Page 18 of The Summer We Played Pretend

I shake my head. “No. No way. He’s just trying to play the protective older brother.”

Sara leans back against the bench, a confident smile on her face. “There's only one way to find out,” she says. “You keep up this fake relationship charade, and you see where it leads. Who knows? Maybe by the end of the summer, you'll have yourself a real boyfriend.”

I can't help but laugh. I wish I could be as bold as Sara. If she was in this situation, she’d probably have Jackson begging to be her new boyfriend.

“I’m not sure I’m ready for another boyfriend, and besides, Jackson helped me out once. I don’t think he intended for us to keep playing pretend all summer.”

Sara straightens suddenly. “Oh my gosh, I have the best idea! Why don’t you bring Jackson to my party?”

I grimace. I hadn’t even thought about Sara’s party next weekend, but I can hardly not turn up to my best friend’s summer party.

“Everyone is going to be talking about me.”

“But for all the right reasons.” Sara tosses her empty coffee cup in the nearby trash can. “I’d already decided to ban Brendan after what he did to you, but maybe I’ll let him come, especially if you have Jackson on your arm.”

“I don’t know, Sara. He’s already done enough for me, and he’s not really the party sort.”

“If you’re there, he will be. I guarantee it.” She claps her hands together. “This party is the perfect chance for you and Jackson to really sell your relationship. You can be all cute and couple-y, maybe even steal a kiss or two.”

A kiss? My whole body warms at the thought. I shake the image away and face Sara. “I don’t know if I can ask him.”

“You can and you will.” She shakes her head at me in exasperation. “For once in your life, you are going to show everyone the brave, amazing person that only I get to see, and you are going to come to my party with Jackson on your arm and show everyone that Chloe Davenport is so hot and so awesome that the sexiest guy in town is head over heels for her.”

“That sounds a little extreme.” I bite on the inside of my cheek. “And kind of awesome too.”

Sara squeals with delight, pulling me into a tight hug. “Yes! This is going to be amazing, Chlo.”

I feel a surge of gratitude for Sara's unwavering support and encouragement. She's always been there for me, through thick and thin, and knowing that she has my back makes the whole idea of facing Brendan and asking Jackson for help a little less daunting.

“I don’t know if Jackson will agree to come, you know.”

“Oh he’ll agree. Now, let’s go back to my place and start planning how you're going to invite Jackson to the party.”

I can't help but laugh at her enthusiasm, feeling a flicker of excitement beneath the nerves. Maybe Sara's right. Maybe this party is exactly what I need to start moving on from Brendan.

As I take a sip of my now lukewarm coffee, I make a silent promise to myself. I'm going to be brave, put myself out there, and see where this crazy plan takes me. I’ve been nothing more than Brendan’s girlfriend for too long. It’s time for me to be something more. And that means taking charge of my life.

Chapter Nine

Jackson

Icatch a glimpse of chestnut hair through the grimy garage window, and my heart skips.

Chloe.

What's she doing here?

Wiping my hands on a rag, I hurry outside, calling her name. “Chloe. Hey.”

She startles and turns away quickly. Is she…running from me? God, I must have scared her more than I realized the other day by pretending to be her boyfriend.

“Chloe, wait up!” I jog after her, mind racing. Things have been weird since we pretended to date at Joe's last week. I haven’t seen her, and her replies to my texts have been abrupt. Did I cross a line? Screw up our friendship?

She stops, and I nearly collide with her. “Jackson, hi,” she says, not quite meeting my eyes. “I was just...um...”

“Hanging out by auto repair shops for fun?” I crack a smile, hoping to ease the tension.

It works—her shoulders relax, and she lets out a small laugh. “You caught me. It's my new favorite hobby.”

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