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My smile dropped like a lead balloon. “Uh—you wanna sit down?”
His eyebrows shot up. “It’s like that, is it? Is this where you fake break up with me?”
“No! I mean, maybe?” I frowned. “You might fake break up with me.”
“Oh, shit. Okay.” He put down his mug. “What’s happened?”
I swallowed. There was a big lump in my throat, and it tasted a lot like regret, even though I had nothing to regret, did I?
I did, and I knew I did. Even if it didn’t bother Mason at all.
“Okay. Sunday night, when the girls were here, I got a text.”
“Right.”
“Apparently, I’m an idiot who forgot to take down my ad from the internet.”
“I think I see where this is going.” He leaned back against the counter and folded his arms across his chest. “Did you fake cheat on me?”
“No! Can you let me finish my story?”
He waved his arm. “Go on.”
“So kind of you,” I snarked. “Anyway, I didn’t feel right about going, so I took Tina and Madi with me.”
“They’re your best friends, right?”
“Yes. I thought you were letting me finish.”
He just stared at me.
Men.
“We arranged to meet after I finished work last night. They said they needed a date for their dad’s engagement party.”
“And you didn’t think a Monday night was a weird night to have an engagement party?”
I paused. “I didn’t think at all, to be honest.”
“Well, at least you can admit that.”
“Hey. There’s no need to insult me.”
He half-smiled. “Carry on.”
“Turned out, it wasn’t actually a date. It was Claudia.”
Mason froze. “What?”
“Yeah. It was Claudia.” I grimaced. “She found the ad and pretended to need a date to get me there. She told me she knew our relationship wasn’t real, and she said she was going to tell your family that we’re faking it.”
“All right.” He rubbed his chin.
“She also tried to tell me that she’d been at your place on Sunday night.”
“She was.”
It was my turn to still. “What?”
“She was at my apartment on Sunday night.” He put down his mug and gripped the edge of the counter. “It’s not the first time she’s shown up since the reunion. I know of three times for sure, but I think it was more.”
My eyebrows shot up.
I was pissed.
I had no business being pissed, but here I was, getting all kinds of angry.
“Three times, huh?”
Mason’s lips pulled to one side. “You look a little more bothered about that than I expected.”
“Bothered? I’m not bothered. You can do what you want with your ex. I think it’s a little shitty to sleep with us both on the same day, but that’s your prerogative.”
He stared at me for a moment before he laughed. “You think I slept with you both on the same day?”
I pursed my lips. “Well, not really.”
“Do you really think I’m that kind of guy?”
“No.” I sighed. “But it would be so much easier to justify this annoyance if you were.”
“What annoyance?”
“Why do you look so happy about me being annoyed?”
“I’m not happy. I’m pleasantly surprised.”
“That I’m in a bad mood? You’re a sick, sick man.”
He pushed off the side and walked over to me. “Listen to me, Lauren. Claudia is a master manipulator. She cheated on me, but she doesn’t want anyone else to have me. She’s showing up at my place, putting on puppy dog eyes, and hoping she can talk me into getting back with her. I’d bet that her relationship with her boss isn’t going too well, and she wants a backup guy.”
I looked up at him.
“It’s not going to happen.” His voice was firm—tough, yet still weirdly gentle at the same time. “I have zero interest in her. So whatever she told you, it was a lie.”
“You didn’t do anything with her?”
“I barely had a conversation with her. The first time, I basically kicked her straight out. I humored her on Sunday by letting her spew her bullshit, then did the same thing again.” He put one hand on the island. “I’d bet she’d already found the ad, and she messaged you after she’d left. She’s probably thinking she can use it to manipulate me into dating her again.”
“I hate her.”
“Yeah, well, take a number and get in line.” His blue eyes sparkled with silent laughter. “Personally, I don’t give a crap if she tells my family it was fake. Kirsty set this up. Aunt Pru was complacent in the deception. We can totally blame it all on them.”
A small smile teased my lips. “You’re not fake breaking up with me.”
“Not today.” He tapped me on the nose. “Besides, we both know this isn’t all entirely fake anymore.”
My heart skipped. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t decide if you’re being deliberately dense or if I should just humor you.”
“Guess and find out.”
“There’s more than just attraction between us, Lauren. I think it’d be easier for us both if we just admit that we’re starting to feel something real.”
