“Wow, Finny, you went in on the place?” Olivia asked.
“Yeah. I’ve got to do something with the money I’m making, and I was looking for an investment. I figured this would be the perfect fit for Reese.” I turned to face my best friend.
Reese’s eyes watered, and she lunged at me, her arms wrapping around my neck. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“This is great. You’ve got a little office space, and you can use this open area for your design center.” Olivia continued moving around and taking it all in.
“Yeah, it’s really perfect. But I don’t know why you’re insisting on me taking it rent-free for the first year. I’ve got savings, and I want to pay what I can to start off. And then we can stick with the plan of increasing the price next year when I’m turning a profit.” Reese shook her head in disbelief.
“I told you that those were the terms. Take it or leave it.” I crossed my arms over my chest, giving her a hard look. I was rarely serious with Reese, but I was about this. My current financial situation allowed me to help her out. It was a no-brainer for me.
“I guess it’s good to know Finny boy here, huh?” Olivia leaned her head on my shoulder. “My sister is lucky to have you. You always show up for her, don’t you?”
I don’t know if her walking in on me with my dick in my hand counts as showing up for her… But I wasn’t about to say that out loud.
“She always shows up for me, too. I feel like the lucky one.” Reese had been there through everything with me. Through my decision to pursue acting, more drunken nights than I could count after I didn’t get the parts that I’d auditioned for over the years, and one of the lowest points, when my father was diagnosed with cancer. After going through it with Reese, it had been an awful blow to me and to our family. And she’d been there, holding my hand and talking me through it. Just like she always did.
“So, I haven’t seen Jessica Carson doing any interviews lately. I think you two have shut her down,” Olivia said with a chuckle as her gaze bounced between both of us. “You make it all seem very believable.”
“He’s an actor, Liv. Of course, it’s believable,” Reese said, glancing around as if she were afraid someone could hear us. She stepped away from me. “I had dinner with Carl last night. I don’t think he and Christy Rae Lovell are going to be together for long.”
The things I wanted to say in response would hurt her, so I bit my tongue, which I didn’t do often.
But for Reese, I would.
“How convenient for him. He punishes you for leaving, and he finds himself a backup, and then he lets you know it’s not permanent? Way to play head games, Dr. Dickhead,” Liv hissed.
“Hey, I’m the one fake dating my best friend to make him jealous. That’s got the makings of an epic head game. I’m no better,” Reese whispered, her green eyes wide as she looked between us.
“Well, we’re not only doing it to make him jealous. It’s helping me, too. So don’t beat yourself up. And I don’t mind having you at the house. It’s been good for me. Plus, my agent messaged me this morning. Apparently, Jessica is trying to get an interview with the Morning Show. She can’t handle that her crusade against me has pretty much died down.”
“Fuck her,” Reese snipped, which made me laugh because she didn’t get worked up often. “Nobody messes with my man.”
Olivia looked from her sister to me, her brows furrowed as if she were trying to figure out if there was more going on here.
Aside from a porn-worthy masturbation session, there wasn’t much else to report.
She wanted Carl.
I needed a girlfriend.
This worked for both of us.
Watching one another get off was just a bonus, in my opinion, even if Reese was horrified by it.
I had no regrets. It was the hottest thing I’d ever experienced, and I’d been around the block before, so that was saying a lot.
“Carl is almost as bad as Jessica Carson in my mind.” Olivia reached for her purse.
“That’s a real stretch, Liv. I understand you guys want to be protective of me, but I’m the one who left. That was my choice. Carl isn’t the bad guy here,” Reese said, her voice harder now. “And you both need to stop calling him names because when we get back together, it’s going to be awkward when you remember all the things you said about him.”
“I’m fine with it,” Olivia and I said at the same time, and I barked out a laugh.