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The more I think about it, the more I think the fake dating thing is dumb. I mean, we don’t owe him shit. It shouldn’t take another man to pretend to be anything to get this waste of space to back off. Unfortunately, I know how most of these guys work, which is the only reason I suggested it to Ainsley. She’s her own woman, but I still don’t want to see her get hurt more than she already has.

“Hey, Cole.” I turn to see Charli behind me. The cavalry has arrived.

“Tell me you’re takin’ over,” I plead. “I’ve got a drink station to man.”

She gives me a look. “I smell trouble.”

“No trouble. I said I’d give Ainsley a hand.”

Her eyes narrow. “Spill, jockstrap.”

My eyes go wide. “Jockstrap?”

She shrugs. “I was in the moment. I distinctly remember you having a bit of a thing for Ainsley last year?”

“A bit of a thing?” I cock a brow. “If I recall, I was busy tryin’ to match-make you and Jake together. You’re welcome, by the way.”

She rolls her eyes. “And you remind me every chance you get.”

“If it weren’t for me, you two would still be dancing around your feelings and playin’ footsie under the table.”

She folds her arms over her chest. “Thank you, Cole. You’re the best. Now tell me the truth, are you jonesing for our cute little librarian? Or more to the point, are you gonna do anything about it?”

“She just broke up with her boyfriend. Give it a minute.”

Charli scoffs. “That was months ago. I’m just saying. You waited last time, and you let her slip away.”

I palm the back of my neck, suddenly feeling vulnerable. “It wasn’t like that. We’re just friends.”

“Oh, come on. You’ve been moping around here like a lovesick puppy for months.”

“I’d hardly say?—”

“What’s more, you gave me such a hard time when I wouldn’t admit my feelings for Jacob.” She does that one eyebrow lift I thought only I had mastered. But no, she’s proving by each passing second, with the dressing down in progress and hands on hips, that she is alive and well. “And if you hadn’t pushed me into being brave, who knows what would’ve happened?”

I shrug, exaggerating. “We’d still be waiting for Jake to grow a set?”

She throws a ticket stub at my head. It bounces off and I feign hurt. “Ouch. That’s no way to treat the man you owe your future children to.”

She rolls her eyes again. “Stop avoiding the subject. Make a move or I’ll intervene.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “What if I’m holding back from asking her out because I don’t think she’s over her ex?”

Charli’s eyebrows raise some more. “Is she not over him?”

“I don’t know, but I’m not gonna be a rebound guy. That’s not my style, and I’d never take advantage of her, of anyone. Ainsley’s —different.”

“Nobody’s asking you to do that, and I get it. I’m just saying. Ainsley is the sweetest. I always just saw you two getting together. It probably feels different because you care about her, she’s not just another notch on your bedpost.”

“Of course I care about her, and I’m not the fuck boy everyone thinks I am. I’ve changed. She’d never be another notch on my bedpost.” I lower my voice. “I guess I kinda stuck my head in the sand. Now we’re neighbors. It’s like theuniverse is giving me a sign. Plus, Fudge took up residence on her kitchen counter and made himself right at home, and she didn’t even mind.” I smile when I think about her in her cute pumpkin pj’s and her hair all messy from sleep.

Charli smiles. “It’s definitely a sign. A sign for you to pull your finger out of your ass and buck up.”

“Since when did you get so bossy?”

“Since one of my best friends — that’s you, by the way — never gave up hope on me when I was being a whiny baby.”

“Least you can admit it.”