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six

Harlow

After Thursday night’s loss to the Hawks, I came home and started working more on my blog post for Rory. If Saturday is going to be the day I post interviews, I need to finish this article by tomorrow.

I’m almost three-quarters of the way through my first draft when my phone rings. Who is calling me at nearly midnight?

I grab my phone and take a look at the screen.

Lucia.

I haven’t spoken to her much today because I’m trying not to spill the beans around a bunch of people, but I need to be able to talk to someone about this situation that isn’t Knox or Cole. Apparently, Knox told him yesterday, and he’s spent the entire day messing with me about it.

I answer the call and bring the phone to my ear. Before I can even greet her, Lucia says, “Why the fuck were you acting so weird tonight, Lo?”

“Well, hello to you, too, dear friend. I’m doing great, thanks for asking.”

“Don’t give me that. You barely spoke to me tonight. I asked Cole if he knew why, and he said I should speak with you.”

“Of course he did,” I say, sighing. “I wasn’t trying to be weird earlier, but this wasn’t something I could talk about at the game since people could hear. That’s why I didn’t really talk to you yesterday either.”

“Ooh, something secret! That sounds juicy.”

“It’ll definitely be something you’re not expecting.” I let out a light laugh before launching into my explanation of the meeting with Knox and Simon and his idea to help us both.

“Harlow!” she says excitedly. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?!”

“That Knox Spencer is my fake boyfriend?” I let out a breath. “Yeah…”

“Oh my God!” she shrieks. “How perfect is this?!”

“How is this perfect, Luc? It’s a fake relationship.”

“For now. Fake dating never works; the couple always develops feelings. Plus, he’s got this whole broody thing going on while you’re so bright and happy. Perfect combo.”

“You read too many romance novels, Luc,” I reply, shaking my head even though she can’t see. “We’re not going to develop feelings for each other. We barely even know each other.”

“But you will. You’ll have to spend time together to make this seem realistic. I’d bet money Knox Spencer falls in love with you by the end of the season.”

“I don’t want him to fall in love with me,” I say, exasperated. “This isn’t a fairy tale, Lucia. This is real life. That’s not how this works.”

“We’ll see.” I can hear the smugness in her tone. And I know this means Lucia will be prodding me through the season to see how this whole situation is going.

She won’t be happy with the outcome, though. Knox Spencer is so far out of my goddamn league. With that shaggy brown hair, those vibrant green eyes, and that well-suited scruffy beard, he could have any woman of his choosing. He’s not going for his friend’s little sister, that’s for sure.

Which is fine by me. I don’t want anything right now anyway. I’m still fixing the pieces of me that Derek broke. I need to be whole before I can really move on. But I can still play the image of him in a tight gray T-shirt clinging to his muscular biceps in my head when I’m alone. That’ll work for me.

“So, how are you feeling about tonight?” Lucia asks. “You ready?”

It’s now Sunday, the day Knox told me we’d announce our “relationship.” I still don’t know what he’s planning, and it’s starting to give me anxiety. I get uncomfortable with the unknown.

“As ready as I’m going to be, I think,” I reply. “Knox and I have only been talking to each other for a few days now. We don’t know each other well, and I’m afraid that will come across.”

“You’re not going to be giving media interviews. I’m sure they’ll ask him some questions during postgame press, but I doubt Paul will let the reporters get too invasive. I think you’ll mainly just need to be seen together in public and pretend you like each other. Shouldn’t be too hard for you when you’re staring at Knox Spencer.”

“Yeah, I guess,” I respond, sighing. “I think I’m just nervous about all of it. It feels kinda wrong to be doing this, at least for me. I can help Knox with his image and help him become less of a pessimist. He could actually change through this. But I almost feel like I’m using him.”

“Lo, he’s probably thinking the same thing about you. Just remember that you guys are doing this for both of your benefits. And then you can fall in love along the way.”

“Lucia…”

“I know, I know. You don’t want him to fall in love with you. Just let me live in a fantasy world where my best friend is finally happy.”

I cross my arms. “I don’t need a man to be happy, Luc.”

She sighs. “I know you don’t, Lo. But you’re a hopeless romantic. I know the idea of finding your person one day keeps you going.”

I wish she was wrong. I’m independent and can care for myself, but I do so badly want to share my life with somebody again. I thought Derek was going to be that person. I know now that he never would have been. Our relationship wasn’t healthy; I just didn’t see it at the time.

But as much as I want that again, I don’t think I’m ready. Derek almost broke me. I’m not whole again, but I’m getting there. I’m just going to focus on myself. Love and romance can come later.

Before Lucia can mention it again, there’s a knock at my door. “Are you expecting somebody else, Lo?”

“No,” I say, stepping off my stool by the kitchen counter and making my way to the door. “I’ve been avoiding Rory and Ella, too, so I don’t let the cat out of the bag. I’m not sure who this would be.”

As I open the door, I find an unknown man standing before me. “Uh, can I help you?”

“Just here to drop off a package, ma’am.” He picks up a brown box from the floor and hands it to me. “Here you are.”

“Oh, thanks,” I say, confused. I wasn’t expecting a package. The man nods his head before turning around and heading back down the hallway.

Once I close the door behind me, I walk back into the kitchen and set the package down on the counter.

“What’s that?” Lucia asks, sizing up the box in front of us.

“No idea,” I reply honestly. “I wasn’t expecting anything.”

“Do you think it could be from Knox?”

“I don’t know why he’d send me something, but maybe. There’s no return address on the box, though.”

“So then open it so we can find out!” Lucia nudges me to get me moving.

I take a pair of scissors and slice through the tape on the box. The first thing I see when I open it is a letter.

Harlow,

Figured you could use something for the game tonight. Wear whatever you’re comfortable with, but as much as I hate it, I know there will be pictures taken of us. I’m sure you’ll look great no matter what, though.

-Knox

“Yeah, this is from Knox,” I say to Lucia, handing her the letter as two tickets I didn’t notice before fall from inside the folded paper.

“What are those?” she asks before turning her attention to the letter.

I grab the tickets from the counter and look them over. “Two front-row tickets for the section next to the Stars dugout.”

“Ooh, he wants you right next to him during the game.” Lucia fake swoons, holding her arm to her head. I roll my eyes and shake my head at her dramatics. When I don’t give her the reaction she wants, she moves on. “Now, what do you think is in the box? Also, I’m not going to allow you to gloss over the fact that he says in the letter that you’ll look great.” She moves her eyebrows suggestively.

“Jesus, Luc. That’s not gonna happen.” I carefully unwrap the tissue paper to reveal… a jersey. “It’s a Stars jersey. I already have one of those.”

“You have a Pierce jersey for your brother, Lo. That’s not going to be a Pierce jersey.”

“Oh,” I say, realization washing over me. I lift the jersey and turn it around, finding Spencer stitched across the top with the number forty-nine stitched below. “He… he wants me to wear his jersey tonight?”

“You’re announcing your relationship.”

“Fake relationship,” I remind her.

“Semantics,” she replies, waving me off. “If there are going to be pictures of you two like he thinks, it would make more sense for you to wear his jersey instead of your brother’s.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” I admit. “I feel like it’s just now sinking in that this is really happening. How did I find myself in such a weird situation?”

“The how doesn’t matter,” Lucia says. “What matters is that you are, and after tonight, whatever Knox has planned will show the world that you’re dating.”

“Fake dating.”

“It won’t be fake for long. A man seeing a woman in his jersey always makes him feral for her.”

“In books, Luc! Life is not a romance novel.”

Lucia laughs as she steps off her stool and grabs her purse from the counter. “I have to head in now for their training. I’ll catch you at the game tonight.”

With a wave, Lucia walks out the door. And I’m left alone with my swirling thoughts.