Page 130 of Good Girl's Guide to Love
“We just…may have texted him, pretending to be you, and that you broke up with Linc and wanted to see him.”
Ainsley gasps. “What? Why would you do that?”
“Because we didn’t know what would get him here,” Maeve defends. “We know he and Katie weren’t actually together. This was the only surefire thing.”
“But don’t worry,” Stella says. “You’re not going anywhere near them.”
“Damn right she’s not,” I say as I pull her in front of me.
“Absolutely not,” Quinn says. “Because I have a feeling these idiots are about to show their asses in three…two…”
Quinn’s countdown is stopped by Dipshit’s knock on the door.
“Who the fuck else is coming?” Brad walks over and opens it without looking into the peephole. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“You aren’t Ainsley,” Dipshit says as he walks in, carrying a bouquet of flowers. “Katie? Why are you here? And half naked?”
She rolls her eyes. “Ugh. I really need you to stop talking about Ainsley. I thought she was going to be my ticket. Turned out she fucking ruined everything.”
Keep talking, Katie. Bury yourself…
“I thought she was perfect! The perfect plan to do what you asked me to do.” She turns to Brad, and while I can’t exactly see her face from this angle, it’s almost like she’s reaching for him. “You wanted him gone. You told me though I had to play the long game. That we couldn’t do it too quick. We had to let him bury himself. And what better way to bury yourself then by being a shitty boyfriend?”
Gasps echo in our room.
“That’s why she pushed for us,” Ainsley says quietly. “She thought we’d fail.”
“Showed her,” I say, kissing her temple. Though, her idea wasn’t a bad one. When I first brought Katie on, and she asked me about my dating history, I simply told her there wasn’t one. That I wasn’t a relationship kind of guy. When she saw the opportunity in front of us, she had to think I’d fuck it up, and she’d be right there to exploit it in the name of Brad Rockwell.
“But no…” Katie continues. “Linc has to go and fall in love with her. But I ramped it up for you, Brad. I planted those articles. Painted him bad. I even fucked this guy for dirt on Ainsley. Lot of good that got me, since all he could tell me is that she’s the most boring woman on the planet!”
“Hey!” Dipshit speaks up. “That’s the love of my life.”
“I think I’m going to puke,” Ainsley says. “Also, am I that boring?”
“You’re not boring, baby,” I say. “You just save up the excitement for special occasions.”
All of her siblings laugh at that one. But not too long, because Katie’s talking again.
“I don’t know what else you wanted me to do!” she yells. “I planted those photos for you. I had them followed. Tipped the bloggers to write bad pieces. Nothing worked. Until last night. He’s gone now. And you helped me, Brad. Because you still love me. And now we can be together.”
“Here we go,” Logan says, triple-checking that everything is recording.
“Except that now it's too fucking late,” Brad says. “I told you to get him off the team months ago.That’swhat I asked of you. I wanted him gone before the season started. But getting him a girlfriend turned out to be the worst possible idea. How the fuck was that supposed to help me, when he was prancing around town with that pretty thing on his arm, pretending for the cameras that they were the next best thing?”
“Ha! I knew it!” Dipshit yells. I really don’t remember his name, and at this point, I’m not going to try. “I knew they were fake!”
Both Katie and Brad look over to Dipshit in confusion. “Why are you still here?”
“Because!” He straightens himself up to feel important before answering Brad’s question. “I was told Ainsley would be here. Is she meeting us?”
“No,” Brad says point blank. “This is my hotel room. I don’t know how you wound up here—how either of you did—but this insanity needs to stop. I never thought I’d say this, but I can’t wait to be back in Milwaukee.”
“I refuse,” Dipshit says, crossing his arms and sitting at the desk in the room. “I was told that if I helped take down Linc that I’d get Ainsley back, and I’m not leaving until I do.”
“Well, you’re going to be waiting for a while,” Brad says, walking toward his packed suitcase. “I knew going along with your plan was a bad idea.”
“What do you mean, a bad idea?” Katie says. “It worked perfect! And you were excited to help. Because you still love me.”
