11. Chapter 9

I can't believe I am even considering this idea. I mean seriously. Pretending that Brie and I are dating is insanity. No one is ever going to believe it. The two of us are constantly at each other's throats.

I shake my head and drop my face into my hands. Brie is going to laugh in my face.

But Finn is right though. If this can help with my overall image, my contract, and keep me in Pleasant Hollow then I have to at least try.

Whether Brie agrees to a fake relationship is another question entirely. I know how she hates to be the focus of any attention and with Tea Time she has been the focus of a ton of it. This is only going to amplify that by ten thousand.

I can't believe how nervous I am.

Why am I so nervous? It's Brie.

Susie laughing hysterically while claiming that I have secret feelings for Brie pops up.

Do I have feelings for Brie?

I don't have any time to investigate that thought further as I hear a car door close. I lift my head from my hands and look to see Brie walking toward me.

My mouth goes dry and a smile slices my face. She looks amazing.

Her hair is loose and the blue she's wearing makes her skin look radiant.

Wow, she's beautiful.

"Thanks for meeting up with me," I say feeling like I just sprinted a mile.

"Sure. No problem. What's up?" She smiles easily at me.

"Well…that's a bit of an interesting story," I say sheepishly. I look down at the ground and fidget, suddenly feeling shy.

What the heck is going on?

My confidence seems to have left the building once this gorgeous woman walked into my presence.

Pull yourself together man.

"Oh? Pray tell, Mr. Owens. What is this interesting story?"

At her mocking tone something inside me relaxes. This is the banter I'm used to with Brie.

"You know how I've been losing my temper on the field recently?" I ask, trying to find the words to set this up.

"Yeah," she says hesitantly.

"Well, now with my injury and not playing for at least a month, my agent is concerned that my actions on the field could affect my upcoming contract."

"Oh no. What did they say about your shoulder?" Her eyebrows draw together and she leans toward me.

"Doc said it was a good injury to have, no surgery or anything, just rest and strengthening."

"Oh, well that's definitely good news." Relief evident in her voice.

"Yes." I swallow against the lump stuck in my throat as I work to get the rest of the words out. I rub my hands against my shorts. "My agent, however, is worried about what this could do to my contract negotiations. Especially since the last few games I've been a problem on the field."

"Okay," she draws out. "So what does this have to do with me?"

My heart starts to pound like it's trying to break through my ribcage and my mind empties of all thoughts.

This is crazy. I can't do this.

"Josh?" Brie's voice interrupts my thoughts. "Are you okay? You look like you're going to be sick."

"My agent thinks that I should take advantage of this whole Tea Time thing about you and me," I spit out, and gesture with my hand between the two of us. "He's got this idea in his head that me dating you could help me with my image off the field. Which in turn will help with my contract."

The sense of relief I feel at getting that out is washed away by the expression on her face.

Her eyes are wide and her eyebrows are up to her hairline. She looks like she's trying to form words but nothing is coming out.

"WHAT?" She finally manages to push out.

"Oh wait! That came out wrong," I sputter. "He wants us to ‘fake date', not for real. He thinks me dating a "good girl" will help my "bad boy image"."

"Fake date?" If this were different circumstances I would burst out laughing at her face all scrunched up like that. But I just feel kind of stupid.

"Yeah, fake date," I say hesitantly, then rush out. "Look I told my agent it was a silly idea and that we are just friends, but when he said it to me, it kind of made sense. If it's not something you'd want to do I completely understand. I mean the idea of us dating is completely—"

"Can you be quiet for a second?" She glares at me, and then turns toward the bench and plops down.

I stop talking and sit down next to her. I rub the back of my neck as I wait for her to say something, anything.

"So let me make sure I am understanding all of this correctly," she says, her blank stare pointed in the direction of the natural art displayed by the trees in front of us. "Your agent is worried that your injury and recent disruptive behavior on the field will affect your chances of re-signing with the Mavericks."

"Yes," I manage to squeak past the lump in my throat.

"He thinks you and I pretending to date can help you?" She murmurs as if talking to herself. Then louder and turning toward me she continues. "You know that's crazy, right? No one is ever going to believe that."

I look at her and we both start to laugh. Softly at first and then before I know it both of us are laughing so hard we're crying. I grab my stomach and try to catch my breath.

"That is exactly what I keep saying." I look at the flash of humor in her eyes, but it's gone as quickly as it came.

"Could doing this actually help you though?" She bites her lip, her go-to whenever she's trying to find the answer to a problem she's trying to solve. I catch myself staring a bit too long at her lips and whip my eyes back to hers.

"Honestly, I don't know." I take a deep inhale and then let it out in a burst. "I do know that Finn has never steered me wrong when it comes to my career. And he's always put my interests first."

She looks off to the side and draws her eyebrows together.

"What would we need to do?" My mouth falls open. Rendered speechless by the fact she's possibly considering this.

"Josh, what would we need to do?" She asks again.

My mouth snaps shut at the sound of my name on her lips.

"I don't know. Honestly, I haven't thought that far ahead." I feel a smirk on my face. "I only thought as far as asking you if you'd be willing. Plus I've never ‘fake dated' someone before. I guess we would need to talk about guidelines and such."

"It's just like you to jump into the deep end without floaties." She looks at me with a teasing glint in her eyes.

"Are you saying yes?" My voice squeaks in surprise and she laughs at me.

"I remember when your voice started doing that back in middle school." She presses her lips together and I burst out laughing.

"Forgive me for being surprised Miss Woodbury," I needle, and then ask with a more serious tone, "What are you saying?"

"I'm not saying yes or no, yet." She glances in my direction shyly. "I need to think about it."

"Wow. Thanks Brie."

"But," she says sternly. "If I say yes, we need to have some clear rules as to how this will work."

"Yes, ma'am." I mockingly salute her. Then in a somber voice I add, "I will take your lead on how we go about this."

"I can't believe I'm even considering this." She shakes her head.

"The feeling is mutual." We both chuckle. "I really appreciate it though."

Our gazes meet and I feel a zing through my entire body and Brie suddenly looks away as a blush tinges her cheeks. Her parked car catches my eye.

"Did Bill ever get back to you with a price on the gas gauge for your Jetta?" I nod my head in the direction of her car.

"Yes, I'm getting it fixed tomorrow," she says, evading my question, and I let her.

"Well, that's good. Will he be able to get it done in a day? I'd hate for you to be stuck somewhere on the side of the road again, Woodbury." I nudge her with my elbow and she lets out a little laugh.

"He'll have it done by the end of the day. No more running out of gas for me," she jokes.

"Good, because it's not a good image for someone as smart as you." She turns her wide eyed expression and tight smirk toward me before sticking her tongue out. I completely lose it and laugh at her.

She smacks my arm and we both get up and walk toward her car.

"Do you need a ride home?" She asks.

"Nah. I'm gonna run." She nods and opens her car door. "Brie?"

"Yeah?" Her expression is open and soft.

"Thank you so much for considering this. I really appreciate it."

A small smile creeps on her face that suddenly turns mischievous and I know I'm in trouble.

"You're welcome. But you know you're going to owe me big time if I say yes, right?" I chuckle.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Brain-anne." She rolls her eyes at me then gets into her car.

I wave as she backs up and drives off.

I start to run home and mentally remind myself to call Bill tomorrow to give him my credit card. Paying for the gas gauge is the least I can do. Brie's gonna kill me but I don't care. Having the career I do allows me to take care of the people I care about.

I feel a smirk cross my face as I imagine Brie's nostrils flaring when she figures out it was me. I feel a warmth fill my chest that I immediately push away and dismiss while bringing my focus back to my breathing.