Page 20 of Only Between Us

What are the odds I can find someone in this town who could pass for Siena Pippen? Convinceherto fake-date me for a few months…

“How long is long-term?” I ask Josh, downing another sip of water to soothe my aching throat. “How long have we been together?”

“You met shortly after her relationship with Ivers ended. You’ve been together nine months, though you kept it quiet until now. It’s serious. You’re talking about a future together. Moving in together, getting married, the wholeshebang. Your parents love her, she’s become best friends with your sister. Your dog likes her better than you. You’ll have kids one day, probably.”

I stare. He’s just laid out an entire future ahead of me.

Except I haven’t heard from this woman in days.

“Would your sister consider dyeing her hair?” I ask Parker.

“What?”

“Melody. Would she ever agree to dye her hair dark? Just for a few months, so she can pass as Siena. She can go back to blond the second this nightmare is over. She’d fake-date me again, right?”

I pull out my phone to message her, because this is it. My only option. Fake-dating my best friend’s sister and pretending she’s Siena. The Rebels won’t know any better.

Parker’s hand comes down to cover my screen. “That’s not gonna work.”

“Why not? I mean, she kind of owes me—I did it for her last year.”

“It’s not gonna work, man. This woman has her own cult following in the football world—there’s no way someone won’t realize she got a whole new face.”

“He’s right, Brooksy.” Josh tucks his phone in his pocket. “I don’t care how you do it. As long as you get this Cece to make doe eyes at you—”

“It’sSiena. Her ex called her Cece.”

He lifts his eyebrows. “Let me let you in on a little secret, Brooks:I don’t care what her name is. Cece, Siena, Amethyst, Charlene—as long as she attends this alumni game of yours over the weekend and pretends to be madly in love with you, I’m good.”

And I’m… not good. They’re right—I couldn’t parade around a fake Siena. Every year, the UOB Huskies put on an alumni game stacked with players who’d gone on to play in the NFL, past or present. Seeing as I’m the big draw and the face of the event this year, there’ll be no flying under the radar for me, or whoever I manage to convince to respond to the name Siena Pippen.

People will see through it in a heartbeat.

Josh straightens off the squat rack, shoots Parker a look like he’s personally holding my friend responsible for helping me figure this out, and walks off toward the exit.

I direct an unrestrained groan at the ceiling. I am so. Fucked.

“You know, I’ve always liked the name Amethyst. There’s something so whimsical about it. She definitely lives in a yurt somewhere. Frolics through fields to pass the time…”

“What the hell is a yurt?” I mutter to the ceiling. So completely and fullyfucked.

“Brooks?” Parker nudges me.

I catch sight of a head of dark, shiny hair in the wall of mirrors ahead of me. Turn on my heel, barely daring to let myself believe she’s really there—

She is.

Siena with her hair tied up, sitting on a workout bench behind us. No overalls today, just a simple white polo shirt and navy skirt that hits just above the mid-point of her curvy thighs. She has her legs stretched out and crossed casually at the ankles, and looks grim as she stares back at us.

How does she keep sneaking into this facility, anyway?

And how does she get her hair so shiny? It really is luscious—

Clout chaser. NFL girlfriend. Beloved, social-media famous Cece Pippen and the Seven Yards.

Naomi 2.0.

I’m uninterested. Can’t be thwarted by her ability to lift me out ofa funk within two seconds of meeting me. I will not succumb to that single, sweet freckle whispering at me from the top of her cheekbone.