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I shook my head and bit my bottom lip. This girl was impossible. One glance over at Freddy and Zane, and I found them still standing on the other side of the fence watching me closely. Freddy fidgeted against the chained link, about ready to explode with nervous energy. I was pretty sure he would’ve died if I’d turned down his chance to see Janelle, or any girl, in a bikini. Zane had a different look on his face. He seemed...conflicted. I was having a hard time getting a reading on him.
Did he want me to do this or not?
“Well, I guess that could work,” I said with more confidence than I felt. “Just let me check with my dad first.”
Janelle squealed and wrapped her twig arms around me with a squeeze. “Perfect! Text me with the address and we’ll see you there af
ter Allen closes for the day. Right boys?”
“Right.” Freddy grabbed Zane by the neck and tried to pull him into a headlock, but Zane easily broke free. “We’ll be there, right, Zane?”
He rubbed the back of his head and made a face, hesitation clearly written all over his face. “I don’t know...”
“It’s fine, Zane.” Janelle shot him a smile with enough wattage to power up the soccer field lights. “I’m sure Makeup Girl’s home is perfectly safe. And she won’t stalk you. She told me you weren’t her type. She’s not that pathetic. Promise, Makeup Girl?”
With a start, I realized she was talking to me. I was the pathetic Makeup Girl she’d mentioned. I nodded dumbly, unsure how to respond to such a sugary-sweet insulting tone. The girl had passive-aggressiveness down. Charlotte and Beth both bristled beside me, but they managed to keep their cool long enough for Janelle to add her number to my phone and then stride off with more pep in her step than usual.
“Bikinis and babes.” Freddy rubbed his palms together as he walked backwards toward the director calling them back in. “Two of my favorite things. Can’t wait.”
Zane groaned good-naturedly at his friend’s behavior and then waited until Freddy was a few steps away before turning back to me. With an unsure glance at Beth and Charlotte, he swallowed hard and pinned me with a questioning gaze.
“Your dad’s house?”
I nodded, feeling the unvoiced questions behind his tone. “Yeah. See you there?”
There was an unmistakable flash of longing in his eyes. His chest rose and fell in a deep breath. This time, I knew what was going on in his head. It was the same struggle going on inside mine. Do we fight this, or give in? Either way seemed to have its problems.
“Yeah, I’ll be there,” he said finally, nodding his head sharply. The indecision I’d seen there only moments ago was completely gone. “See you tonight.”
I watched him turn and start to jog back toward the director. It was like seeing a slow-motion video on Tik Tok. Every time his foot hit the ground, my heart pounded painfully. And when he was finally back in place, I turned back to Beth, placing my hands on my hips and staring her down with my sternest expression.
“What. Was. That?”
“What?” She shrugged innocently. “You said you wanted to try exposure therapy. I figured this is the best way to do it, without getting you both in trouble.”
My cheeks warmed as I gaped at her. “This is so not the exposure therapy I had in mind.”
Secretly dating him, yes. That worked for me. Watching him splash around in the water looking recklessly sexy while the whole cast stood nearby? Nope. Not going to work.
“I know it sounds tough.” She shot me an ornery smile. “But if you can spend time around him in nothing but swim trunks, then you’ll be golden. We’ll be there to help you. Besides, after what we just saw, I think we can all agree that you need the extra help.”
I rolled my eyes and put on my most convincing voice. “Come on, guys. It’s not that bad. You know we’re just coworkers.”
Charlotte laughed and nudged me gently with her elbow. “That’s like me saying that Hunter and I are just friends. You drool every time you see him.”
Sighing, I ran my hand through my hair. They were so not helping. “So, what’s the plan?”
“Exactly what you said at lunch today. You’ll have to learn how to be around him without reacting,” Beth said, pressing her lips tightly together. “And we’ll be there to help. It’s exposure therapy. The more you’re exposed to him, the less you’ll react. Trust me, I know you. You lose interest in a guy faster than it takes to get through a rerun of Friends. By the end of this party, you’ll be onto your next conquest.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. I wasn’t exactly thrilled at her description of my dating habits. So, maybe I had a habit of losing interest quickly. That didn’t make me a man eater. And I doubted it would work here.
Still, I wasn’t one to waste a good party and it didn’t hurt to give Beth’s plan a try. With a smile, I draped my arms over her and Charlotte’s shoulders before walking forward.
“Fine, we’ll party. But I think it’s time we find someone for Beth, too. Don’t you agree, Charlotte?”
“Ooh, a movie star for Beth?” Charlotte rubbed her hands together. “I’m all in.”
I snuck a glance at our friend. Her face had gone white. I giggled inside and kept my mouth shut. It was still pretty clear that she had someone on the side. Maybe with a little prodding, she’d fess up soon. Either way, I wasn’t about to let this party go by without having a little matchmaking fun...even if it wasn’t for myself.
