I gave the other man a look and shook my head. “Nessa and I are only friends. It’s what we both want.”
Miles rolled his eyes, but I ignored him. Instead, I started typing.
Me: I’m glad you’re thinking about me.
Mackenzie: I asked what you were doing, not that I was thinking about you. Why are you so weird?
I smiled again, and Tanner cleared his throat.
“Who is it?”
“I’ll tell you in a moment.”
Mostly because I had to, or they wouldn’t leave me alone about it. And a conundrum would approach if I didn’t explain.
Mackenzie: I’ve thought about it, and I suppose we can try dinner. Just to see. Mostly because I need to get out of the house and pretend that I’m not focusing on school while pretending that people aren’t giving me pitying looks about Paul.
I smiled again.
Me: I love that you call him Paul.
Mackenzie: He was Paul to me before he was Sanders. It’s not a derogatory term like you use.
Me: That’s not what I hear. It’s all derogatory, all the time.
Mackenzie: So, what did you have in mind to get through this rebound?
Thoughts of exactly what we could do filled my mind, but I pushed them away. Mackenzie was my friend. I wouldn’t be her exact rebound. I would be who she needed me to be, even if she didn’t realize it.
Me: I’ll pick you up tomorrow night, and we’ll go to dinner. Wear something nice, but not too fancy. We are on a budget.
Mackenzie: You know I need to know where. I like plans.
Me: I’m going to teach you the joy of spontaneity.
Mackenzie: This isn’t going to work out. You obviously don’t know me that well.
I laughed, aware that the three guys were still staring at me.
Me: Fine, I was thinking of going to Clancy’s. It’s a nice little bistro made for college students on dates. It’s not too expensive. You can wear a soft dress. I will be my perfect British self and even wrap my scarf around your shoulders if it gets too cold out. It is a Denver winter.
Mackenzie: How charming. Will I meet you there?
I sighed, and Dillon leaned forward. I held up a hand and then continued to type.
Me: I will pick you up, as I said. I’ll see you tomorrow at six.
Mackenzie: Okay, then. I hope I’m not making a mistake.
I hoped we weren’t either.
Me: You aren’t. You just need to get out, as you said. And I’ll be your perfect rebound.
Mackenzie: Whatever that is.
I set down the phone and looked up to see the three guys focused on me, bemused expressions on their faces.
Miles narrowed his eyes. “Who the hell was that? You were smiling and doing that flirting thing with your face.”
I frowned. “Flirting thing with my face?”
Tanner snorted. “You know, when you raise a brow and pucker your lips and look like you’re a teenage vampire.”
That made me laugh. “A teenage vampire?”
“Yes, maybe a Salvatore or a Cullen,” Tanner drawled.
“You sure do know a lot about teenage vampires,” Dillon drawled, and I grinned.
“What he said,” I added.
“Really, who is it? Do we know her?” Dillon asked, and I cleared my throat. No time like the present to just peel off that Band-Aid.
“It’s Mackenzie.”
All three of them stared at me and blinked.
“As in Sanders’ Mackenzie?” Miles asked.
I scowled. “As in Mackenzie’s Mackenzie. She is no longer with that asshole, thank you very much.”
Miles held up both hands. “I’m sorry. It’s just...she was with Sanders forever. They’re always going to be connected in some way.”
“No, they’re not. And that is what we are trying to accomplish. To sever that tie, that connection. That way, when someone utters the name Mackenzie, nobody even thinks of Sanders.”
The guys just looked at me.
“Isn’t there a code? You know, not poaching on another guy’s girl?” Dillon asked slowly, his voice low. “Not that I’m going to call you a poacher, but Sanders was our roommate. None of us might like the guy all that much anymore, but it’s still a thing, isn’t it?”
“I have to agree with Dillon,” Tanner added.
I shook my head. “There’s no code. Sanders isn’t our friend any longer. And I’m not poaching. I’m her rebound,” I said, and they just blinked at me.
“Really? You’re just labeling yourself like that?” Dillon asked incredulously.
I shook my head. “She said that she needed a rebound, that she needed someone people would think about and mutter under their breath about so they knew she was over Sanders and fine. And I offered to be that person.”
“Magnanimously,” Tanner drawled.
“I’m exactly who she needs,” I added.
“So, you like her?” Miles asked, blinking. “I thought you were with Nessa.”
“Hell, so did I,” Dillon muttered.
“They’re not wrong,” Tanner added.
I shook my head and rolled my shoulders back. “Nessa and I are friends, something you all know. Nessa even went out on a date with another guy. We are just friends. Mackenzie and I will also be friends. But she wants to get out and have fun and not have the world think that she’s pining away for some guy who never deserved her in the first place. So, I’m her friend.”
“And you’re not going to want to sleep with her?” Tanner asked, a growl in his voice.
I sighed. “It doesn’t matter what I want. It matters what Mackenzie wants. And she wants to pretend that she’s fine. Go out and act as if nothing has happened. And I will be that person for her. I will be her friend. There’s no code because, number one, we hate Sanders, and he’s not our friend or roommate anymore. And I’m not going to change the dynamic of our relationship. Mackenzie is our friend. I just want to make sure she understands that.”
“That’s a very convoluted way of showing that you’re a good guy,” Dillon said after a moment of silence.
I shrugged. “I’m not always a good guy, but I like Mackenzie. She’s a good person. She’s funny, and she’s brilliant. And Sanders is still standing in her way, even if it’s just his ghost.”
“And you plan to push that ghost away?” Tanner asked, his voice low.
I shrugged again. “I’m going to let Mackenzie do that for herself. But if she needs someone to stand by her side, I’ll do that. Because I’m her friend.”
The guys gave me looks but then thankfully changed the subject, letting my lies stand.
Because I was Mackenzie’s friend. I didn’t want anything more than what I had offered. I didn’t have time for that. And, honestly, my life was far more complicated than most believed. I didn’t need to add things to my day.
I wanted to be Mackenzie’s friend. Just like she was mine.
And, honestly, if I made Sanders growl and get annoyed in the process, I counted that as a win.
But for now, Mackenzie would come first.
For once.
Chapter 5
Mackenzie
I had been thirteen when I went on my first real date. Thirteen years old. That’d happened seven years ago. Now, I was going on my second first date, and I had no idea what to wear.