Page 17 of Top Shelf

“Because it…it had to be believable. He knows about you. It wasn’t just that you were the only guy I knew in that bar. I was just going to get myself a drink. I had no idea you guys would be there. But when I saw him pulling in, and then I saw you…I knew…I hoped…that you would be able to make it feel…real.”

Because it is.

I nod slowly.

“I’m sorry I put you through that tonight. And you put on quite a show,” she says with a smile, raising her eyebrows up and down.

I laugh.

“Just doing my job, ma’am,” I say with a fake salute. “Like you said, had to make it look believable.”

As if I had to be convinced to want to talk about fucking her.

“You sure did,” she says, chuckling. “Anyway, it was just a one-time thing. Hopefully he will be back on a plane first thing in the morning.”

I raise my eyebrows again, rubbing my legs.

“I don’t know about that,” I tell her. “He told Levi he’s in town for some conference. He’s on the board for the youth hockey league Levi is trying to put together. The same league that Levi just made me commissioner of…tonight.”

Her jaw drops, and she covers it with her hand.

“Oh, my god,” she whispers. “He knew I came home… He had to find a reason to be here. He must have found out about Levi’s league…”

She stands up from the swing, crossing her arms over her body and pacing back and forth.

That fucker.

She turns to me.

“Can we…can you guys kick him out?” she asks. I stand up and walk toward her.

“I’m not sure how it all works. I’ll talk to Levi and find out more.”

She nods and bites her lip. Her eyes are jumping all over the place, and she reaches for her necklace, twirling it around between her fingers. I know this routine. I know she needs to be centered. She needsme.

“Hey,” I say, and finally, her eyes find mine. “It’s okay. We will figure it out.”

“But…but what if he can’t kick him out? What then? You’ll have to be around him, and he’ll know we were lying. He’ll know I’m…”

I take her other hand.

“Sade,” I say, “we will figure it out.”

Her eyebrows jump.

“What…what does that mean?”

I smile.

“It means I’ll fake date you as long as it takes for that asshole to get the hell back to California.”

Her eyes are as wide as saucers.

“Are you…are you sure you want to do that, Ty?” she asks.

I smile, but her face stays serious.

She’s asking because she knows.

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