The Good Guy Challenge: A Fake Dating Standalone Romance by Lauren Blakely

Author:Lauren Blakely [Blakely, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lauren Blakely Books
Published: 2022-11-07T16:00:00+00:00

THURSDAY

A Day for Telephone Tag

15

THE MORNING AFTER

Gabe

In the morning, I walk up to a coffee stand on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, get in line, and order a black coffee for me and a caramel iced latte for Ellie.

“Can I get you anything else?” the helpful barista asks with a tilt of her freckled face.

I look down at Gigi, who’s sitting perfectly by my feet. “A water for you, girl?”

Gigi pants. I take that as a yes. “One little paper cup of water for the pup, please?”

The barista flashes a warm smile. “Coming right up.”

“I’m sooooo thirsty. Can I have one too?”

I groan, recognizing my friend Axel’s voice despite the baby talk.

Busted.

With a you caught me sigh, I turn around and meet my buddy’s dark, laughing gaze. “What are you doing here?”

Axel waggles his phone. “Catching that on video,” he says, with a shit-eating grin. “This is the best.”

I roll my eyes. “Seriously. Are you following me?”

He scoffs. “You’re not that interesting.” Then he tips his forehead across the street to another coffee shop, Edge & Plow. Because of course there’s another coffee shop across the street. “Early bird and all. I got up at five AM to write. I had an idea. So I ran with it.”

“Wait, let me guess. The hero breaks his dick during sex?”

“Wash your mouth out with soap,” he says, chiding me.

“Come on. You’re the king of writing we fucked till we broke our arms sex scenes.”

“But nobody ever suffers from a broken dick in my books. What do you think I am, the world’s meanest man?”

“Possibly,” I say. Then I nod to his phone. “What are you going to do with that?”

His smile is evil. “No idea but this is gold. The big, bad wolf sweet-talking the little dog,” he says, then tucks the phone in his jeans pocket and adjusts the strap on his messenger bag. “Also when did you get a dog? Were you going to keep it a secret? She’s fucking adorable.”

Like a proud papa, I scoop up the little blond creature, scratching Gigi’s chin. She lifts it higher as I pet her. “She’s Ellie’s dog,” I explain. “Isn’t she cute?”

“Here are your drinks, Gabe,” the barista says, then her smile widens, like she can’t hold it in. “Go Mercenaries! I’ve got my lucky hacky sack too!”

With a smile, I rap my knuckles on the counter, then stuff an extra bill in the tip jar. “Keep kicking it! And thanks for the Mercenary love,” I say as I set Gigi back down, then take all three drinks carefully. Once I turn the corner, I set the water cup for Gigi onto the sidewalk.

“Spill,” Axel demands. “Who’s Ellie?”

I’m not one to kiss and tell, so as Gigi laps up her drink, I answer him simply. “I grew up on the same street as Ellie. I ran into her again. There you go,” I say but that barely covers who Ellie is.

She’s vibrant, outgoing, and a sex kitten.

She’s kind, thoughtful, and caring.

She’s easy to spend time with.

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