Page 50 of Love You, Mean It

“Fuck no. Jesus,no. What do you take me for?”

“A woman who set a trap for me the second time we met?” I muttered. Sam grimaced.

“Fair. I just had this feeling after the hospital—something about the way you talked about Chase—and I wanted to be sure I wasn’t…grasping at straws, you know?” She grimaced apologetically. “But I’d never tell Ted. Like…forget what a complete dick he is, heshouldditch the Mangia deal. I hate the idea of him sucking all the charm out of Milborough—other cities would kill for a downtown like ours. Besides, it’s short-term thinking. Half this town’s in the Taylor portfolio—the better play is to develop thatbuilding in a way that ups Milborough’s overall appeal, bring in higher-income individuals from Boston, once their money’s being spent here start raising your commercial rents, blah blah blah, you know the drill.”

No.

“Totally.”

“But Ted’s always been a sucker for the profit motive, the shorter-term the better. He doesn’t care if Milborough winds up a clone of Burnton and all the other upscale big-box-burbs around here, as long as there’s another zero on the check. And clearly he doesn’t care about how much that building means to Theo, which is…disappointingly expected, butshouldcount for something. It’s not like he has that many spots that can bring his brother back to life for him.” She sighed heavily as recognition jolted through me. I knew Theo and I had more in common than I’d realized but this felt…uncomfortably close. “Anyway, the plan’s gonna change if I have any say in it.”

I squeezed my eyes closed, trying to block out at least one stimulus so I couldthink.

“So you just…wanted to let me know you cracked our secret?” My forehead furrowed. “Congrats, I guess?”

“Be real, itwaskinda impressive.”

I fixed her with a glare. She shrugged, relenting.

“Sorry, annoying, I know. I keep telling my therapist I want to stop doing that, but I never actually stop.” She moved closer, glancing over her shoulder and lowering her voice. “As it happens, I have an idea of my own. What would you say to helping me fix things with Theo? He…well, he’s always been the one that got away.”

Her face took on a tight, anxious look, and she leaned forward, clearly hanging on my response. Theo’s ex wanted me, his now admittedly fake fiancée, to setherup with him? It was so patently ridiculous I barked out a laugh. She simply raised an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry, you’reserious?”

“I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

“For all I know you were just really craving an Italian sub.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t say no to one. But for the record, yes, I’m serious.”

“Butwhy? No, nix that—how? You just sleuthed us out, you know better than anyone that there’s nothingbetweenme and Theo.”

His hands on my back, pulling me against him, his lips fervent, hungry, the full-body electricity that shot through me at his touch.

No. Bad Ellie.None of that was real. It was just wine-fueled idiocy. And it was absolutelynothappening again. Trying to force the mental image back into the box it should have known better than to crawl out of, I added:

“Honestly, I don’t think he even likes me.”

“Oh comeon,Ellie.” She lifted her eyebrow in elegant scorn.

“I’m sorry, canyouimagine someone less like Theo than me?” She laughed slightly, then her expression turned thoughtful.

“I don’t know about that, but Idoknow he trusts you.”

“You want to tell him that? Because every third sentence out of his mouth is some variation on ‘Don’t screw this up for us.’ ”

“Yeah, forus. He’s willing to do this with you, tell this massive lie—to Ted, of all people, which puts it on a whole other level. There isn’t a single person I could imagine convincing him to agree to something like this—which is wildly out of character, if you weren’t aware. But somehow,youdid.”

I opened my mouth to protest…but she was right, wasn’t she? The person I’d assumed Theo was before we wound up in this frankly ridiculous situation had dozens of fancy acquaintances, casual friendships with the people who attended Milborough’s most glittering affairs, a rotating cast of beautiful people surrounding him. Still, if he had any intimate friendships, a Bella so to speak, I had a feeling that it was a position he, like me, reserved for one individual at a time.

I nibbled my lower lip. Why shouldn’t I help them get back together? Sam was burnished with the same patrician patina as Theo, but like him (or as I’d recently realized about him), she seemed far more interesting than most congenitally gilded people I’d met. It was almost too easy to imagine the two of them walking into Ted’smansion arm in arm, presiding over a gorgeous holiday party in Theo’s condo, chatting with another unfairly attractive couple over dinner at Post. The fact that the image twisted my lungs tight was probably just generalized jealousy—my dating habits clearly didn’t put me on track for anything likethatin the near future—right?

Right. Definitely right.Wine-based insanity, Ellie. He isnotyour type.

“Let’s say I’m considering this,” I finally said, unable to find a good reason not to, but equally unable to agree. “Why would I help you? No offense, just…it’s kind of a lot to ask from someone you don’t even know.”

Sam’s eyes twinkled with glee at the miniature concession.

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