Page 36 of Hockey Boy
“I know I am.”
“I’m going back to the wedding.”
“Yes,” Sara cheers. “Oh shit, wait.”
“What?”
“She just texted.”
My heart jumps, and all the breath leaves me. “What did she say?”
“She’s coming home, and she needs to talk. Brooks, you gotta go.”
“Why do I have to go?” my brother grumbles. “Stop pushing me toward the door. I don’t even have shoes.”
Her laughter is so loud I have to pull the phone away from myear. “Your brother is on the way. Aiden, don’t worry. I got you.”She screeches the way she does every time Brooks tickles her, and then the phone goes dead.
Trepidation washes through me. Am I really leaving my fate up to them?
“Oh my god.He almost kissed me,” I yell as I stumble over the blue silk train of my gown into Sara’s entryway.
Sara’s blue eyes pop, and her jaw falls slack. “Ryder almost kissed you?”
Mid–shoe removal, I pause and frown at my best friend. “Wait, how do you know about Ryder?”
From the couch, she shrugs. “The hot singer from the wedding you crashed?” She looks away from me then, avoiding my stare.
“Yeah,” I say, stomach sinking. “How do you know about him?”
“From you.”
“Me?” I suck in a breath and toss off my other shoe. “What do you mean from me?”
“You called me from the Uber and told me all about him and his sexy forearm porn.”
I stalk toward her, my bare feet thanking me for being released from their confines. “I did?”Am I losing it?
“Yeah, you told me that your boss wanted you to convince him to play at a client’s wedding and that he had sexy arms.”
“I remember saying that to my conscience, but I have no memory of talking to you.”
I yank my purse from my shoulder, set on checking my call log, but Sara grabs my hand and pulls it into her lap. “I am your conscience. Now tell me, what the hell did you do when Ryder almost kissed you?”
I shake my head, confused. “Ryder didn’t almost kiss me. We chatted after his set, and he asked me out for drinks this weekend.”
“Are you going to go?” she asks, her tone almost judgmental and so unlike my friend who’s always got my back.
“No, I have that family party this weekend and—” I shake my head. I’ve completely gone off topic. “That’s not why I came over here.”
Sara smiles, her eyes too bright. Too knowing. What the hell does she know? “Well, then, why did you come over here?”
“BecauseAidenalmost freaking kissed me.”
“Oh.” Sara claps and bounces in her seat, though she quickly tries to temper her reaction. There’s no use trying to swallow that smile, though. It’s so bright that it lights up the room. “Really? Did he now?”
“Yes,” I hiss. This conversation is making my head spin.
“Well,” she chirps. “That’s something, isn’t it?”