She ran her palms down her face and growled. “I knew this would happen. Even though I promised myself this would not happen.”

“What wouldn’t happen? The two of us kissing? That’s part of your playbook.”

“Don’t get cute with me, Twenty-Three. You know what I’m talking about. Look, you’re hot, okay? You are so fucking hot, and if you were not my client, I would be climbing you like one of these fucking trees. But you are my client, and I can’t go there with you.”

He pushed away from the tree. “There’s nothing wrong with the two of us—”

“No!” She cut him off. “Just stop, Jamar. I can’t. We can’t.” She broke eye contact for a second before looking at him again, her eyes imploring him to understand. “The only way this will work is if we stick to our original game plan. None of this is real. It’s all a charade, a way to cover up the lie I told that reporter, okay?”

The trembling plea in her voice caused a sharp pang to twist through his gut. It was so fucking unfair. Why insist on sticking to this fake relationship story when they both wanted it to be more?

Jamar ached to ask her this very thing; instead he said, “Yeah, okay. You’re right. It isn’t real.”

They were both telling a lie.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Taylor reached over and lifted a sambusa from the compostable takeout container on Samiah’s coffee table. The spicy lentil-stuffed puffed pastry was by far her favorite of the half-dozen dishes they’d ordered, although everything she’d eaten tonight had surpassed her expectations. Kudos to London. Taylor doubted she would have ever tried Ethiopian cuisine had her friend not suggested it.

Loud, popping sounds rang out from Taylor’s phone.

“What the hell was that?” London screeched.

“Sorry.” Taylor laughed. “My niece is sending me a text. She’s a firecracker, thus, the ringtone.” She opened Fredericka’s text message and felt her stomach twist. “Oh, shit,” Taylor groused.

“Something wrong?” This from Samiah.

Taylor turned her cell phone so they could both see the screen.

“My niece just sent a video of me and Jamar huddled up together on a bench downtown Saturday night.” She flipped the phone back and looked at the screen. “You gotta admit, we’re a cute couple.”

Another text message came through.

Auntie Jesamyn wants to know what’s going on.

“Oh, of course they would use the fifteen-year-old to dig up dirt,” Taylor said. She looked up from her phone and explained, “My entire family knows that Freddie can ask me for anything and I’ll never deny her, so my sister has recruited my brother Darwin’s daughter to get the details. They’re so transparent.”