Page 18 of The Write Track
“I can’t believe Nathan volunteered to be your fake boyfriend,” Bree admitted. “That’s really going to cut down on the number of authors he can hit on at the retreat.”
I hesitated. “Maybe I should let him off the hook if that’s his thing.”
“He’s kind of a dog,” Bree said. “Not in a bad way. He’s just not looking for a relationship. If he volunteered to help you, that means that he wants to help you. Leave it be.”
“So he’s a dog but in a good way?” I rolled that over in my head. “Is that even possible?”
She laughed. “He’s a good guy. He’s going to be a good partner for somebody eventually. He just hasn’t reached the stage where he wants to settle down yet.”
“He is a good guy,” Hayley agreed. “Let him stand as your shield. It will be good for him to see what women have to put up with for a change. It might cause him to mature.”
That didn’t sound likely to me. Still, their plan was probably for the best, so I shrugged. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out, I guess. I just want Preston gone.”
“Oh, we’re going to make sure he’s gone after this retreat,” Bree promised. “One way or another.”
5
FIVE
“This whole thing is screwy,” I complained to Brody outside the Nest Rooftop Lounge.
“You fake dating another author?” Brody challenged. “I completely agree.”
I made a face. “I wasn’t talking about that. I was talking about this Preston Martin Charles III guy.”
“Yes, he sounds screwy,” Brody readily agreed. “Bree called two hours ago and went on a rampage about the story Bella told her. She thinks the guy is dangerous.”
“Bree thinks everybody is dangerous.”
“Actually, she doesn’t.” He shook his head. “She tends to believe the best in people, no matter what she says. This guy has her going a little nutty, though.”
That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I didn’t know Bella well, but the idea of anything bad happening to her gave me a severe case of indigestion. “Does Bree think he’ll hurt Bella?”
Brody hesitated then shrugged. “She said she asked Bella, and she said no.”
“That wasn’t really an answer.”
“Bree is suspicious.” Brody held out his hands. “I think it’s worth keeping an eye on the situation. Bella is completely on her own, I guess. She has no family here or friends.”
“It sounds like she has friends.”
Brody laughed. “Yeah. Bree has gone all mama bear on her. Bella isn’t that much younger than her, so it’s hard for me to figure out why she feels so mercenary about the entire thing.”
I knew why. “She’s tiny, like just over five feet. She makes you want to be protective of her just for that reason alone.”
Brody lifted a speculative eyebrow. “Is that why you volunteered to be her fake boyfriend?”
“I just didn’t like the way that guy was looking at her.”
“Because you want to look at her the same way, and there’s only room for one of you in that particular mix?”
I gave him a dead-eyed look. “No. Don’t be ridiculous. You know I don’t go in for stuff like that. I’m not in the market for a relationship.”
“But?”
“There’s no but. She’s a nice woman trying to make a change in her life. The fact that this guy can’t take the hint that she wants to move on from him is not her fault. It’s his.”
“It sounds like he was a righteous jerk, that there were a lot of red flags right from the beginning.”
