Page 7 of A Real Good Lie

“You don’t want to pretend date anyone.”

“Then real date. Whatever. I’m just saying, think it through.” He could hear Remington rolling his eyes.

“Come out with me tonight, then,” he said, straightening up and giving Remington his best smile.

“Are you kidding me?”

“Have a couple drinks, dance a bit, break a sweat. Come on. It’ll help me think.” He grabbed Remington’s hands and swung his arms a bit in an awkward, not standing kind of dance. “I do my best thinking when my heart rate is pumping.”

“I am not a good wingman, and you know it,” Remington groaned.

“Just you and me,” he said.

“Oh, now that’s a lie and we know it.”

“What? Never.” Jace dropped Remington’s hands and clutched his own at his chest in mock horror.

“I love you, but no. Let’s finish this pizza, then you can go out, and I’ll go to my room and put on my headphones so I don’t have to listen to you when you manage to come home after the bar closes.” Remington pointed at the pizza box.

“Remington,” he chided. “You know I can’t eat all of that if I’m trying to get fucked later.”

“Then top. Jesus.” Remington covered his eyes with his hands. “Eat your pizza so you don’t pass out when you shoot your load at some unsuspecting stranger in six hours.”

Jace picked up his pizza and finished the slice in three bites, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“That’s one of the things I love the most about you,” he said with a grin. “The way you’re always looking out for me.”

Chapter Three

Callahan is Ruined

In the end, Sebastian had refused to tell Callahan anything about this Jace person, but had insisted on meeting up with him at Lion, a club they used to frequent before Sebastian got married.

“You could have told me all of this over the phone,” Callahan yelled at his best friend over the music.

Sebastian grinned and took a swig from his beer bottle. “I needed to get out of the house for a bit.”

“Married life killing you so soon?”

Sebastian frowned a little. “Daniella has changed, that’s all.”

“Changed how?” Callahan asked.

Sebastian and Daniella hadn’t been together terribly long, but when he’d confessed he wanted to propose, Sebastian had assured Callahan their romance was the real thing. He’d married her in Vegas before anyone could tell him otherwise. All of that had happened in less than a year, and while Callahan was surprised at his best friend’s rash decision making, he never questioned his loyalty or his love for his new wife.

“That’s not what we’re here to talk about.” Sebastian finished his beer and grinned. “We’re here to talk about you and your new boyfriend.”

“Pretend,” he grumbled.

“Whatever.”

“Where do you know this guy from?”

“He works at that little pastry place I like. The one I can never remember the name of.” Sebastian pointed toward the speakers, like the bakery existed inside the club.

“Okay.” This wasn’t a promising start. “So, in your grand knowledge, you’ve given me a pastry chef as a fake boyfriend? How is that going to go over with everyone?”

“He’s a barista,” Sebastian corrected, and Callahan let out a long-suffering sigh.