The rooftop was thankfully quieter. The hot tub bubbled in the corner, but no one would dare get in it without the Ice Gods’ permission.
“You want a drink?” Winter nodded to an icy bucket of beers.
I shook my head. “Pass.” It honestly sounded awful.
The game replayed in my head. I hadn’t been able to take my eyes off Brody. He was magic on the ice. I just knew that I was going to be tortured by the sight of him effortlessly gliding around the rink, body checking guys, scoring goals, andgenerally living up to his cocky, arrogant attitude. He had the goods to back it up. Annoying. Mesmerizing.
“Nice shirt,” Winter said. She looked down at the Sinclair jersey I had on under my jacket.
“Yeah, it seemed topical,” I muttered.
She passed me a fresh bottle of water she’d picked up, and we sank into a sofa.
Winter laughed. “You’re a terrible liar. One of them sought you out and asked you to wear it, right? I can tell it was Brody.”
“How?” I asked, my cheeks growing hot.
“It’s his number.” Winter smiled, devious. “Why, is there another reason I’d know that?”
“No! I just… nothing, it’s not important.”
“There is another reason,” Winter said, poking at my curiosity.
“What?” I asked.
“The way he looks at you.”
I nearly choked on my water.What?
Before I could try to convince her that me and Brody were absolutely nothing, she continued.
“I should have known from the double-date night. When he looked like he wanted to tear Nick apart at the bar. I should have known even before he headbutted him, just from the way he was acting.”
“Known what?” I asked weakly.
Winter narrowed her eyes at me and leaned forward to stare at me head-on.
“I knew it,” she said. “Something is going on between you.”
“It’s not! I mean, it shouldn’t…” I trailed off and rubbed a hand over my face. “Seriously, how did you know?”
“The way Brody looks at you… I knew,” she said.
I shook my head, trying to get rid of the warm feeling her words had given me.
“In case you haven’t noticed, we’re related, thanks to Marjory’s last-ditch attempt at love.”
Winter shook her head. “So what? You’re not related except for legally. You didn’t grow up together. You’re both adults.” She waved her hand dismissively in the air. “You’re fine.”
“Fine? That’s your verdict? It’s fine?” I laughed.
Winter just nodded.
“Okay, well, what am I supposed to do with this information that it’s fine?” I teased her and relaxed into the soft sofa.
“Fuck him. He’s hot—don’t tell Asher I said that—he’s super into you, and he’s across the hall. Logistically, it just makes sense.”
“Oh, well, if thelogisticsmake sense, then I guess it’s a done deal.”
