Page 48 of The Encore Effect

“Pass.” Zach shook his head. “I’ve got a massage this afternoon and then Jacks and I are checking out a new restaurant in Old Town. The chef’s supposed to be amazing.”

“Nico?” Logan asked.

“Sorry, man,” Nico said. “I promised Annie we could video chat later and she can tell me all the hot third grade gossip. She’s in the office with Derek today since Jo flew out here.”

“Jojo’s here?” Jackson asked.

“Just for today. She flies back out tomorrow morning,” Logan said.

“She’s helping Kat put together a promotion plan for her books,” Zach added.

Beckett frowned. “She is?”

Zach shoved his shoulder. “Do you even talk to your fiancée?”

Beckett scowled, but before he could say something he might regret later, Logan shrugged and said, “Guess it’ll just be me and Gideon then.”

“You’re taking Gid?” Nico asked.

Logan nodded. “Gideon loves any chance to be outdoors.”

Lana appeared in their circle, rubbing her hands together like some kind of cartoon villain. “Time’s up, boys. Back to work.”

Beckett sighed as the rest of the guys gave Lana a hard time and followed her back into the center of the room. But his mind wasn’t on the choreography. He was too busy wondering why Kat hadn’t told him that Jo was coming.

True, they hadn’t exactly spoken much since the night before when they’d crossed damn near every boundary they’d put in place, but he’d thought they were a team. A dysfunctional, too-horny-to-think-clearly team, but a team all the same.

Or maybe it was just him who was too horny to think clearly.

No. She wanted him. The way she’d looked at him, how she’d let him talk her through it—she couldn’t fake that.

But that didn’t mean she wanted to want him.

“Alright there, Becks?” Nico asked, taking his place at his side.

“Fine.”

“You say that word so much, I’m not sure it has any meaning anymore.”

Beckett glared at his friend. “Why didn’t she tell me about Jo coming?”

“Does she usually tell you about things that don’t have to do with the band?” When Beckett’s frown deepened, Nico smirked. He lowered his voice, leaning close so no one would overhear. “For a fake relationship, you sure do seem to have a lot of feelings about what your fiancée does and does not tell you.”

“Get the fuck out of here,” Beckett grumbled, shoving him away.

Nico laughed. “Talk to her, man. Be vulnerable and she’s more likely to be vulnerable back.”

Beckett ran his hand through his hair, muttering towards the floor. “I don’t know how.”

“Start by telling her something you don’t usually tell people. Something you’d only tell your fiancée.” Nico clapped him on the back. “In the meantime, I don’t want to be here all day, so get your head in the game.”

Nico was right. About all of it. Trouble was, Beckett was no longer sure he knew the rules of the game he was playing—or if it was possible to win.

Chapter Twenty

“Best behavior,” Jo said in her stern-librarian voice, eyeing the members of Midnight Storm, each dressed in a tuxedo she’d specifically chosen for them. “We are here to shed some light on a worthy cause and help them raise a little money. We are not here to pull focus.”

“Yes, Jo,” the band members intoned.