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I dropped my head between my knees and rubbed my temples. This wasnotgood. This was very, very bad.
“Don’t act like that. Listen to me first,” he pleaded. “I made a fake account posing as that high end salon in downtown that she loves. I told her she won a free blow out. Claire loves getting that done before date nights. And it’s like Pavlov, ya know? She’ll go to the salon, then she’ll feel like going on a date with me.”
I rubbed my forehead. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, man.”
“It’s perfect. I saw some guys do it on Tiktok and it really worked. I told her the time, and when she goes, I’ll be waiting there so I can talk to her.”
“Bad idea,” Hassik said.
“Well, what else am I supposed to do?” he asked, the tips of his ears were reddening up with frustration. “I’m talking about my relationships here, guys. Desperate times call for desperate measures.”
My teammates eyed me warily, but it seemed Duke made up his mind, and as someone who’s known him since kindergarten, I knew it couldn’t be changed.
“Okay, fine. But when this blows up in your face, I’ll be here to say I told you so,” I warned.
“It wont,” he said, tapping away on his phone.
“Fine.” But an uneasy feeling settled in my stomach.
24. Josie
“Ooh I just won two free hair appointments for this afternoon,” Claire yelped.
“Really? From where?” I asked skeptically.
“Bella Boutique, you know it?”
“What?” I pulled her phone from her hands to look at the message. “That’s my sister’s place. I didn’t think she did giveaways.” I studied the Instagram message, and it looked like a complete scam.
Claire’s face hardened. “It couldn’t be…”
“Here, wait, let me call my sister,” I told her. I quickly dialed up Clara and she answered on the second ring.
“Josie! How’s the new place? Mom said there’s plenty of hunky-”
“Clara,” I cut her off, “we have an important question.”
“Shoot,” my sister’s voice was all business now.
I quickly explained the situation, then my sister checked with her social media manager.
After two minutes on the phone, I mouthed to Claire, “It’s a trap.”
Claire’s jaw set and she pushed off my couch to leave, but I caught her wrist and tugged her back down.
“Wait, let’s think about this…” I drawled. “Why don’t you play him back?”
Her face morphed into a look of determination. “I like the way you think, Josie.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Well, it was for two appointments, and we’re both sitting here, so I’m in on this now.”
25. Tyler
I stood next to Duke in front of the salon, rubbing my hands together and blowing on them to keep warm. We’d been waiting about fifteen minutes out here in the freezing cold because Duke was convinced Claire usually showed up early to appointments.
I only went with him just in case things went super south and I needed to play peacemaker. The two of them had their share of fights through the years, but this one seemed worse than usual because Claire was on shaky footing. I’d never seen her break down and cry in front of me like she had this morning. She was usually the one who desperately tried to hide all tears– even when she broke her wrist in the weight room back in high school, I think her eyes only slightly misted because she didn’t want to come across as a baby.
“Remember, you have to remain calm. She’s going through a lot right now,” I warned Duke.
