tensed to bolt the second the photographer turns away.

Maybe, it’s time to let her go. Can’t keep someone that doesn’t want to be kept.

“You okay, Cap?” Soren’s voice startles me, and I turn to face him, only to see him surrounded by pups. “Want to talk about it?”

My instinct is to brush him off, to say I’ll figure it out, but look where that’s gotten me. Gesturing to a nearby table and smiling at his pack of followers, I say, “You know what…yeah, I do.”

The other guys join us soon after I start telling the story. Thankfully, Lukas wasn’t here yet when I admitted that Élise and I slept together in Phoenix; he’s insufferable enough without that knowledge.

“Then she ran, iced me out, and here we are,” I finish, nodding in her general direction.

“So, you have no idea why she just ran off after your date or why she’s ignoring you?” Theo leans in, eyes filling with sympathy when I shake my head.

“Sounds like she’s struggling to process some shit up here.” He jabs at his temple.

My brow scrunches in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Surprisingly, it’s Soren who answers. “Think about it. Imagine spending six years being told someone was the bad guy before you get to know them and see the stories were wrong. How would you handle those conflicting ideas of who that person is?”

Lukas slams his fist down on the table, scaring a sleeping corgi. He winces and offers the pups some apologetic pats before hissing, “Are you saying that Henri the Cuntopotamus is still fucking my brother over?”

Soren shrugs. “Only one way to find out.”

I contemplate Soren’s theory as I scan the crowd, catching Élise watching me. “You’re right,” I say as I move to stand up. “No time like the present.”

She stays tense as I approach but doesn’t move to get away. I’m about to make an icebreaking joke about Soren being a dog-whisperer when someone sneers behind me, “Well don’t you two just make up the picture of bliss.”

I spin to find my least favorite reporter, Tony Cavalo, lurking under a tree a few feet away. Fucking snake.

His lips curl into an ugly grin as his eyes dart between Élise and me. “You two seem like you’d rather tongue bathe a cactus than be near one another. Hell, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were faking this whole relationship thing.”