Page 27 of The Purest Fake

His other eyebrow joins the first, both lifted in surprise. “Already? Damn, word travels fast.”

“She wanted to know about my ‘mystery woman,’” I say, using air quotes. “I think I handled it okay.” I zip my bag. “Just gave the basics of our cover story—that we met through mutual friends and hit it off. I tried to keep it vague.”

He nods approvingly. “Smart move. The fewer details you give, the less they can pick apart later.”

I nod, grateful for his advice. “Right. I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”

“You might want to give Scarlett a heads-up,” he suggests. “In case she gets approached by reporters too.”

I consider his suggestion for a moment, realizing he’s right. “Good call. I’ll text her when I get home.”

As Rogan and I leave the locker room, he asks, “So, how are things going with Scarlett? You two seemed pretty cozy at the charity event.”

I shrug, trying to appear nonchalant. “It’s going fine. She’s easy to be around, which makes things a lot less awkward than they could be.”

Rogan nods. “That’s good. Just be careful, man. It’s easy for lines to get blurred in situations like this.”

I glance at him, curious. “Speaking from experience?”

He laughs. “Nah, but I’ve seen it happen to teammates before. One minute it’s all pretend, the next thing you know, feelings start getting involved.”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” I assure him. “Scarlett and I both know this is just an arrangement.”

CHAPTER 7

SCARLETT

I’m making notes for the next episode of my podcast when my phone buzzes with a text from Cooper.

Hey, just a heads-up. A reporter asked about you at practice today. I stuck to our cover story, but they might try to approach you for more info.

My heart rate picks up a bit as I read his message. I knew this was a possibility when I agreed to be Cooper’s fake girlfriend, but the reality of it is a bit jarring.

Thanks for letting me know. What did you tell them?

Just the basics. That we met through mutual friends and hit it off. Kept it vague.

Okay, good. I’ll be prepared if anyone approaches me.

Sorry about this. I know it’s not what you signed up for.

I pause, considering my response. While it’s true I hadn’t anticipated dealing with reporters as much as I probably should have, there’s something exciting about being part of Cooper’s world, even if it’s only pretend.

Don’t worry about it. I knew what I was getting into. Besides, this whole situation is kind of fun.

I hit send before I can overthink it. A moment later, my phone buzzes again.

Glad you’re having fun with it. You’re damn good at being a fake girlfriend.

What can I say? I’m a woman of many talents.

That you are. Speaking of which, how’s the podcast coming along?

I smile, touched he remembered I was working on it.

It’s going well. Just finishing up the edits now.

I listened to your last episode . It was entertaining.

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