Chapter 12
TRYING TO GET ME DRUNK SO I FORGET HOW MUCH YOU ANNOY ME?
Scottie
Lily
Hiiiii, Scottie. Do you have plans tonight?
Me
I wasn’t planning anything.
Lily
Do you want to go out tonight?
Me
I still need to shower after working outside all day. What time were you thinking?
Lily
I can pick you up at seven. It’s karaoke night at Seven Stools!
Me
Seven Stools?
Lily
My brother’s bar on Main Street! Nan organizes it and it’s the best night!
I didn’t plan on going out tonight.
After a full day of filming, my body wants nothing more than to collapse in bed, close my eyes, and forget that I’m renovating a “dream home” on television with the man who once made me forget my own name.
But the idea of having a friend in Bluestone Lakes is something I don’t want to pass up. So, instead of rotting in bed, I’m dressed and ready for karaoke night.
I start to gather my stuff in my purse and my mind drifts to Tucker. Why am I still thinking about him right now? All day, Tucker was…infuriating.
He was funny when I didn’t want him to be, and calm when I tried to argue.
It was as if he knew exactly what to say to get under my skin—the right mix of teasing and charm.
He has the kind of confidence that doesn’t need to prove itself.
It was also the moments when he didn’t say anything, like when his hand guided mine over tools, branding my skin like a tattoo.
The cameras caught exactly what the producers wanted—the chemistry and banter between two people working on a house together. But what they didn’t catch were all the feelings I shouldn’t have when he’s around.
Tucker made me lose track of what was real and what was for show.
This shouldn’t mean anything.
It’s supposed to be fake.
So why does my chest tighten every time he smiles?
Why does his voice still echo in my head hours later?
My phone buzzing in my hand snaps me back to reality.
Lily
I’m here!
I give myself one last look in the small bathroom mirror, running my hands through the soft curls I added, before tucking the front of my navy blue V-neck shirt into the front of my jeans. I settled on casual tonight since the bar doesn’t sound upscale.
Locking the door behind me, I make my way down the stairs to where she’s parked.
“Ready?” Lily asks as I’m halfway into my seat.
Once I’m settled and click my seat belt on, I notice she has a giddy smile on her face, filled with excitement. “You’re way too excited for karaoke.”
“It’s the best night of the week. Everyone in town goes to cut loose.” She reaches across the center console and places a gentle hand on my forearm. “And don’t worry, there are no cameras or pressure. Tonight is just small-town fun.”
No cameras. That sounds like heaven.
“Besides, you’re probably been inhaling sawdust all day, or whatever it is you were working on. You need a drink and a break from pretending with my cousin.”
I snap my head in her direction, and she has a sly grin on her face. “I never said—”
She holds up her hand and chuckles. “Full transparency here.” She laughs as she drives. “We know about the little fake dating thing.”
“Oh.”
“You’re safe with us.” She winks. “And you know Blair and I have your back if he drives you crazy.”
Little does she know, he’s already driving me crazy, but not in a way that makes me want to escape. In a way that makes me hyper aware of his presence when he’s close to me. In a way that feels inconvenient and distracting for something that’s supposed to be pretend.
“We’re here.” Lily’s voice cuts through my thoughts just as the neon barstool flickers over the corner of Main Street.
“That was quick.”
She chuckles. “Small town.”
The parking spaces lining the sidewalk are full, but Lily finds a spot close enough. The moment I open the car door and get out, I can feel the thump of the music through my body. With each step toward the bar, the music only grows louder and louder.
Lily hooks her arm in mine, guiding me through the front doors. My eyes widen because she wasn’t lying. This place is packed to the brim. Looking around, I take in the fancy strobe lights and mini stage set up in the corner, where someone is singing “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys.
“Now let’s get you a drink, girl,” Lily shouts over the music.
She pulls me toward the bar, but we don’t make it far because I crash right into a brick wall. Well, not exactly. The man feels like a brick wall of muscle.
He turns around holding the glass in his hand up so it doesn’t spill, and I immediately widen my eyes. “Oh my god, sir. I’m so sorry.”
“Please don’t call me sir. It makes me feel so much older than I am.”
Lily steps between us, poking the man in the chest. “Dallas. You almost broke my friend.”
He laughs, deep and gravelly. “I didn’t almost break anyone.”
“Oh, there you are,” a female voice sounds from behind Dallas. “I was wondering where you went, Lil.”
“I’m here” Lily says, wrapping her arms around the woman.
She’s beautiful—long strawberry blonde hair wrapped in a ponytail behind her head and a few freckles painted on her cheeks.
“And it got busy!” She pulls back from her and hooks her arm in mine again.
“This is Scottie.” She looks at me and places her other hand on the woman’s forearm.
“This is my sister, Poppy. And the wall you ran into is her boyfriend, Dallas.”
“It’s so nice to meet you two,” I say.
“Scottie,” Dallas says. “You’re the one doing that project over on Redwood with Tucker.”
I nod, straightening my spine and feeling nervous all of a sudden. “That’s me.”
“He told us all about it,” he adds.
I’m not sure how I feel about Tucker talking about me with people in town. First, Lily’s brother, and now this man I just met three seconds ago. It puts an uneasy feeling in my gut and makes me wonder what else he’s saying.
Does everyone know we’re in a fake relationship for the show, too?
And more importantly…do they know our history?
Lily must catch my nervousness, because she smacks his upper arm with the back of her hand, forcing Dallas to raise both hands in defense. “What? He didn’t say anything bad. He just told us all about the project and that his team is working on it with Scottie.”
“Correct,” Lily warns, sticking her pointer finger in his face. “You guys better not mess with my friend.”
I turn to face Lily and a warmth fills my chest. I’ve never had anyone defend me like this, despite there being nothing to defend. They were only talking about the show, which I expect in a small town like this.
I place a hand on Lily’s shoulder and laugh to break the tension. “It’s all good. I’m sure this show is pretty big for a town like this. People are going to talk.”
“Apparently, Nan says this show is the most exciting thing to happen in town since the water tower got repainted,” Dallas says over the brim of his whiskey-filled glass before taking a sip.
“And to clear the air and remove the elephant in the room, we know you two are pretending to date for the show.”
“Dallas,” Poppy and Lily say at the same time.
“What?” He shrugs. “I can feel the weird energy around us. Like we’re all hiding something from her. I don’t want to start a blossoming friendship on lies.”
The three of us stare at him for a beat before we all bend over in laughter.
Without even trying, he successfully breaks the “weird energy” in the air.
“Thank you for that,” I say as my laughter dies down. “We’re pretending because the producers say it works well for the plot. That’s it.”
Something shifts across his face. That almost grimace people get when a truth bumps too close to the surface.
Like Dallas knows something he can’t say out loud.
It’s not judgment or pity burning my skin the longer he stares at me.
It’s the protectiveness of his friend. And suddenly, I feel that weird energy we just joked about coming back.
When my eyes narrow in question, Dallas looks away, schooling his expression fast as he forces a smile.
But that look?
That isn’t about me.
That’s about Tucker.
“Well, now that that’s out…we need drinks. Stat,” Lily says.
The moment Dallas moves to the side to allow Lily and me to make our way to the bar, I almost trip over my feet.
Standing behind the bar, sleeves rolled to his elbows, and pouring drinks like it’s second nature to him is Tucker.
The dim amber light of the bar catches on the curve of his jaw, and my breath hitches.
Of course, the universe would throw me into another version of him I’m not prepared for.
As we approach the bar, I try to look casual, like I’m not having an internal crisis over seeing him here. Tucker is making a drink for someone on the other end of the bar, and I find myself unable to take my eyes off him.
“This is the best bar in town,” Lily says. “And I’m not just saying that because my brother owns it.”
“Noted,” I say, barely registering anything she’s saying because all I can focus on is the way Tucker’s forearms flex with every move he makes. He’s not even lifting anything heavy, just bottles of liquor. Yet, I’m transfixed on everything he’s doing.
He slides the drink across the bar, then turns to face us.
That’s when he sees me.
His whole body stills and the easy rhythm he was moving with seconds ago stops like someone flipped a switch.
He stops breathing, or I imagine he does, because I feel like I’ve forgotten how to breathe, too.
The music dulls into light background noise, and the laughter at the bar turns to static.
All I can see are his eyes—wide and shocked that I’m standing here.
But it’s short-lived as a smile reaches his eyes and he moves to stand across from us at the bar.
“Well, look who wandered in here to see me,” Tucker says, his voice low and impossible to ignore.
“Don’t flatter yourself. I came here for karaoke, not you.”
He leans forward, forearms bracing the counter. “And here I was hoping you’d say you missed me.”