Page 109 of The Love Playbook

“Damn. I thought for sure he wasn’t even into girls,” Jace grumbles.

Brandon slaps a ten in front of me. “With how bitter he is, I thought for sure it was something else.”

Damon throws his hands up. “Seriously? You placed bets on this shit?”

I shrug. “You’ve been extra grumpy and glued to your phone. We knew something was going on,” I say, sliding my winnings from the table. “Now spill,” I say, waving my money around. “I’m the love master. Maybe I can help.”

Damon exhales, glaring at me from his side of the table. “I found out a few weeks ago that my ex is transferring to AAU next semester, and it’s all I can think about.”

“Oh, shit.” Brandon winces.

I raise a hand to silence him. “And I assume you still have feelings for this ex?”

“Yes? Maybe?” Damon groans. “I don’t fucking know.”

“What’s her name?” Brandon asks.

“What the fuck’s her name matter?”

He shrugs. “I dunno. Just trying to get a visual.”

“Her name is Avery,” Damon says with a sigh.

“Ooh, Avery,” Brandon murmurs. “She even sounds hot.”

Damon’s jaw clenches, and I can tell he’s two seconds away from popping Brandon in the jaw. “Well, look on the bright side,” I say. “At least you don’t have a thing for your best friend,” I say with a tip of the chin at Brandon.

“I don’t have a?” Brandon’s head swivels, and I know he’s looking for Tatum. “I told you,” he hisses, “I don’t have a thing for her.”

“Right. Whatever you say.” Jace shoots me a knowing look across the table. “You just decided to bring your female bestie to the club instead of, oh, I don’t know, trying to hook up with one of the other single and highly available women here who would probably jump at a chance with AAU’s best lineman?”

“Not every guy needs to hook up all the time to be happy.”

I nod, my expression serious. “Spoken like a man who’s stuck squarely in the friend zone.”

Brandon rolls his eyes and flips me the bird while the others laugh.

“What are we laughing about?” Brynn asks as she nudges Jace’s arm and scoots into the booth beside him.

Across from me, Brandon’s face burns. Stifling a chuckle, I hop out, allowing Elizabeth and Tatum to slide inside the booth before I sink back down and pull Charlotte into my side.

“Oh, nothing important,” Jace says with a shit-eating grin. “We were just talking about how Brandon needs to get laid.”

Brandon turns from red to purple. “You’re an asshole.” He turns to Tatum, adamant as he says, “That’s not what we . . . There was no talk of . . .that.”

I snort.

“Well, if you need help, I can be your wingwoman,” Tatum says, giving his arm a friendly pat. “Just say the word, and I can help.”

“I’m sure he’d love that.” Jace snickers as Brandon cuts him with a glare that borders on pain.

Charlotte turns to me, her breath hot on the side of my face as she leans in. “Okay, what am I missing?”

“I’ll fill you in later,” I whisper, “when you come back with me to my place.”

Charlotte shivers. “Promise?”

“Okay, you two.” Brandon chucks a napkin at us. “Enough with the PDA.”