Page 43 of Just One Season
KELLEN
Isettle on the loveseat in Atticus’s apartment. Harley and Lachlan are already camped out on the longer couch.
Lucy’s not here, but I know she’s going to get home in a bit.
“So what did you want to talk about?” Atticus tosses Harley a water bottle and opens three beers for the rest of us.
“Remember yesterday afternoon, when you guys were trying to get me to find a girlfriend?”
“Or a fake girlfriend,” Lachlan chimes in.
“Well. I took your advice.”
“What?” Atticus laughs and hands me my beer. “Already?”
“No time like the present?” My smile falters as I brace myself to tell my teammate I’m going to pretend to date his sister.
Atticus sits on the single chair, and they all look at me expectantly.
“I found the perfect person to fake date.”
They all continue to stare at me.
“Spit it out, mate.” Lachlan waves a hand in the air.
“Lucy.” I watch Atticus for his reaction.
He doesn’t disappoint.
“What??” Atticus stands, his eyes comically wide.
Lachlan bursts out laughing.
“No way. I can’t get behind that.” Atticus shakes his head violently and points the neck of his bottle at me. “That is not what I meant! Find someoneelseto fake date!”
“Yes, you can get behind it,” Harley says calmly before sipping from his water bottle. “It’s smart. We know we can trust Lucy because she’s your sister. And we need Kellen to keep his ass in Fort Collins on the Blizzard.”
“And Lucy says she wants help showing her father—your father—that she’s doing perfectly fine away from her old life,” I say.
“Get my sister’s name out of your mouth.” Atticus narrows his eyes at me, but the other guys just laugh.
“Oh, come on.” Lachlan props his feet up on the coffee table and then lays his arm across the back of the couch. “This is brilliant. You hate that man. How can you resist the opportunity to piss him off?”
Atticus swings his head to me again. “I hate this idea.” There’s a hint of a whine in his voice, but his objections have already lost steam.
“So you’re vetoing the plan?” Harley asks.
Atticus growls and empties his beer.
“Atter? Answer the question.” Harley calmly stares at Atticus.
There’s a brief silence.
“No.” Atticus sighs, trying to drink out of his empty bottle.
Relief cascades through me. I might laugh about it, but I don’t want to upset him.
“Could be worse.Icould be fake dating her.” Lachlan winks.
