Page 76 of Friend Zoned

Katherine makes a face like she smells something foul, and I give her a blank stare.

“Why are you two bothering me this early?”

“You’ve gone viral, Aid. Those dance lessons our parents forced on us have come in handy.”

“What the hell are you talking about? And where’s my niece? I’d rather talk to her than you two.”

Lincoln puts a hand to his heart and pretends to be hurt.

“Linc, he has no idea,” Katherine whispers as if I’m not right here. She turns back to me and says,” I don’t know if I want someone as clueless as you working for me.”

“I wouldn’t be working for you, but what the hell are you talking about?” The question is barely out of my mouth before my phone vibrates again.

“Check your texts,” Lincoln says, waving his phone. I sigh and do as he says. It’s a video of Chastain’s wedding. Well, it’s mainly me and Jeannie dancing. Me shaking my ass and her dancing behind me. There’s also a shot of us dancing toWobble. “It’s been viewed over ten million times in just a few hours.” It’s a long video, and at the end, Wakowski and a few of the guys jump on me before the video goes black.

“Who posted this?” I ask, but it only takes me a second to realize that Wakowski is the one who did. “Oh, that fucking idiot,” I mutter as I switch back to look at my sister.

“Two weeks,” she says, her voice a warning.

“Two weeks for what, Katherine?”

“For you to bring her here for dinner, or I’m going to take matters into my own hands. I don’t think you want me to do that.” I tilt my head and stare at my sister. She stares right back, but I know her. She’ll barge her way into the hotel and take Jeannie by surprise.

Even though I told her exactly who I am, she doesn’t believe me. I need to change that soon, but I have to be able to control it.

“You said you wouldn’t go all Katherine Walsh,” I remind her.

“And I haven’t, but it’s been two months. You haven’t had a girlfriend in forever, and I want to welcome her.” She pouts. My sister means well, but she’s like an over enthusiastic puppy about most things. “I’ll arrange a dinner. You’ll be a guy bringing his girlfriend to the family home for Sunday dinner.” Except the family home is a sprawling mansion that has both an indoor and outdoor pool. There’s a helipad, a tennis court, and two guesthouses, not including the pool house.

“She still doesn’t know I’m a Walsh of the Walsh Group,” I tell my sister. She knows exactly what I mean. Dating was always a minefield for her too. She went through a period where men only wanted to be with her because of her name and bank account. It took her a long time to find a man like Lincoln, who like Jeannie, comes from very humble beginnings. “Every time I bring it up, she thinks I’m joking. I don’t go out of my way to correct her.”

“Plausible deniability. When she finds out, you can make the argument that you told her and that you can’t control what she believes. That’s good.” She nods in approval. “And do it before someone mentions it. People will be taking pictures of you two now, and it’s only a matter of time.”

She’s right, and I hate it. I picture a million different ways I’m going to rip Wakowski’s head off.

“Just pretend you thought she knew this whole time,” Lincoln says. “It’s all on the internet anyway. Who doesn’t do a search of someone? The way I see it, this is on her.” He winks at me, clearly enjoying this. “I’ve got your back.”

“Well then, what can possibly go wrong?”

“Really, Aid. I’ve watched that video about twenty times. My phone almost caught on fire. It’s not just the dancing, but the way she looks at you. Bring her to me, or I’ll have to go find her.” She does an exaggerated evil laugh while Lincoln rubs his hands in the background.

“You both need to get a life,” I tell them.

“Two weeks from today. You’re home and there’s no game. I’ve checked. Here comes Shannon.” My niece comes on the phone, waves at me, and I forget my irritation with my sister and her nosy husband.

Despite missing Jeannie, it’s been a busy day. When I arrive at practice, someone blastsWobbleon their phone, and everyone starts to dance. I ignore it, refusing to join in, but they refuse to practice until I do. So, the first five minutes are of us dancing to that song.

Before leaving the arena, I threatened to trade whoever posts this on social media while looking directly at Wakowski. He grins but doesn’t say a word. Hours later, while in the middle of watching videos of the free throws from today, the door alarm sounds, and I run out of my office.

If this is even a fraction of how Jeannie feels, I don’t know how she stands my schedule. She was only a few miles away from me all day, not hundreds or thousands like with my job, and I was miserable.

I practically tackle her at the front door, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her to me before I plant a big wet kiss on her.

“God, I missed you,” I say against her lips.

We haven’t talked all day. The only communication we’ve had has been a few text messages. I pull away and help her with her coat. She’s changed out of her uniform and is dressed in black jeans and a cream button down shirt.

“So, it looks like I’m kind of famous.” She giggles and rolls her eyes at the thought. “Layla really got a kick out of that.” She wraps her arms around me, kissing me again. “Oh, and my mom reminded me that the only reason I have a boyfriend now is because of her.”

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