Page 22 of The Hearts We've Broken
juniper
After meeting Mikey’s friends, I felt good about our fake-dating arrangement. If it was believable enough to them, even if they were skeptical at first, then it would be believable enough for Ava and Brady this summer. I could just imagine the looks on their faces, especially Ava’s, when they realized who I was with—the one-night stand who tossed my ex-best friend to the curb and who also happened to be my ex-boyfriend’s favorite bull rider.
Maybe it would all blow up in my face and they’d think I was just another hookup, but the idea that I could get the same man Ava had once wanted was enough to propel me forward with my plans.
Over the course of the last few days, Mikey and his friends would pop into Rudy’s bar when I was working, and even though I was on shift, our act never fell through the cracks. The old man himself even cracked a smile at the sight of the two of us.
“You look happy.” Liv sidled up next to me at the bar.
I quirked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
She gestured to me as a whole. “I don’t know, you just have this glow about you. Compared to when you started working here, you just look more content.”
Heat rose to my cheeks at the idea of Mikey actually making me happy in a romantic kind of way.
“See! This is what I mean. You’re literally blushing,” Liv pointed out.
I made a show of patting my face, if only to stop my lips from curving into a smile, and tried to come up with some excuse for my changed demeanor. “I?—”
“It’s okay to be happy, June. I don’t know why you moved here or your reasoning for anything, but if I’m being honest, you looked kind of sad when you first started working here.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but quickly shut it because Liv kept going.
“I don’t know if it’s Mikey that’s making you this happy, but if he is, I won’t judge. I’m surprised, but good on him if he’s the reason. As long as he doesn’t hurt you in the end, I’ll support whatever it is you two have going on. Even if it’s not my brother.” She chuckled.
“For what it’s worth, Tommy seems like a great guy,” I offered.
“He’s all right for a big brother.” She winked as a customer called her over for drinks.
A group of college girls came up to the bar wanting white tea shots, so I started pouring them. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of Natalie’s dark-brown hair as she walked in the door. I gave her a nod of acknowledgment, and she waited behind the group I was serving.
I wondered why she was in the bar, but then I got a better look at the expression on her face.
“Five white tea shots. Open or closed tab?” I asked the girls as they thanked me for the shots.
“We’ll leave it open, please!” A pretty girl with dirty blonde hair and doe-like eyes handed me her card.
“You got it.” I kept her card, and they walked off with their drinks. When I came back to the bar, Natalie was leaning against it. “What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”
“You tell me, Juniper. You’ve been avoiding me for the past week. Since the bonfire.” She crossed her arms.
“I’m sorry, I’ve been busy.” I shrugged.
She cocked her head to the side, lifting an eyebrow. “What the hell are you doing with Mikey Tucker?”
I guessed we were getting straight to the point. I let out a sigh. “We’re dating.”
“Mikey Tucker doesn’t date.”
“I’d beg to differ. He’s dating me.” I put one hand on my hip.
Her mouth gaped. “You’ve known each other for a week and a half!” Her facial features pinched, and she shook her head. Forcing out a breath, she put her hands on the bar. “I’m sorry, I just worry about you.”
“I understand that. But I’m fine.”
“It’s just…your boyfriend cheated on you, June. You should be eating ice cream in the bathtubAquamarinestyle, not jumping into a new relationship, much less one withhim.”
“Ex-boyfriend, Nat,” I corrected.
