Page 13 of Acting Merry
“You begging for me back.”
four
Reese
A laugh burstsfrom my lips, and Cole smiles like the reaction pleases him.
He’s joking. Hehasto be.
He folds his arms across his chest. “So, when is this cabin thing happening?”
“This weekend, but I don’t actually expect you to come. Like I said, it was dumb and impulsive.”
He nudges me with his elbow. “What kind of boyfriend doesn’t come to his girlfriend’s annual Christmas cabin getaway?”
I raise my brows. “That would be the fake kind.”
“Nah. They’re the most devoted boyfriends of all.”
I let out something between a laugh and a scoff. “You’re kidding, right? You’re not actually considering this.”
“Oh, I’m very much considering it. What can I say? I’m a sucker for begging.”
“I’m not begg?—”
He presses a finger to my lips, smooshing them.
I take his hand and gently but firmly remove it. “We don’t even know each other. Spending three nights with some of my closest friends is just asking for them to find out it’s fake.”
“I think you’re underestimating my skill level, but I can’t vouch foryours.” He narrows his eyes as he considers me. “You’re right. You’d probably slip up.”
“Me?”
“What if we just went for one night?” He completely ignores my incredulous question. “Long enough to stick it to Blake?—”
“Brady.”
“—but short enough that you don’t blow our cover. I can plead some work emergency if we need a reason.”
“Whyare you still talking about this?” I’m so confused by what could possibly motivate this man to continue pursuing a certifiably insane idea.
“You know you want to.”
I scoff, but he’s not wrong. The more he presses the idea, the more appealing it becomes. There’s not really a way for me to bow out of the weekend with my pride intact at this point. There also isn’t a way for me to go alone and preserve my dignity.
Cole is my best option.
“The point,” I say, “is that it makes no sense whyyouwould want to. That fact alone should make me worry about your sanity. I’m not trying to star in the next Hulu true crime documentary.”
He makes a face. “Hulu? Please, Reese. Netflix or nothing, I say.”
I stare at him through narrowed eyes. “Whyareyou offering this if it’s not part of a creepy, killer-y plan?”
He shrugs. “I owe you, right? You did the same for me.”
“For like 0.5 seconds. This is different. Compared to our little stunt on the porch, this is the big leagues.”
“Exactly. I like a challenge. And I love Christmas parties. There’ll be good food, right?”
