Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 135831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
“Did you feel the zing on the first date?” Maeve asks, diving right into a second round of questions.
“Did he ask you questions or was he a conversational hog?” Fable asks.
Josie waggles her brows. “Was he good in bed?”
I can’t even catch my breath to laugh, but I try. Oh hell, do I try. Then, one by one I tackle the friendly interrogation. “Yes, yes, I don’t really know. A hint of a zing? He was good at sharing the convo. And no! I didn’t sleep with him.”
Josie shakes her head, tsking me. “Shame. Because then we could really decide if he was worth a second round. Um, I mean date. Of course I mean date.”
I roll my eyes. “Sorry to disappoint, but I did not see his dick.”
“No worries. That’s what second dates are for,” Maeve says, but then she leans closer. “Seriously, go out with him again. Whether you have sex with him or not isn’t the point. It sounds like he’s passed the most basic tests. Now you want to know if you have chemistry.”
“Gotta have chemistry,” Fable adds.
“It’s magic,” Josie says, and her eyes are a little fluttery. Pretty sure she and Wesley are magic together in all the ways.
I mull that over for a few seconds. “You’re right. It’s worth seeing what’s out there. And if there’s anything more to explore with us,” I say, then tap out a yes to Lucas. He’s not a bad boy or a troublemaker. Sometimes a girl just needs a good guy, especially if she has a history of being attracted to the wrong ones.
Plus, I don’t have to tell Lucas about the scars all over my back, my hip, and my shoulder, like I did with the last guy I dated. A guy who said nothing when he saw them, but his eyes—wide, shocked, taken aback—said everything.
I don’t have to explain my body to Lucas. He already knows I have scars.
9
THE BOY WHO PULLS ON PIGTAILS
Max
It’s a dilemma all right—do I go for a pineapple and coconut smoothie with honey or the banana one with peanut butter? I’ve always been a peanut butter lover, but then again, honey is really fucking good. But maybe I should skip a smoothie today. Wouldn’t that be the wiser choice for the wallet?
Behind the counter, a college student with sleek black hair and a smiley face apron covering her university sweatshirt patiently waits for me to give her the final order from our group. We’ve just finished morning skate, and I stare at the chalkboard menu for The Oasis a little longer, like the decision’s going to materialize before my eyes.
Wesley’s busy on his phone, but Asher’s in no mood for my antics since he cuts in, scanning her name tag, then saying, “Yuki, he’ll have the banana and peanut butter one, with added honey.”
I turn to Asher, annoyed and grateful all at once. “Am I keeping you from an important appointment with…your hairstylist? Massage therapist? Nail tech?”
Asher scoffs. “Please. I’m naturally beautiful. Also, you’re keeping me from something—namely, my bed and a nap.”
“There’s plenty of time before the clock strikes one, sleeping beauty,” I say, but facts are facts. Wesley and Asher ordered right away, and I took my time, hemming and hawing, like I usually do. Some days I still can’t believe I’m spending thirteen dollars on a fucking drink. My middle-school self who never went out for a meal and scrounged together every spare dollar for new skates would have freaked.
I turn to the server once more. “What he said. And, um, thanks for your patience.”
“No problem.” Yuki inputs my order, then she’s hesitant, maybe even nervous, for a beat as I take out my phone and open the wallet on it. She chews on her lower lip, then says, “And…I really hope you win tonight. I love the Sea Dogs so much. And I’ve been meaning to tell you that every time you come here, but I didn’t have the guts because everyone said you were unapp—” She stops, shakes her head, before she corrects to, “Because everyone said it’s not cool to fangirl, but I had to say it. Hockey is the best.”
“Yes, it is,” I say, and because I heard what she didn’t say—everyone says I’m unapproachable. And I hear, too, what Rosario and my agent said yesterday. That I don’t interact with fans, so I add, “And we’ll do our best to win tonight.”
“How long have you been a fan?” Asher asks, setting his elbow on the counter in the we’ve-been-pals-forever kind of way that he has about him. “And more importantly, how long have you thought I was better than Bryant?”
Looking up from his phone, Wesley thumps Asher on the head. Yuki laughs, then says to Asher, “I don’t know…Wesley had a pretty big goal the other night.”