Page 135 of The Hopelessly Bromantic Duet

“Cool, cool. Let’s start over.”

“Just tell us what you want us to do.” TJ sounds like he wants to run out of here and get far, far away from me. “I don’t think we need ice breakers. Give us our lines and we’ll just do it.”

Slade hums like he’s deep in thought. “Well, have you ever liked someone before?”

“Yes,” TJ says.

“Ever been in love?” Slade asks, upping the ante.

I look away, so my ex can’t see my face, but I’m on the edge of my seat for his reply.

“I have,” TJ mutters, and I hate that I hope he’s talking about me.

“Good. Then you act like that, TJ, rather than like a flaming Molotov cocktail of an asshole,” Slade says.

That sounds terribly familiar too. While it’s no secret I’ve read most of TJ’s books, I’m not about to slam the buzzer like a game show contestant and shout, “Yes Man! That’s fromYes Man!”

Trouble is, Slade stares sharply at me. “Can you make it two for two in the get-to-know-your-new-beau game?”

I have a new enemy in Slade. “Yes Man,” I grumble.

He mimes ringing a bell, then whips his gaze to TJ. “Now, do you think you can act like you like Jude and know his work too?”

“Of course,” he bites out.

“Good. Show me now,” Slade says.

My one-time lover takes a deep breath then turns to me. “I enjoyedIf Found, Please Return,” he says as if he means it.

But I don’t want to be fooled again. “Thank you. I hope it was worth the popcorn,” I say. Oops. Did that come out douchey?

Slade stares at me sharply. “Jude, do you want this to succeed?”

“Yes,” I say, chastened once more.

The PR man turns to my partner in pretend. “TJ, you don’t want to be stuck forever, do you?”

Stuck forever? What’s going on with TJ?

“No, I don’t,” TJ says, looking at his shoes.

“Then let’s give it another go. Jude, I know you can act. And TJ, I’ve seen your social media posts. You know how to put on a good front.”

Oh, but I can’t resist. “Sometimes, he even seems like one of the heroes in his books,” I say as if I’m just so impressed with TJ’s skills. I could stop, but I don’t. This fake boyfriend game is officially fun now that we’re ad-libbing at our finest. “I do so love the way they carry themselves with a certain swagger. Holdingback, being all reserved and broody. And then, boom, they speak their hearts in bed.”

Oh.

Hmm.

Wait. That’stotallytrue. I did enjoy that side of TJ.

And Slade seems to enjoy this side of me. “Keep that up, Jude. You’ll need to act like you’re familiar with each other’s work. I imagine, Jude, that TJ is your favorite writer. Perhaps you’ve adored his books for some time. And TJ, you’ve seen every episode ofOur Secret Courtshipand, of course, you met atPillow Talk. But you guys didn’t start dating until Jude moved to New York earlier this year, shortly afterIf Found, Please Returnreleased in late December,” Slade coaches.

TJ lifts a finger like he’s about to speak.

But I’m going to take the lead here and show Slade what I can do. “We kept it quiet at first, just wanting to get to know each other,” I offer, then reach for TJ’s hand, squeeze it lovingly, like a boyfriend. I press a kiss to the top of his knuckles.

And that was a mistake.