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“Drinking too much, probably,” she said. “Actually, maybe I should call James. Just to check in.” But she didn’t look nervous at all. It seemed like she was acting. She made a big show of pulling out her phone and calling him.

It probably would have worked, but I knew how happy James was with her. He wasn’t drowning like he had been in high school. He wouldn’t be drinking too much tonight. He would never risk his life with Penny and his family.

Penny shook her head and laughed. “Mhm,” she said into the phone. “Sure you are.” She pointed at her phone and rolled her eyes. “Men,” she mouthed silently.

Yeah, that was acting. Bad acting. I grabbed her phone from her.

“No, don’t…” she started, but I already pulled the phone to my ear.

“Yeah, we’re just setting everything up,” James said. “I’ll see you soon, baby.”

“Setting what up?” I asked.

There was a long pause.

James cleared his throat. “Brooklyn?”

“Yes. Now tell me what you guys are doing.”

“Um…” he coughed. “Nothing.”

“You just said you were setting something up.”

“I didn’t say that,” James said.

“Yes you did.”

He laughed. “No. I don’t think so.”

I heard muffled voices on the other end.

“Is that Matt? Can you put him on?”

“Matt’s a little busy,” James said.

“Doing what?”

There was another long pause.

“Hey,baby,” Rob said. He must have stolen the phone. “I knew you and James still had something going on. But you’re choosing the wrong Hunter brother.”

“Rob, can you please put Matt on the phone?”

“No can do, baby.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“You only like when my brother calls you that? Interesting. Noted though.”

“No, I don’t…” my voice trailed off. There was no use arguing with him.

“I prefer Sanders anyway. Although it’s not super sexy when you’re riding me. I’ll figure it out. But in the meantime, now that I have you, we do need to talk.”

“We do?” I asked.

“Yes. About that favor you owe me…”

“I don’t owe you a favor.”