Page 89 of Fake Shot

“Are you going to tell us what it says, or just tease us?” Lauren asks.

“It’s a donation, from Colt, for a hundred thousand dollars.” Audrey’s voice is full of awe.

Lauren turns toward me. “Have you talked to yourbrother about that?” It sounds an awful lot like,You’re going to be in so much trouble when your dad gets home.

“No, why?”

Lauren sighs. “Because I was telling Jackson and Nate about your nonprofit when we were visiting them at Blackstone last week...and Jameson mentioned that he’d wanted to invest, and you wouldn’t let him because you didn’t want handouts from family. Is Colt not family?”

I’m sure my face reddens, because suddenly my mind is reeling with images from our shower this morning. He very clearly doesn’t see me like a little sister anymore.

“I came to a really important realization when Rosie was talking today,” I say quickly, trying to get those thoughts of Colt out of my head. I tell them about my epiphany that maybe all we need is a bit of starter money from whoever wants to donate it, regardless of why they’re donating, to let us start growing the program.

“I wish you’d talked to me about that.” My sister sounds hurt. “I mean, I know this program is really your baby, but so far, we’ve made all the big decisions together.”

“Audrey,” I say, looking over at her. “I’m so sorry, I was just so excited at the prospect of helping more women, and you’ve said all along that it shouldn’t matter who donates, so I thought I was doing what you would have wanted me to.”

She shrugs. “It’s fine. You’re right. I’m just being...” she trails off and looks away before glancing back. “I don’t even know. It’s just weird, like you have this other person now that you go to before me, and I’m used to being that person who helps you make decisions. Now you have Colt.”

I give her a small smile. “I knowexactlyhow you feel.”

She tugs at her necklace, and I see now how we both dothe same thing when we’re worried or uncomfortable. It’s like the small reminder of our mother, who gave us our necklaces, soothes us. “Is this how it felt when Drew and I got together?”

“Yeah, especially once you moved out.”

Reaching across the table, she squeezes my hand. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s natural that things will change . . .”

“Yeah, I guess I just didn’t see this coming with Colt.”

Morgan sighs. “You should have seen them together today. He isso far goneover her.”

“So, is this not fake anymore?” Audrey asks.

“I don’t know,” I say. It sure as hell doesn’t feel fake. “Things are definitely...shifting.”

“What’s that even mean?” Lauren asks, her brow furrowing with what looks like concern.

“It means we’re figuring it out.”

“Please tell me you’re at least getting laid,” Morgan says. She clearly has no idea about my status as a virgin because I’ve never told anyone but Audrey, and now Colt.

“Not exactly,” I say, biting the inside of my lip. “But...things are definitely heating up.”

“I really don’t want to know this.” Lauren makes a sing-song voice as she playfully covers her ears. Then she drops her hands and says, more seriously, “Because when Jameson asks me if I think anything is actually going on between you two, I want to be able to say that I don’t know.”

“Well, since I haven’tactuallygiven you any details, you can say that you don’t know anything.” I laugh to myself, because this reminds me so much of when Drew first came back into Audrey’s life, and Audrey refused to give Laurenany details because she wanted her to have “plausible deniability” if Jameson asked her any questions.

The waiter comes over then to see if we want another round of drinks or more food, and after we order, the conversation turns toward Lauren’s upcoming bridal shower. She’d insisted she didn’t want one, as there was absolutely nothing she and Jameson needed.

Honestly, I think she’s still just traumatized by memories of the bridal shower her ex-mother-in-law threw for her in Park City, before she married her first husband, Josh. Lauren knew almost no one there, except her mother and sister who had flown out, and her mother-in-law had made her feel like the whole event, which she’d insisted on throwing, was an enormous imposition.

So it felt like a small victory when Lauren finally agreed to let us have a small brunch as long as there were no “silly wedding games.” As we chat about the upcoming event, I’m relieved that the conversation doesn’t come back around to Colt and me.

But as if he knew I was thinking about him, my phone buzzes with a text.

Colt

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