Page 80 of Faking with Three

I laugh, though there’s an edge of nervousness in it. “Noted.”

Across the garden, Jax and Ethan are mid-photo, both of them striking exaggerated poses while the crew laughs.

“Go on,” Mrs. Chase says, motioning toward Olivia. “I’m sure they need you for something.”

I nod, standing. “Thank you, Mrs. Chase.”

“Call me Amelia,” she says. “And don’t make me regret this.”

The rest of the day feels like a whirlwind, a tour of all the places that make up the patchwork of our shared histories. Each stop isn’t just a memory, though—it’s a carefully coordinated effortto show off the best of Iversteen, thanks to some lucrative deals with local sponsors. We got a solid deal when word got out that we were shooting a new series. Between our episode at the ice-skating rink and at the bar, we’re at a couple of million views. We’re practically celebrities, though it does feel a little surreal.

And yet, it doesn’t feel entirely forced. The town means something to us—means something to Olivia—and that comes through, even if the cameras are rolling.

We start at Marino’s Diner. The place is exactly as I remember it—checkered floors, faded booths, and Marino himself, still bustling around like he’s twenty-five. Olivia slides into a booth for a shot, Ethan and Jax flanking her while the crew fiddles with the lighting.

The diner’s owner, Mr. Marino himself, comes out to greet us, his apron still dusted with flour. He shakes each of our hands, beaming like he’s just won the lottery. “It’s good to see some local kids making something of themselves,” he says. “You all put Iversteen on the map!”

“This place really hasn’t changed,” Ethan says, leaning back like he owns the place. “Still smells like burgers and burnt coffee.”

Jax snorts. “You mean your cologne?”

“Funny,” Ethan replies, rolling his eyes. “I used to come here after every game. Cheeseburgers and milkshakes—Marino probably kept the lights on because of me.”

“Triple cheeseburger,” Olivia chimes in, smirking. “Don’t act like you didn’t go all out.”

“I remember that,” Marino says. “You nearly bankrupted me, kid.”

Everybody chuckles.

“And I remember having you as my employee,” Marino says, nodding at Olivia who blushes.

“You used to work here?” Jax says, raising an eyebrow at Olivia.

“For about two weeks,” she replies, rolling her eyes. “Until I realized I’m a disaster at waitressing. I spilled a strawberry milkshake on some guy’s laptop.”

“Did the guy tip though?” Jax says, chuckling.

Olivia makes a face. “What do you think?”

Jax props his hands on the table. “I don’t know, I would have considered it my lucky day if you poured milkshake down my pants.”

I know the bastard is trying to be cheesy, but Olivia actually blushes and ducks her head. Jax clearly knows what he’s doing.

The camera pans in on my face, so I try my best to smooth it to cover my irritation. I’m not playing this game.

We still have a few places to cover for the day before we head to the coast for the weekend. Jax has a place there, and we’ll wrap up the series there.

We head to the arena where Jax practiced while in school.

“I was picked at eighteen,” he says in his usual easy swagger. “I was pretty famous, you know? Even during high school.”

“Yeah, we all heard about the asshole from Hayden High,” Ethan says earning a scowl from Jax.

“You did have quite the reputation in town,” Olivia says. “Everybody used to call you walking gonorrhea.”

Jax laughs, but I see a flash of hurt when he looks away. I know he’s thinking about his son, the one he presumably had in school that he had no idea about.

We head to my location next: the library. Or, at least, what’s left of it. It’s been renovated into some sort of trendy co-workingspace, complete with overpriced coffee and hipster décor. But the smell of old books still lingers faintly in the air, like the ghosts of my childhood are refusing to move on.

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