“You’re best friends with Brooke,” I say, referring to Kyle’s manager. “Would he be open to…resuming our relationship?”
Suzan is silent. She just stares at me.
This is what my life has come to. It’s more reasonable to discusspretendingto date a guy than toactuallyconsider going out with someone for real.
“I don’t know,” Suzan answers. “Brooke wasn’t thrilled about the…abrupt ending between you two.”
I roll my eyes atabrupt. I’d tried to pull the plug before this tour even started, knowing all of the unavoidable interviews as part of this tour would focus heavily on my faux relationship.
“All the better for a rekindling. Our relationship is volatile. Will we stay together or break up tomorrow? Blah, blah, blah.”
Suzan smiles briefly. “Sutton, I think you’reseverelyunderestimating the level of interest in you and Teddy.”
I huff an annoyed breath. I’m mostly frustrated with myself. The song with Teddy was spur of the moment. Something I wanted to do without considering potential consequences.
I knew there was a possibility it might lead to a magnifying glass on us, and I did it anyway. Because I wanted that moment in my memories. Being a solo artist is a lot of moments you don’t get to share with anyone else. I wanted to share one with him—to tell him, not the world, that he means something to me.
And here are the consequences.
“You want me to fake date him?”
“Would it be fake?”
I look away. “I’ll talk to him.”
“I can—”
“I saidIwould talk to him, Suzan.”
She smirks widely enough that it’s impossible to miss out of the corner of my eye. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“I can fire you, you know,” I tell her.
Suzan just continues to smile. “Youlikehim. You’re never this possessive over a guy.”
“Are we done here?” I give a pointed glance toward the door, right as it opens. Of course, Teddy walks in.
He glances between Suzan’s wide grin and my scowl. “Is this a bad time?”
“Nope,” Suzan answers, then stands. “Perfect actually. Sutton has something she’d like to talk to you about.”
Hi, bus. Nice view from under here.
I glare at Suzan before she sweeps out of the room.
“What was that about?” Teddy takes Suzan’s seat across from me.
He’s dressed casually—in a pair of basketball shorts and a cotton T-shirt with his trusty Yankees cap on his head.
I pause ogling him long enough to reply, “Suzan wants us to pretend to date.”
Teddy slings one arm on the back of the couch and slouches his posture. He glances over at me with a half-smile. “Isn’t it a little soon for that? I mean, you got out of a pretend relationship pretty recently. Shouldn’t you be fake wallowing?”
I throw one of the hotel-provided chocolates sitting on the coffee table at him. He catches it and laughs.
“I told her no.”
“Why?”