Page 19 of Fake Shot

He scoffs and taps the screen to start one of his playlists. And as the music fills the space, I have to admit that I don’t hate this new song. But I won’t give him the satisfaction of telling him that.

We listen in silence as we pull out onto the city streets, but traffic is heavy for a Saturday midday. It’s like the warm weather has brought every person in Boston outside, and they’re all walking across the streets whenever and wherever they feel like, instead of only at the crosswalks. As a result, we’re inching our way across Copley Square instead of actually driving, and it’s taking us three times as long as if we’d walked. Which we couldn’t do with all this food ... but it’s still frustrating.

We’re finally pulling onto Drew and Audrey’s street when a text notification pops up on my screen. Figuring it’s Audrey, who said she’d text me when they were back from taking Graham for a bike ride, I instinctively reach up and tap the notification.

But the minute the robotic sound of my car reading the text fills the space, I realize my mistake.Hey big guy, I’m in town tonight. My hotel bed is going to feel very lonely if you’re not in it.

“Fuck.” Colt exhales the word. “What the hell, Jules?”

“I’m sorry.” Even if I could look over at him while driving, I wouldn’t. I’d be afraid of what he’d see on my face—some combination of embarrassment at hearing the contents of that text, and disappointment that this is who he is when he could be such a better person.You gave up hoping he’d changelong ago,I remind myself. “I was waiting for a text from Audrey, and I forgot your phone was synced up, not mine.”

Another text notification pops up on the screen, and I glance at it long enough to catch the sender’s name.Bambi San Francisco Mile High Club.A laugh bursts out of me.

“Do you even know her last name, or is that how you keep track of the women you’ve slept with?” I’m careful to keep my tone amused. He clears his throat but doesn’t say anything. “I’d love to see your contacts sometime,” I say with another forced laugh. “I bet the women all follow the same formula: first name, a location, and something notable about the sex.”

His lack of response tells me I hit the nail on the head. Finally, once I’m parked and have turned off the car, he opens his mouth to respond. But I’m suddenly deeply uncomfortable—wishing I didn’t know this about him and hoping that I didn’t go too far with the teasing—so I pick my phone up off the charging station and say, “Alright, I’m going to let Audrey know we’re here with the food.”

“So ...” Lauren says, her voice dragging out the vowel like it’s a mile long as she gives me a conspiratorial look. “How’s it going living with Colt?”

“It’s fine.” I roll my eyes, hating that I have to keep having this conversation. At least she and Morgan don’t know about my past feelings for Colt, as I’ve only ever shared that with Audrey. So I tell them the same thing I told my sister. “I haven’t seen him that much.”

“Doesn’t he live in your house?” Morgan asks, then eyes Lauren like maybe her cousin misinformed her.

I glance around the party to make sure no one else is within earshot. I don’t need my brother or any of Colt’s teammates listening in. “Yeah, but he’s in Jameson’s old apartment on the third floor, so aside from him coming and going, I don’t really see him. Except when we had dinner together the first night he moved in, and when I went to his condo to check out the damage. And he helped me pack up the food for this party and bring it over. But other than that...”

“So in the last four days, you’ve hung out three times?” Lauren laughs.

“We haven’thung out. I fed him because, as always, I made too much food. Then I helped make sure the insurance adjuster didn’t screw him over, and he helped me carry some stuff here.”

“Sounds like you two are becomingfriends,” Morgan says, tapping her finger on my forearm, like she’s trying to get me to admit we’re besties now.Never going to happen.

She must see something in the look that crosses my face, because Lauren follows up with, “Or is he still trying to rile you up every chance he gets?”

“He’s still Colt.” I shrug. “And tigers don’t change their stripes.” Though to be fair, he hasn’t been needling mequiteas much, but maybe that’s just because he’s living in my house and doesn’t want to bite the hand that feeds him, sometimes literally.

“Well, if you ever need to get away from him, you’re always welcome at my place,” Morgan tells me. She lives in atop-floor condo on Newbury Street that her dad bought a long time ago, around the same time my dad bought our place in the South End, before real estate in Boston was as insane as it is now. “And also, you need to get out more.Weshould go out more, now that we’re the only single ones.”

“Paige is still single,” I say, referring to Lauren’s sister. “Isn’t she?”

“Paige is married to her job. Where is she today, anyway?” Morgan asks Lauren as she pulls her strawberry blonde hair behind her shoulders. It’s warm in here, even with the air-conditioning on—probably because there are a lot of us in Drew and Audrey’s home, and many of the people here are huge hockey players who probably run hot because of their muscle mass.

And speaking of muscle, Colt walks past us just then, his biceps curled as he holds two drinks in each of his massive hands. “Ladies.” He dips his chin at us. “And Jules.”

And there he is... Forget the Colt who shared secrets about his brother and checked me out because I was wearing a dress. No, the Colt who lives to piss me off is back.

I roll my eyes and, not waiting for Lauren’s answer about Paige’s whereabouts, I say to my friends, “I’m going to go find Audrey.”

The party's in full swing and yet I haven’t seen my sister since she went to “take a quick shower” right when Colt and I arrived. I approach the kitchen island, intending to ask Drew where Audrey is, when Jameson asks him the same question.

“Still getting ready,” Drew tells him right as the buzzer rings, signaling even more people are arriving. He seems entirely unbothered by the fact that she’s still in her bedroomdespite the fact that most of his team and both our families are already here. Colt ambles up next to me and starts handing out drinks.

“I'm going to go check on her,” I tell Drew and turn toward the hallway that leads to their bedroom. I'm only a couple of steps into the hallway when Graham runs up to me.

“Auntie Jules,” he says with a big smile, “are you excited?”

I bend down and ruffle his hair, giving him a kiss on his forehead and inhaling his scent, noting that he’s losing that little kid smell he’s always had. I hate how fast he’s growing up, and I miss having him and Audrey in my house. Everything is changing too fast.

“I’m so excited,” I tell him. “And you're doing such a good job at keeping this a secret. I can't wait to see your mom's reaction. Just keep your sweatshirt on for a couple more minutes, and I'll make sure your mom gets out here so you can take it off and surprise her.”

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