“He is.” Her cheeks warmed at the admission.
“And you were avoiding him because of your no-dating-athletes rule.”
“Obviously.”
Frida was silent for a moment. “You know that not every guy is Travis, right?”
Travis.
Hearing his name brought back so many painful memories—memories Em had worked hard to forget. Not only had Travis destroyed her heart, he’d made it impossible for her to trust another guy for years. She pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead trying to clear her mind.
Frida put a hand on her arm. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have mentioned him.”
“It’s okay.” It had been six years since Travis had shown his true colors. It was time to move past it. She looked up at Frida. “But it’s not just him. Remember Mark in college? Or Damien?” Every athlete she’d taken a chance on was a complete waste of space.
Frida snorted. “Damien was ridiculous.”
“Yeah, he was. But Damien was also a reminder to stay strong in my convictions and not get distracted by a pretty pair of pecs, because there is literally nothing hiding behind them but a self-love that rivals Narcissus.”
“Dang, girl, tell me how you really feel.”
“Don’t you remember how bad that date was?”
“I remember.”
Damien had chosen a restaurant that Em hated and talked about himself the entire time. When the bill came, he insisted that they split the cost fifty-fifty even though his meal cost twice as much. And when they’d discovered Em’s car battery had died, he told her he couldn’t wait around. Apparently, there had been a game on that night, and he hadn’t wanted to miss any of it.
Em had been forced to call her brother to come rescue her. He’d come right away and even took her out for ice cream on the way home. Finn was the perfect big brother who was always there for her.
Her date with Damien had been the last straw. After that, Em had decided no more athletes—soccer players especially. It was a good rule that had protected her heart.
She gave Frida a pointed look. “So you know why the rule is in place.”
“I do.” She shrugged. “Finn’s not like that.”
Em shook her head. “He’s my brother. What’s your point?”
“My point is that not every athlete is a jerk. Finn’s one of the good ones. Maybe Grant is too.”
“I don’t think it’s worth the risk.”
“Well, you know what is worth the risk?” Frida asked, her voice cheery once more. She pulled out her phone and started tapping the screen.
Em’s heart dropped in her stomach. “What are you doing?”
“Someone took their phone back before I could look at all of Grant’s pictures,” she said without looking up from her screen. “I’m gonna finish snooping.”
“Stop it.” Em leaned over the table and tried to grab Frida’s phone.
Frida leaned back in her chair just out of reach. She laughed. “What are you? Twelve?”
“No.” She sat back down in her seat and pouted. Great, now Em was acting like she was twelve. “Just don’t follow him, okay?”
“Too late.” Frida gave Em an innocent look that was anything but.
Em covered her face with her hands. There were so many pictures of the two friends posing together on Frida’s page. If Grant looked at Frida’s profile, he would see Em. Then he’d know for sure that she’d been stalking his profile after meeting him this past weekend.
She was going to kill Frida, but the lunch bell rang before she got the chance.
