Page 27 of Ten Rules for Faking It
Chris folded his arms over his chest. “Okay. You’ll go through the app and pick your dates. We’ll set things up, but I think the initial contact would be best if made by you. You’ll be able to text through the app, which I think is one of the best parts. You can go back and forth a little before you talk on the phone or meet, without sharing your actual contact information.”
A halo of questions seemed to vibrate around her brain. “Will there be time for all of that?” Two dates a week, two guys. Twice the communication and interaction. She’d talked to her ex only a couple of times a week by phone. They texted most of their plans because she hated being on the phone. Now, she’d have to ring a couple of guys up every second day and be all, “So, you want to take me out, huh?” Everly laughed at the thought of even being able to say that out loud.
“Are you okay?” Chris stood and walked into her space. He took the water from her and set it on the desk. “Seriously, Everly. You can still back out. If you’re not okay with this. If—”
“I hate talking on the phone,” she blurted.
His mouth formed anoat her interruption and the realization of what she was worried about. Then he smiled, and it felt soft and intimate like a hug. One of those ones where the person pulls you right in and smooths their hands over every part they can touch.
“Of course. Texting is okay, right?”
She laughed to cover the awkwardness she felt. “Yes. It is. And so is being on the phone when I need to. I just… I’ve never dated two men at once. It’s all new to me.”Way to put it mildly.
Pushing past him, she went back to her seat. “I’ll be fine. Once we get going, I’ll settle in, I’ll know more about what to expect.”
“Then you’re sure?” He spoke from behind her, and she swiveled again to face him.
“I think we’re out of options at this point, boss.”
Chris scrunched his face at the wordboss,which made Everly smile. “It’s easy to feel like there’s no way out, but we always have options. I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to.”
Everly pulled in a deep breath and took her time letting it out, feeling her body relax with the exhale. “No. You won’t, and you’re not. I chose to do this.”It’s an opportunity to take control in several areas of your life.
She turned back to her computer, ready to bury herself in work and the rest of their segment.
“Everly?” His voice was husky, nearly whispered. Sensations rippled over her skin from the three syllables, taking their time and leaving a mark.What’s that about? Need another reminder he’s your boss? Maybe I’ll put it on a whiteboard and keep it where you can see it.She couldn’t focus on her work if her pulse was going haywire.
“Hmm?” She wrote things down in her notebook that she wasn’t sure would make sense.
“Why don’t we chat after your segment?” He walked to the door, and she was just about to agree but remembered what she had planned next.
She let out a groan and leaned back in her chair. “I can’t,” she said, meeting his gaze.
“Because?”
She sat straight, stiffened her shoulders, and gave him a lopsided smile. “I’m going shopping.”
Chris stared at her. He didn’t get it. “Oh.”
“Ohas in, you’d like to join us?”
He rubbed a hand over his chin. “Us?”
She grinned. “Yup. My good friend Stacey and I are going to”—she put her hands up to use air quotes—“find me a single, about-to-be-wooed-off-my-feet wardrobe that will revitalize not only my closet but my life.”
His hand covered his mouth, and she knew he was hiding a grin. Clearing his throat, he dropped his hands, slipped them in his pants pockets.
“Stacey’s words?”
“Obviously. She’s quite enjoying her opportunity to play the gal pal to my real-life heroine of a rom-com. According to her, this means a fashion montage, which I will, apparently, begrudgingly enjoy.”
Chris chuckled. To his credit, he didn’t outright laugh. Itwas a dignified, reserved, wow-that’s-rough show of humor. “Sounds like she has you covered.”
“She will. As of this afternoon, she’ll have me covered from head to toe.”
Did his eyes just flare? Heat up?
Stacey knocked on the window between them. She’d written on her whiteboard: Need food. Feed me. I’m fading fast.She’d let the wordfasttrail off the board.
