Page 51 of Reckless With You

Everything was about everyone else with Amelia. Yes, we all helped her with her work, but she threw herself into helping everyone else. We were the ones that offered to help her. Nobody expected to work on job sites with her. We simply showed up if we thought she needed the help. We joked that she worked us hard, but she really didn’t. And she was always there for us. No matter what, she was there. She’d always been there for me, and it wasn’t until recently that we truly became friends. Sure, she was in emotional upheaval at the moment—thanks to this asshole—and yes, we had all rallied around her as much as we could. Probably a little too much, hence the fake relationship.

But Jesus Christ.

“You know, I don’t know. I don’t know what the fuck you were thinking when it came to her. You should go. Before I kick your ass. Fuck you.”

Tobey sneered. Fucking sneered. “You know what? Whatever. You should probably date her. After all, you’re the slut that’s used to dating tons of women. Maybe you could teach her something. Then she can get over me.”

He turned on his heel and got into his car, and I just stood there, wondering who the fuck this man was in front of me. Because this was not the Tobey that I had known for so long.

This wasn’t the guy that Amelia had fallen in love with.

As the man drove off, leaving me standing alone in the parking lot, I had to wonder what the hell I was going to do about Amelia.

Did I tell her about this? No, it would probably hurt her.

But I needed to do something.

And then, as if I hadn’t thought about her enough, my phone rang.

I looked at the readout and pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to force myself to be calm and to slow my heart rate.

“Hey,” I said, smiling.

“Hey, do you want to go to dinner tonight?” Amelia asked, her voice a little distant.

“I just got off work, and I’m starving. So, is this a fake date?” I asked, trying to sound happy and like I was teasing.

“That or just a friends date. I don’t know. I’m really not good at this lying thing, and I know we’re making a huge mistake. So, let’s go eat dinner and pretend that everything’s okay. My treat.”

I smiled then and looked down at my feet, wondering if I was really baring myself like I felt. “A friends date works, Amelia.”

“Good. I can come pick you up.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

Then I hung up, wondering what I was going to say to her. And why just the sound of her voice warmed me inside. Because this was a bad idea.

All of it was a bad idea.

But it was sure as hell better than anything that Tobey had to offer.

At least I knew that much.

Even if it was all a mistake.

Chapter 11

Amelia

“A friends date?”

What the fuck was afriends date,and why the hell had I offered to go on one with Tucker tonight? I was losing my damn mind.

No, I’d lost it when I put on that new bra and panty set—the one I’d later tossed in the trash since I never wanted to see it again.

I quickly pushed that thought out of my head and grabbed my bag so I could head out to pick up Tucker.

I figured since we were going about everything that we were doing wrong, I might as well be the one to pickhimup, rather than him picking me up.