Page 16 of The Summer We Played Pretend

She shrugs. “You never know. You deserve someone nice.”

I want to tell her thatshe'snice. More than nice. And there’s no one I’d rather be with.

But the timing isn't right, and I don't want to risk losing our friendship, not when she needs me the most.

“You'll be the first to know if I find someone nice,” I promise, pulling up to the curb in front of her house. “But for now, you're stuck with me as your fake boyfriend.” I reach over to undo her seatbelt at the same time she turns to face me.

As she shifts in her seat, her bare leg brushes against my hand, sending a jolt of electricity through my body.

I quickly withdraw my hand, but it’s too late. My fingers tingle from the brief contact, and I grit my teeth, trying not to think about running my hand over her smooth skin.

Forcing my gaze to her face, I mutter a quick, “Sorry.”

“It's okay,” she says softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Chloe breaks the spell, reaching for the door handle. “Thanks again for everything, Jackson. I don't know what I'd do without you.”

I force a smile, pushing down the longing that threatens to consume me. “Anytime, Chlo.”

She nods, a half smile curving her lips. “You’re too good to me, Jackson.”

I don’t know if she’d be thinking that if she knew what the hell was burning through my mind right now.

“I’ll come by soon. See how you’re doing.”

“I’ll be okay,” Chloe promises. “Don’t worry.”

With that, she steps out of the car, closing the door behind her. I watch as she walks up the path to her front door, my heart aching with each step she takes away from me.

She might be okay. But I don’t know that I will be.

I don’t know what the hell is going on with me. The only thing I do know is that I can’t act on this now. Maybe not ever. She’ll probably never see me as anything more than a friend, and I’ll never be good enough for anyone as smart and as sweet as Chloe.

I run a hand over my face and pull away from the sidewalk. It’s probably best I forget this whole thing. Forget Chloe. She’ll be off to college soon. She has her whole future ahead of her.

And soon I’ll just be the guy who pretended to be her boyfriend for one day.

Chapter Eight

Chloe

The salty sea breeze whips through my hair as I push open the heavy wooden door of the restaurant, my shift finally over. My feet hurt thanks to a busy day, but I’m just glad Brendan wasn’t working today.

I'm barely two steps out when I hear a familiar voice calling my name, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps.

“Chloe! Wait up!” Sara calls. I pause, turning to face her as she catches up to me, practically breathless. “Why haven’t you texted me back? I can’t believe you’d get with Jackson without telling me.”

I feel my cheeks flush, and I tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. I didn’t realize everyone would be talking about it, but I should have known. Nothing stays secret in this town. “It's nothing, really,” I mumble.

“Nothing?” She links her arm with mine, dragging me along the pier, the wooden planks creaking beneath our feet. “Come on, Chlo.” She nudges me. “You can't expect me to hear that my best friend is dating the hottest guy in town and not want the goss.”

I chew on my bottom lip. How on earth do I explain how I accidentally stumbled into a very brief fake relationship?

“It's not like that, honestly.”

Sara raises an eyebrow, clearly not satisfied with my vague response.

I sigh, knowing she won't let this go until she gets the full story. “Okay, fine,” I concede, taking a deep breath. “But you have to promise not to laugh.”

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