Trouble with the Fake Boyfriend (Rock Bottom #3) - Holly Renee Page 0,11
beer from the fridge. “I’ll have to think about all this and come up with a good cover story. Plus, I’ll just pull some chick’s picture off the internet.”
“You know your mom has Instagram now, right? As soon as you say a name, she’s going to be stalking her so hard.”
“Fuck.” He was right. “You’re right. What the hell am I going to do?”
“Pay someone to post a picture of the two of you together and pray it pacifies her.” Tucker was full-on enjoying himself now.
“I’m fucked. Aren’t I?” My mom wasn’t an idiot. She’d have me figured out before I would be able to formulate the next lie in my head. She always had. And she would hate me for lying to her.
“Indeed. It looks like you need to start looking for a Mrs. Gentry before she figures it out and kills you.”
“Fuck.”
Three
The Ultimate Bachelor and Bachelorette
Brooke
I was already running fifteen minutes late when I opened the door to the restaurant where all my friends were waiting. I had tried to get out of work early, but that seemed to be impossible these days.
I could see Kennedy and Tucker as soon as I stepped through the door, and she waved when she spotted me. Chloe, the manager of Tucker and Liam’s restaurant, was sitting next to her. As I rounded the corner, I could see Liam sitting next to Tucker laughing, and even though I typically saw him every day considering our best friends were married and we happened to be next door neighbors, he still made my heart ache a little at the sight of him.
“Hey, guys. Sorry I’m late.” I slipped my jacket over the back of the chair and sat down between Liam and Chloe. Exactly where I didn’t want to be.
“Your boss being a bitch again?” Liam asked from beside me.
“You nailed it.” I pulled the napkin from the table and unfolded it in my lap.
“I don’t know why you don’t just leave that place. Life’s too short for you to be miserable every day.”
That was easy for him to say. He worked for himself. Well, and technically Tucker. Plus, he didn’t get to have an opinion. Not anymore.
“I can’t just leave my job.” I looked over at him and gave him a face that hopefully told him to drop it.
He and I had this conversation before. I knew where he stood and he knew where I did. But he thought I should quit anyway. But I didn’t have a family like he did. Mine weren’t supportive like his. I would have nowhere to land if I failed. Except with Kennedy, and I refused to be a burden to her.
“So,” I looked over at my best friend and tried to ignore Liam staring at me, “how was the first night in your new place?”
“It was good.” She was grinning ear to ear, and I could only imagine all the places the two of them probably defiled after being cooped up with roommates their whole relationship.
“Where should we not sit when we come over?” Chloe joked as she sipped her water. “The couch, the table, the kitchen sink?”
“I was thinking the same thing.” I laughed as Kennedy rolled her eyes.
“Great minds.” Chloe tapped her temple.
“Don’t be a hater.” Kennedy leaned closer to Tucker, almost unnoticeably, but he instantly wrapped his arm around her.
“I’m not.” I pointed to my chest. “If I were you, I’d be screwing everywhere. That’s the point of having a husband, right?”
“Not exactly.” Tucker chuckled and ran his fingers over Kennedy’s shoulder. “But it is a perk.”
“A really big perk too.” Kennedy wagged her eyebrows playfully, and Liam almost spit out his drink.
“My, my Kennedy. One day living with him and you’ve already been tainted.”
She started to say something back to me but the waiter arrived at our table, and no matter how she acted in private, she would rather die before she let our waiter hear her talk like that.
We all ordered our food, and I could barely keep my attention on ordering because Liam’s phone kept buzzing in his pocket.
Repeatedly.
It was probably some girl who he didn’t regret.
“Do you need to get that?” I said only to him, but instantly regretted it as soon as the words left my lips.
“No.” He shook his head and didn’t elaborate. For that, I was thankful.
“It’s probably his mom.” Tucker chuckled as he slapped Liam on the back. “This fool is up shit creek.”
“What did you do?” Kennedy asked the question we were all thinking.