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“Two hungover lumps, Shea, and someone to hold a flashlight, then.”
She swatted his shoulder, grinning. “Hey. I’m more useful than that.”
“Prove it. Put your money where your mouth is.”
“Fine. I will. I owe you for last night, anyway.” She stepped closer and wrapped one arm around his shoulder. “Just hugging you. So don’t go trying to kiss my brains out.”
He wound his arms around her and felt her sigh against him. “Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure you’re the thirsty one here, anyway.”
A loudthwapsounded as she smacked his shoulder again.
“Thirsty. And a bit handsy. It’s okay. I like it rough.”
“Jaxon…”
“Teagan?”
“Thank you,” she murmured.
He hugged her tighter. “You’re welcome, love.”
Chapter Six
Teagan arrived for her shift ten minutes early, which wasn’t normal for her, but she had some tea to bitch, so here she was.. Considering that’s what she and Brittany usually didonthe clock, it wasn’t too much of a stretch, regardless of the time.
The sense of urgency stemmed from the fact that Teagan actuallyhadsomething semi-exciting to discuss. She had poured over the pros and cons of what to tell Britt and what to leave out concerning the change in her relationship status, and the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to come clean.
Shehadto tell someone. Why not someone who wasn’t connected to her family? And who was in the know about Eric’s dickishness?
Teagan had basically spilled it all to Brittany today. It would feel better to tell someone. That, and sheneverhad anything interesting to share with Britt, she just lived through her boss’s stories.
Brittany didn’townthe nursery/greenhouse, but her family did. And she ran it. It was one of the first of the Barclay-owned satellite garden centers in Rydell. Most were located in the Bay.
But this one did exceedingly good business up north, where greenhouses and glass gardens were the only way to get any kind of landscaping greenery. All the big box stores had a gardening department, but Barclay’s took it one further. There was a personal touch from a family who had made quite the name for themselves in Rydell when it came to their green thumbs. Not only that, they carried certain strains and genus that weren’t available anywhere else.
Teagan had applied for a job when the sign had gone up outside the building construction, and she’d worked here for practically her entire college career. Plants weren’t something she excelled at, but she could appreciate the aesthetically pleasing sight of a huge fern in someone’s home. Even if she couldn’t take care of it to save her life.
“Ooh, you’re early…” Britt said, clapping excitedly. “That means you have something juicy. Tell me. What’s going on in your life? Give me crumbs. The drought I’m in can only be described as epic.”
Teagan rolled her eyes. “Don’t get your hopes up. It’s nothing likethat, I assure you.”
“Even so, dazzle me. I’ve been throwing dried up plants all day, I need something positive.”
“Well, I’ve sort of got a boyfriend.”
“What? You should have led with that, Teags. In matters pertaining tothisin the future, always lead with the boyfriend. Now… what sort of boyfriend do you sort of have?”
“Well, a fake one. I don’t really have him,” Teagan said with a small shrug, noting the disappointment in Brittany’s face. “Sorry to get your hopes up. But I had to tell someone the truth, the weight of the lie is starting to get to me. Also, I need someone to share all the WTF moments I’ve had with my family since announcing my fake boyfriend.”
“What’s his name? Did you pick something dashing at least? Where did you meet? Online, or does he go to another school?”
“None of those. He actually exists. His name’s Jaxon and I’ve known him since I was a girl.”
Brittany’s eyes flashed again. “Ohwait, so he’sreal? Does he know you’ve--”
“Condemned him to a fake relationship with me for the foreseeable future? Yes. He’s well aware of the arrangement.”
“Okay, I’m back in, this is worth the mental investment. Why are you faking your relationship?”
