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Clenching my jaw, I open the Venmo app and press the numbers on my phone screen to send the money. Twenty fucking grand. No matter how much I earn playing hockey, that’ll always be a lot of money to me. I grew up with nothing.
And that’s not even the end of it. I’ll get another text when that money runs out. It might be a request for $10,000, or it might be for $50,000. I won’t know until it comes. But one thing I do know—I have to pay it.
I have no choice. That son of a bitch on the other end of the Venmo transaction owns me.
No longer in the mood to even feign interest in conversation, I consider bolting. But I need to eat. I’ll have my order changed to carryout so I can get the hell out of here. I don’t want to bring down the mood inside. For the rest of the night, I just want to be alone.Chapter NineLindyAri passes me a case of chicken tenders and I stack it onto the pile in the freezer.
“I’m telling you, chica, Mateo’s the only man I need in my life.”
I give her a skeptical look. “I’ve heard that before.”
“I’m done with Tinder. All those guys want is tit pics to jerk off to. Fuck them.”
“So you deleted the app from your phone?”
She cuts open a case of bagged, frozen French fries, silent for a beat as she pretends she can’t talk and operate a box cutter at the same time.
“I’m going to,” she finally says.
“Ha. Lies.”
Ari turns to me, her brows drawn together seriously. “Lindy, it’s a jungle out there. Lots of guys don’t want to date a single mom.”
“Those guys are dicks. And why do you have to be dating someone?”
She shrugs. “It’s no fun being single.”
“Is it fun dating guys who whip their penises out on the first date? Or say they forgot their wallets when it’s time to pay for dinner?”
Ari snorts out a laugh. “Ah, Alex. He actually did both of those things.”
“Eww.” I shake my head, disgusted. “I’d scream and run away if a guy whipped it right out like that.”
My friend gives me a sympathetic look. “You don’t understand, because you’re a virgin.”
This time I’m the one who snorts. “It’s gross for a guy to do that, Ari, and that’s that.”
She shrugs. “It’s kinda nice to know they’re at least turned on by me.”
“Nope. I’ll stick with never turning anyone on, thanks.”
We finish stocking the freezer and I close the door. Ari wheels the dolly we used to carry the cases of frozen food behind us as we walk back to the main freezer.
“You don’t even try, Lindy. When’s the last time you even talked to a guy?”
My heart races as I remember the last time I talked to a guy, but I don’t say anything.
“Belinda Noelle Boring.” Ari stops the dolly and turns to face me, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re red as a tomato. What haven’t you told me?”
“I hate it when you call me that,” I remind her.
“I only call you that when you’re holding out on me.” She stomps her foot impatiently. “Did you talk to Manny?”
“Ew. No!”
Her lips part and her eyes widen. “What? Someone else?” She shoves my shoulder, her expression hurt. “How could you not tell me?”
“It wasn’t really…I mean, it doesn’t count. It wasn’t like that.”
“Bitch, you better tell me right now.”
I waffle back and forth, torn between wanting to share the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to me and wanting to keep it to myself.
“I talked to Victor.”
Ari’s brown eyes double in size. “Victor Lane?”
I smile. “Yes.”
Her shriek of excitement echoes throughout the empty concourse of the Carson Center. I try to shush her, but alas, nothing short of a muzzle will quiet Ari when smells gossip.
“What!” she cries. “When? How? Tell me everything, Lindy.”
We start walking again, and I recount meeting Victor a little over a week ago.
“Have you heard from him since?”
I give her a chiding look. “Of course not. It wasn’t like that. We just talked about hockey.”
“But still! This is your opening, Lindy. You have to make a move.”
Annoyance flares inside me. I knew Ari wouldn’t just listen to me tell her about my once-in-a-lifetime encounter. She has to try to make it into something more.
“Just talking to him was enough for me,” I say sharply. “I’m not trying to get him into bed, not that it’s even physically possible.”
“Of course it’s possible.”
I sigh heavily. “Right. Look at him and then look at me. You don’t need to tell me I could get any guy I wanted just because you’re my best friend, you know.”
Ari’s eyes are swimming with emotion when she stops walking and turns to face me. “I’m your best friend?”
My cheeks heat. “Well, yeah. I hope that’s—”
