Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Isla’s eyes bulged. “And that guy is here? The guy you photoshopped in?”
I nodded. “I’m pretty sure it’s him.”
“Which one?”
I lifted my chin toward the man who looked like he’d walked out of an Abercrombie ad. “The guy in the navy sweater.”
“Damn. He’s pretty.”
I covered my forehead, feeling clammy. “What am I going to do?”
“First off, you’re going to calm down. Because there is no way in hell some random, gorgeous guy you found on the Internet just walked into this stuffy party. And even if it is him—which I sincerely doubt it is—who’s going to know? You only sent the card to Davis, right?”
I nodded.
“It was a year ago. So even if it were him, there’s no way Davis would remember now.”
Everything Isla said was logical, yet I still wanted to throw up. I shook my head. “I don’t know, Isla. It definitely looks like him.”
“It’s not. Stop freaking out. You probably don’t even remember yourself. You were drunk, and it was a full year ago.”
Maybe she was right. Maybe I didn’t remember. I’d probably seen this guy on social media—he obviously had a connection to Davis if he was here. And maybe that face stuck with me because he resembled the guy I’d photoshopped. I mean, what would that random man I found be doing at Davis’s Christmas party anyway? I knew almost all of the people who usually came.
My heart rate slowed.
Isla was right. I was being ridiculous.
This man wasn’t my fake boyfriend. I’d been drunk that night, and now I was just confused.
Yeah, that’s it.
I almost started to believe it. Though I still held my breath as I watched my ex walk over to the two guys who’d just come in. The three of them spoke for a moment, and then Davis scanned the room. When he found me, he pointed.
My eyes widened. “Oh no…”
Davis and my fake boyfriend started to walk in my direction. I wanted to head for the hills, run away from the train wreck about to happen. But I couldn’t move. My legs were paralyzed from fear, and my feet felt like concrete blocks.
Davis smiled as he approached. “Hey, Joy. Hey, Isla. Look who I just met? It took me a few seconds to place the face, but then I remembered your Christmas card last year.”
Abercrombie Guy’s brows drew together. He looked at me, then Davis, then back to me. I had no idea what the hell to do, so I decided to go with it.
I threw my arms around the man and planted a chaste kiss square on his mouth. “Hi, honey. I didn’t think you were going to be able to make it.”
CHAPTER 2
* * *
Nolan
The brown-haired beauty glared at me, a silent prompt to go along with this, whatever the hell was going on. I guess it was showtime.
“My business dinner got canceled,” I began slowly. “So…I was able to make it after all.”
She breathed a sigh of relief.
The guy held out his hand. “Probably should’ve introduced myself formally. Davis Lawson. Nice to meet you, Nolan.”
He knows my name? I never told him. “How did…you know my name?”
“Well, we have that picture of you here on our fridge, the one with your abs hanging out. I use it for motivation to hit the weights.” He smacked my arm.
This night just keeps getting weirder.
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m…on your fridge?”
“The Christmas card from last year,” Davis said. “You and Joy in Aruba.”
“Ah.” My eyes widened as I turned to her. Joy. At least I had her name now. I scratched my chin. “Right. How could I forget? Bermuda. Great trip. Good rum.”
Joy’s face reddened. “Aruba…”
I snapped my fingers. “Sorry, yeah.”
Davis looked between us. “Joy never actually told me how you two met…”
She smiled at me through gritted teeth as she said nothing. She wanted me to pull something out of my ass?
Okay.
“We were in one of those cat cafés,” I blurted. “You know, the ones in Tokyo? Where the cats roam the place and you can pet them?”
Joy’s fake smile faded.
Davis turned to her. “I never knew you went to Tokyo?”
Joy pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. “It was a last-minute thing.” She cleared her throat. “Got a good deal the summer before last. Remember when I took that random week off? I was in Tokyo, actually.”
“I’ll never forget the moment I first saw her.” I grinned, having a bit more fun with this as each second passed. “Do you remember that, babe?”
“Yeah.” She laughed nervously. “There were…so many…cats.”
I shook my head. “So many fucking cats. And they were all gravitating toward you.” I turned to Davis. “I could barely see her because she was buried under them.”
Davis’s brow furrowed. “That sounds quite terrifying, actually.”
“Turned out she was sitting on a pillow filled with catnip,” I added. “When Joy figured it out, she moved over to the seat next to me. And that’s when I became the luckiest man alive.”