Page 29 of Tricking an Introvert

“Excellent. I’ll be there; the gala starts at six. Hey, do you want to be my plus one? Distract Marie Elizabeth from asking me a thousand personal questions in front of her vapid friends? And you could meet some likeminded people, since there’s always tons of artists attending these things.”

Tessa bit her lip. Another outing, the very next day?

"I don't know. I might feel tired."

"After working on a Saturday?" Cole prompted, nodding. "I get it. Shame. I guess I'll have to face the harpies alone."

Sexy as hell grown men like him shouldn't be allowed to pout and look cute.

Before she could stop herself, Tessa was shaking her head. "No, sketch work isn't that taxing. Starting projects is the fun part. Michael might be familiar with the feeling—it's like outlining a story or writing the first chapter, before things get serious and we have to get into the nitty-gritty."

"Yeah, Michael loves writing—except for the parts in the middle."

"Exactly. Tomorrow should be fun. I just mean, I don't…people every day."

Cole chuckled. "You saw me most days this week."

Tessa suddenly realized she had. Every day since Tuesday, without exception. She should be sick of him by now. She would have been sick of just about anyone else.

"There's a difference between chilling in front of a movie with takeout and going out. It takes effort, mental and physical. Makeup, picking something to wear, shoes! Do you know how much brain energy is wasted on choosing shoes? Then stressing out about making a fool of myself in front of people. Then actually making a fool of myself in front of people and reminiscing about that for the rest of my days instead of sleeping—"

"You won't make a fool of yourself. If anything, we'll be the ones making fun of the parades of peacocks playing games of ‘my wallet is bigger than yours.’ I promise. I do it every year. It'll be a lot more fun with a partner in crime."

"Why not bring Michael?" she supplied.

Cole winced. "Because there's no possible way I could entice him into accompanying me anywhere where we may encounter his family. Please. I'll choose the shoes, if that helps."

This was her cue to ask the real question. Why not bring another woman? A real date. Someone who'd look and feel right next to him. Someone like Perky Titties or another Type A who matched his perfection.

But instead, she bobbed her head. "Fine."

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