“No.” That was his job. “Stay. Do what you’re supposed to. I’ll be fine.”

Jake’s car slid to a stop, and he opened the passenger door, waiting for me.

“Thank you, Snark,” I said before hanging up and stuffing my phone into my pocket. Hurrying into the car, I asked Jake one question before I closed the door, “Did you intentionally answer Susan’s phone call before?”

“No.” He held my gaze. He didn’t seem surprised what I asked him, and he wasn’t being defensive. There was no eagerness in his eyes.

“Okay.” That answer would do for now. “Can you take me as far away as possible?”

He nodded. “Close the door.”

I did.

And he took me to a park.

Once the car stopped, turned toward a river that surrounded the park, I threw my hands up. “The park? You took me to a park? Jake.”

His mouth twitched. He was trying to hide a grin, and then he stopped trying. A big grin broke out along with a slight laugh. “Come on. It’s kinda funny.”

“No.” Not at all. “I’m not amused. I need to stay hidden.”

“Oh, yeah.” He undid his seat belt and leaned his seat back. His hand dismissed that notion. “Your interview made everyone love you. You don’t have to worry about getting tomatoes or flour thrown at you. You’re golden. You’d get lifted onto shoulders and hoisted in the air, if anything. You’re just fine. Plus,” he looked me up and down before smirking, “you’ve got your whole disguise look going on.”

I hadn’t thought about what I grabbed when I left, but I was dressed in one of Kian’s black sweatshirts and my jeans. I hated to admit it, but the smell of Kian was driving me crazy. I tried blocking it out. It was starting to hurt too much.

“Why here, though? Why not your place?”

“Because Tara’s there.”

I could only look at him. Those words…

I smacked him on the arm. “After all that time with me, you’re back with her?”

He chuckled softly. His smirk turned into an actual grin, and he shrugged. “I know. I realized I was a dumbass, and by the way, Tara ended her friendship with Susan.”

“She did?”

He nodded. “Tara found out what had happened, that Susan called me to get info on you for a story. Tara wasn’t happy about it. She saw it on the news. The whole thing’s there, Susan trying to ambush you guys. Someone caught it on camera.”

“Really?”

“And Wanker cornered her and had a standoff against her. Susan was seething. She was so pissed, said she’s going to sue.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please. Who’s she going to sue?”

He shrugged. “Anyone. You? She’s saying you ruined her career, but she’s the jerk-off, not you.” He quieted, growing serious. “I mean, yeah, a lot of people were pissed at first, but I get it. I know why you hid. Everyone knows why you hid, especially after hearing your interview. Tara was bawling like a baby. She said I had no right being mad at you, and she followed that with a threat, saying I could never try to hook-up with you again, even if she and I break up.”

He was grinning again. It was infectious.

I found myself grinning back, and I teased, “Let’s face it…”

He waited for me.

“You’ll probably break up in six months.”

He held up some fingers. “Three. My bet is three.”

“Of course. I should’ve known.”

“And we’ll be together again in six months.”

I pretended to hit myself on the forehead. “What was I thinking?”

He pretended to be disappointed, shaking his head and making a disapproving tsk sound in his throat. “I don’t know. What am I going to do with you? It’s like we don’t even know each other.”

That warranted my first real laugh in a long time, a really long time. It felt good. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For”—letting me relax—“making me think the world isn’t going to end.”

“You could make it up to me, you know.”

My eyebrow arched up again, and I waited, my grin still in place. “Oh, yeah?”

“Next time you do an interview, let it slip that I am the greatest stud you’ve had in bed. My cred will go through the roof. Tara will either be the most envied girl, or I’ll be the luckiest guy, depending on if we’re on a break at that time or not.”

My insides were aching from the laughter. I shook my head, pressing a hand to one of my ribs. “We have to stop joking. I’m beginning to hurt.”

“Eh.” Jake winked at me, his tone unforgiving. “You’re the one who called me. You should’ve known.”

“I should’ve?”

“Yeah.” He made one of those disapproving tsks again. “I mean, especially the last time you saw me…two days ago? If you didn’t know that we’d be rolling in giggles here, you’re just stupid.”

I barked out a loud laugh. I wasn’t even trying to hold it in now. No other cars were in the parking lot, and it was early. Any morning joggers or walkers would be distracted by their headphones or dogs.

Jake had been furious with me the last time I saw him. And now, seeing him like this. He was with Tara, and he was happy. And this was how we were at our best, as friends.

Once my laughter faded, I asked, “You’re not mad at me?”

“No.” He shook his head, growing somber with me. “My ego was wounded. Hell, my ego took a nosedive underground once I saw you with him, but no, I’m not mad anymore. I wasn’t mad before either. I was madder at myself. I knew there was a guy, remember?”

Kian’s voice came to me again. “A guy knows. He knew someone else was in the picture.”

Jake began to pick at his steering wheel. “I mean, that was our whole thing. We were going to be accountability partners.”

“I know, but—” He wanted more. I knew it. He knew it.

“I had no reason to be mad,” he said with more force. He wanted to make sure I got it.

Holding his gaze, I nodded. “Thank you.”

He nodded. “Yeah, no problem. But since we’re here, what did the douche do? You didn’t call me to hash it out at six in the morning.”