Page 12 of Caught Looking

“Oh, it’s serious,” I lied with everything I had. “It’s been fast, but it’s been a whirlwind. We didn’t want to upset Rhett or the team dynamic so we kept it secret for a little while.” The lie came off my lips so easily.

His eyebrows hit his hairline. “Your cousin knows and Butler is still alive?”

Since I told Rhett this morning and Seth was still able to text me about dinner, I assumed he was. “He’s my cousin, not my owner.”

You don’t have a game this week, loosen up. Have another drink. Have some fun for once.

Owen put on a fake smile because he assumed a normal person would smile at this point in a conversation, not because he genuinely felt like smiling. “As I recall, your cousin is extremely protective of you.”

“He is. But he only acts out when someone hurts me.” I smiled at him, driving the point home. Owen hurt me. Seth hasn’t. And if Owen did anything to upset me, he’d not only have Rhett, but Seth, and a whole lot of Mantas and Tangerines after him next.

As that reality sank in Owen blinked, erasing our conversation, returning to what he was supposed to be doing. It was always like that. Owen could compartmentalize like no one else. It was how he was so effective at pretending to be a sweet, attentive boyfriend when really he was a selfish jerk face who didn’t know the first thing about caring for someone else. “I just have a few quick questions. If you’ll stand here.” He waved to the mark on the field. It put the scrimmage into the shot behind me. He rattled off a series of five questions about my hopes for the rest of the season and our new owners. Then he stepped away from the camera. “I’d like to interview you and Rhett together. Get the family angle as well as some crossover with baseball.”

Rhett wouldlovethat. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Are you insinuating we can’t all be professional?” He frowned, feigning hurt.

I love you, Anna.

Always spinning things. Always. “I can ask him if he’s interested.”

“And if you and Butler are as serious as you claim, we could include him as well.”

As serious as you claim.What an ass. It was a dig and a challenge.

But more than that, it pissed me off. “Is there a distinct lack of testosterone on this project for you? Need to surround me with men to make it interesting to a male audience?” I folded my arms over my chest and glared.

Was I opposed to including Rhett? Nope. Family was important. And our connection was unique. I wouldn’t even mind Seth throwing in a few words. I just hated the way Owen made everything weird. It wouldn’t be about me. It would be about them. I knew it.

Owen wiped all expression from his face. “Not at all. This documentary is about the Tangerines. It’s just that romantic connections are even more powerful than familial ones.”

Riiiiiight. “I will float the idea with Seth when we have dinner tonight.”

That got Owen’s attention.Thank you, Butler!“Don’t they have a game?”

“And he still eats after the game. But they’re playing Texas, so I’m not too worried about it being a late night.” Even before Seth sent me his schedule, I knew most of it because Rhett and I kept each other in the loop. I needed to send Seth mine after practice because if Owen was being this much of a pain in the ass on day one, we had a long road ahead of us.

Fake dating or not.

I could only imagine what Owen would do to both of us if he realized this was all a ruse.

I can erase you with the snap of my fingers, Anna.

“Yes,” Owen said slowly, analyzing everything about me, “please ask him. I’d love to have as much material as possible when we go into the editing room.” Then he grinned. “And if you break up, we can always cut it.”

I smiled as sweetly as I could manage. “Oh, you can include it no matter what. Even if Seth and I were to break up, for some reason I can’t fathom, I would want his thoughts included.”

“You’d want your ex in your documentary? Forever?” Owen laughed.

The sound made me want to claw his eyes out, so instead I began bouncing on my toes, getting ready to join the scrimmage. “Of course. Seth and I are friends. That won’t change even if our romantic status does.”

The shocked look on Owen’s face fueled me through the next two hours of practice. But my own words echoed behind the image in my mind.

Seth and I are friends.

I was starting to think it might be true.

4

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