The Bookworm's Guide to Faking It (The Bookworm's Guide 2)

Seriously.

I envied her ability to just talk to anyone like she’d known them her whole life.

Dylan shook her head with a wide smile. “Yeah, I think that’s right. You’ve got a spare room? Did your roommate just move out?”

“No, my landlord is increasing the rent, so I thought I’d get a roommate.”

Seb came around my side of the register. “Does she know how bad her bullshit stinks?” he whispered.

I shook my head slowly. “I think she believes it,” I whispered back.

“I’m kind of impressed that she’s holding it together this well.”

Saylor and Dylan did seem to be getting along pretty well.

“Yeah, she fluffed her hair and mouthed ‘oh, my God’ at me before you turned around. Probably would have put some lipstick on if she’d had a chance.” I sat back on the stool and rested my chin on my hand. “She’s freaking out inside, but she’ll never admit it.”

“Damn. I guess I’m used to seeing, well, you.”

I hit him. “Shut up. By the way, I’m organizing the crap out of your kitchen this weekend.”

“You are, are you?”

“Yes. And you can bake me cookies while I do.”

“Who’s baking cookies?” Saylor said, approaching the counter with Dylan.

I went to speak, but Seb wrapped his arm around me and covered my mouth with his hand. “Nobody is baking cookies. You two seem to be getting along.”

“Yeah, I was gonna take him to my place now if you didn’t need me to stay.” Saylor looked at me. “We’re done, right?”

I nodded and pried Seb’s hand from my face. “As long as you get with Tori about those graphics, we’re done. I know what to order in the morning. We just need to talk about some festive merch designs, but we can do that tomorrow.”

“Okay, cool.” She turned back to Dylan. “We can go now, if you’re free.”

Dylan’s head jerked. “I’m free.”

“Great. I’ll just get my coat.” She touched his arm lightly before she disappeared in the direction of the staff room.

He glanced at Seb. “Meet for dinner?”

“Sure. We’ll go to Bronco’s. Say, six-thirty?”

“Sounds good,” Saylor said, reemerging with her coat on. She looped her scarf around her neck. “Yes, Holley?”

“Um.” I looked at everyone. “I don’t know if we were included in that, Say.”

“Oh.”

“It’s fine.” Dylan’s lips quirked. “I haven’t been here that long. It’ll be nice to get to know some people.”

“See? It’s fine, Holley.” Saylor grinned at me, then winked. “Shall we go? It’s freezing out there and looks like it’s going to snow again. My car is just around the corner.”

I watched as she corralled him out of the store and looped her hand through his elbow.

“Poor Dylan,” Seb said, slowly shaking his head as we watched them leave. “What have I done?”

I laughed. “You’ve unleashed the kraken on the poor guy.”

“Eh. He’s English. They colonized a third of the world. He’ll be fine.”

“I don’t think Dylan personally colonized a third of the world, but okay.”

“Maybe he did.”

“How old do you think he is?” I snorted and closed the laptop. “Still, Saylor is a handful. I couldn’t stand to live with her. Is he a patient kind of guy?”

“He’s a personal trainer to athletes. It’s basically like trying to get toddlers to sit still.”

“Found one!” Kinsley came back at that moment with a cookbook tucked under her arm. “Who’s a personal trainer?”

“Oh. Uh, Dylan was just here,” I replied.

“Is that the hot British guy?”

“I believe that’s how you refer to him, yes,” Seb drawled.

“Oh, damn it!” She put the book down on the counter. “Why does nobody tell me anything? Did Saylor see him?”

“See him?” I raised my eyebrows. “She couldn’t show him that spare room fast enough.”

She huffed. “All that teasing, and I didn’t even get to see her see him. This sucks.”

“Well, luckily for you, we’re having dinner at Bronco’s tonight.”

“Unlucky for me, you mean. I’m having dinner with Josh’s parents.”

“Is this your first dinner with them as a couple?”

“Yes, and I’m shitting my pants,” she replied. “It’s not like I don’t know them, but still. It’s weird going as his girlfriend.”

Seb looked between us. “I have nothing to add to this, so, I’m just gonna go home and put Dylan’s stuff in the spare room.”

“Oh.” I turned to him. “Okay. Shall I meet you at Bronco’s later?”

“Depends. Do you want to drive in the snow we’re forecast, or…?”

“I can drive.”

Kinsley snorted.

“I’ll come and get you.” His lips quirked up. “I know you hate driving in heavy snow.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because you spent half our senior year bitching about it every time it snowed to the point I used to drive you to and from school. Remember that?”

Now that he mentioned it…

I tried my best innocent smile, but it felt a little pained, even to me. “I forgot about that.”

“Snow is gross,” Kinsley muttered.

“You live in the wrong state.” Seb laughed and cupped my chin. “I’ll pick you up at six-fifteen. Does that work?”