Page 74 of How to Play the Player

Her affected concern makes my skin crawl, but I push through it.

“Actually, no. Things aren’t great,” I admit, injecting a wistful tone into my voice. “This is going to sound corny, but…I’ve been thinking about us a lot lately.”

“Oh?” The curiosity in her voice is unmistakable.

I take a deep breath, committing fully to the performance. “Look, I know things ended…messily between us. And I’ve done a lot of soul-searching over the past few months since we decided to split.” I pause, letting a vulnerable sniffle seep into my voice. “I miss our friendship, Bethany. When my laptop diedtoday, you were the first person I wanted to call, and that made me realize something.”

“And what’s that, sweetie?” Her voice has that edge of triumph she never could quite disguise.

“Just because our business relationship ended doesn’t mean our friendship has to die along with it.” I might be laying it on thick, but I’m amazed at how sincere I sound despite the bile rising in my throat. “We were friends before we were partners, remember? Those Saturday brunches where we’d laugh until we cried, the way you always knew when I needed chocolate after a tough day… I miss having someone who gets me like that.”

A weighted silence stretches between us. I hold my breath, wondering if she’s seeing through my act. The pause lasts just long enough to make me nervous.

“Quinn,” she finally says, her voice softening with practiced sympathy, “I’ve missed you too. I was just saying to Mercer the other day how sometimes business gets in the way of the relationships that truly matter.”

Her lie is so transparent I nearly laugh. Last he’d posted on social media, she and Mercer broke up months ago and he already replaced her with some redhead. One of the few pieces of news that brought me genuine joy over the past year.

“Really?” I inject hope into my voice. “So you think maybe we could… I don’t know, start over? As friends?”

“I would love nothing more,” she coos, the predator sensing weakness. “We have too much history to just throw it all away over a business disagreement.”

Business disagreement. As if she hadn’t methodically dismantled everything I’d built.

The audacity of this cunt.

“That means so much to me,” I say. “Maybe we could meet? Talk things through in person?”

“Absolutely! When were you thinking?”

“Tonight? Around seven?” I suggest, keeping my voice appropriately eager. “I was thinking Marcello’s. For old times’ sake.”

“Marcello’s!” She sounds delighted. “Didn’t we close that Anderson deal there? Such good memories.”

“We did,” I confirm, thinking of how she took credit for my work that night. “Actually, could you meet me at my office first? I’d love to show you my new space, and we could ride together.”

“New office?” Her voice perks up with unmistakable interest. “Do tell.”

I give her the address, feeling a shiver of satisfaction when she agrees with suspicious eagerness.

“Perfect. I’ll be there at seven sharp. Oh, and Quinn?” Her voice drops to a soft whisper. “I’m so glad we talked. I’ve felt this…distance between us for too long. It’ll be good to reconnect.”

Yeah? And it’ll feel good to see you perp-walked.

“Thanks, Bethany. I really appreciate it.”

“That’s what friends are for!” she chirps with such artificial brightness it’s almost comical. “See you soon, sweetie!”

When the call ends, I let out a long breath. Even that brief conversation has left me feeling like I need a very large glass of wine.

A few moments later, Nathan enters my office. I greet him with an excited smile. “She bought it!”

“Perfect!” He seems as relieved as I feel.

“And you want to know the best part? She called me first.” I let out a loud laugh. “And she’s probably thinkingI’mclowning right now.”

“No kiddin’. When is she coming?”

“Seven. Using the friendship angle totally hooked her in.” I continue to celebrate my victory. Bethany had always liked toshow how much smarter she was than me, every chance she got. But not this time. This time, the joke will be on her.

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