This is Effortless (Checkmate Duet 4)

“Yes, I invited him, so be nice.”

I release a breath and roll my eyes when she’s not looking. “As long as he keeps his eyes and hands off you, I will be.”

“You’re worrying for nothing. I’m telling you, I should be the one worrying.” She points a finger at me.

“So, you invited Logan and some Jayden guy to this party? Is this party actually a cover for something else?”

“Like what?” she questions, looking concerned as if I may be onto her.

“Oh, I don’t know…maybe a matchmaking party?” I lean against the wall and cross my arms. “To see if Logan gets jealous and makes a move on Kayla?”

“No, I already told you. I invited Logan to be nice and if he just happens to see Kayla with another guy, like Tyler, and it stirs up some feelings he’s been hiding, then that’s just a bonus.” She says it so casually, as if she really thinks I’ll believe that.

Before I can remind her to not get involved, the doorbell rings.

“Oh, that must be Jayden. Let’s go.” She grabs my hand and then stops abruptly and turns around. “Be. Nice.”

I place my hand on my chest and snarl. “I’m always nice.”

Rolling her eyes, she walks us out of the bedroom and down the hall toward the front door. Buddy’s barking up a storm, finally becoming the home alarm system we need.

“Jayden! Oh my God, that sweater looks so good on you!” He wraps her up in a hug and my jaw ticks at how tight he’s holding her. “Come in. Meet Drew and Buddy.”

She steps aside, letting him in, and as soon as I catch a glance at him, I’ve already decided I don’t like him.

“Jayden, this is my boyfriend, Drew.”

He holds his hand out for me, and reluctantly, I shake it. “I’ve heard a lot about you,” he tells me. I study his features, trying to read him and make sure he’s not here for the wrong reasons. He flashes me a smile, but I can’t quite tell if it’s genuine or not, and when the corner of his lips tilt up, I notice a small heart-shaped mole on his chin. I smile, but release a fake cough to hide it because I don’t want to look obvious.

“I heard it was your birthday recently,” I blurt out, not knowing what else to say. Courtney flashes me a disapproving look, but I ignore it. “Well, are we ready?”

The three of us head to the truck and Courtney talks up a storm to Jayden, discussing work and everything else under the sun. The moment we arrive at Kayla’s condo, Courtney jumps out and happily drags us to the front door. As soon as Kayla answers it, we hear Christmas music in the background.

“Hey!” she squeals and her eyes light up. “I’m so glad you all came!”

“Kayla, this is Jayden. I work with him.”

“Nice to meet you. Come on in, guys!”

“You look great, Kay! I love your sweater,” I tell her as we walk inside, her three dogs sniffing us as soon as we do. Her sweater lights up and when she presses a button, a song begins playing. “Oh my God,” I say, laughing. “Where did you find that?”

“I’ve had it for years, but it still works great!” Her brown eyes brighten as she smiles wide, linking her arm through Courtney’s.

“I can’t believe you have three dogs in this small condo. You need a bigger place just for your dog hoarding addiction.” I bend down and pet all their heads. “What are their names?”

“The little brown one is Philip, the big black one is Adam, and the mix is Kristoff,” she answers with a smile.

I continue petting them before it hits me. “Oh my God.” I laugh. “You named them after Disney Prince’s, didn’t you?”

“Duh. I needed some romance in my life.”

We follow her into the kitchen and see it’s stocked with green and red cups and plates; sparkling champagne bottles sit on the counter next to platters of Christmas cookies and candy. She’s even hung strands of Christmas lights on the ceiling and fake mistletoe hanging above the doorway.

“Everything looks great!” Courtney tells her. “Can I help with anything?”

“No, no! You guys mingle and help yourself to drinks and snacks.” The doorbell rings. “I’ll go grab that. Be right back!”

Tyler and Logan end up arriving at the same time, and it’s not hard to notice Logan’s tense jaw as he watches Tyler wrap his arms around Kayla and kiss her cheek. I shake my head as I think about Courtney’s plan and wonder if she’s been right about him this entire time.

Shortly after, Travis and Viola show up with the kids, and I immediately steal Ginny from them. “There’s my girl!”

“Uncle Rew!”

“Hey, Monkey!”

As soon as Viola sets James down, I tell him to give me a high-five. “Ow! You got so strong, buddy!”