“But why the hell do you need a fake date to your friend’s wedding?” Jackson asked.
Dawson crossed his arms in front of his chest, his lips kicking up in a slight grin. With my friends eyeing me curiously, I shifted my shoulders. “Look, I guess it is a little strange. See, my ex is going to be at the wedding. It’s not that I can’t deal with her. Before you go thinking otherwise, I’m over her. Out of nowhere the last month or so, she started texting and calling me again. She’s dating my friend’s brother, and I’m getting the vibe she’s looking for a way out. I do not want to deal with her bullshit, so it’ll be easier if I have a date.”
Dawson nodded slowly, cocking his head to the side. “Why the hell is your ex going to be at your best friend’s wedding? I mean, he’s your best friend, right?”
Jesus. These guys and their fucking questions.
“Yeah,” I replied with a sigh, pausing to toss my empty water bottle into the recycling bin we had in the corner. “She screwed around on me with his brother. His brother is a fucking dick. If Dave had his way, his brother wouldn’t even be at his wedding, but you know how that shit goes with family.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Jackson muttered. “Now that’s a bunch of bullshit. Under those circumstances, I get finding yourself a fake date.”
“But how the hell did you get Jade to say yes?” Dawson interjected, looping back to his original question when he entered the room.
I shrugged. “I asked her. She said yes, probably because I helped her out the other night. Is that so surprising?”
Dawson arched a brow, nodding slowly. Jackson nodded right along with him, prompting me to ask, “What’s the big deal?”
“Jade doesn’t date.” Jackson made that comment firmly.
“Maybe she said yes because it’s not a real date,” I offered, wanting to ask more about exactly why Jade didn’t date. I kept my mouth shut with those questions because I didn’t want to drag them further into my business than they already were.
“I guess so,” Dawson said with a light shrug. “But you never did tell us, does Lucas know?”
“I don’t know. I suppose I should tell him.” God help me. All of this was starting to seem complicated. I hated complications.
“Well, yeah, you gotta tell him,” Jackson said, as if this was obvious.
“Jade is his little sister,” Dawson added.
My impulsive invitation for Jade to join me at the wedding was snowballing with complications. “Fuck. Do I need to worry about Lucas getting pissed off? It’s not a real date.”
Jackson shrugged. “Don’t think so. I would just let him know you have a fake date. Otherwise, maybe he’ll think it’s real,” he said with a slow grin.
“Okay, fill me in on why the hell Jade doesn’t date,” I said, giving into some of my curiosity.
Jackson and Dawson shrugged in unison. “Hell if I know,” Dawson offered. “All I know is one of the other bartenders tried to ask her out and she told him to fuck off, that she didn’t date. She’s kind of private.”
“Like you,” Jackson offered with a chuckle.
“For fuck’s sake. I might have to cancel the fake date if I’m gonna have to deal with all this crap.”
Dawson clapped me on the shoulder. “Too late. Plus, this is a good story. I can’t wait to hear how the wedding goes.”
“Fine, fine,” I muttered as I turned and picked up my work gloves from where I’d set them on the windowsill. “What are you doing out here anyway? I didn’t think you were working today.”
“Oh right. Came out to check with you guys about the schedule for the crew. I need to go out of town in two weeks. Can one of you cover for me?”
“I got it,” I replied quickly. “You can cover for me when I’m at the wedding.”
“When’s that?”
“Next weekend.”
“You’ve got a deal, man,” Dawson replied with a nod. “Just so you know, I’d cover for you anyway.” He pushed away from the doorframe with another grin and a wink. “Catch y’all later.” He stepped back through the open doorway with a wave.
Jackson and I got back to work, and I resisted the urge to ask any further questions about Jade. My curiosity about her was steadfast and rising. I made a mental note to check on the room situation at the hotel.
Chapter Five
Jade
“What?” Lucas asked. My older brother punctuated his question with a whip of his head in my direction and one of his dark brows slashing up.
Shocked was the only way to describe his one-word question. I picked up a slice of apple covered in peanut butter—my niece’s afternoon snack—and popped it in my mouth as I nodded.
“You’re going to a wedding with Walker?” Lucas asked slowly. He slid his hand over the counter, brushing away crumbs from the sandwiches he’d been assembling for Rylie, his daughter and my adorable niece. Turning, he dusted his hands over the trashcan and leaned his hips against the counter as he surveyed me.
“Yeah, that’s what I said. Is that a problem? And why are you looking at me like that?”
Lucas cocked his head to the side, his green eyes, so similar to mine, narrowing. “Uh, maybe because I can’t remember the last time you went on a date. Not to mention, a wedding seems kind of like a big event. I’m guessing you left out the fact that you and Walker have been dating for a while. I’m so confused I’m not even sure if I should be pissed off at him.”
“Oh my God, Lucas. You’re totally overreacting.” I shook my head slowly. “It’s not a real date. It’s a fake date.
