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Her dad nodded, adding to the welcome. “With maple bacon.”
Liam flattened his hand on his stomach. “Sounds good.”
No wonder Liam had offered to be ready early. He’d wanted to scam a meal and do weird Canadian syrup shit to his protein. Syrup on bacon. What kind of Canadian-manipulation feast were Piper’s parents up to? Were they handing Piper over to Liam? Instead of him?
Hell no.
Calm down.
He breathed out.
“Toronto, huh?” Mr. Amvehl asked. “Tough game coming up.”
Mikah let Liam take the lead with the conversation. No reason to act like he was an under-the-microscope prospective boyfriend. They were just two bros heading in the same direction for home, giving a work colleague a lift.
Liam punched the air. “My parents would put me back in the will if I could snare a spot on the Leafs.”
Mr. Amvehl laughed and led them through the living room to a back sunporch that overlooked their pool. Austin winters were lacking but eating outside in seventy degrees in late autumn had its own charm. The area was empty save for Piper’s sister Calista, who looked up briefly from her laptop at the introductions and said, “Hi.” Calista wore a cool Snowers jersey, so Piper had spoken the truth about their being fans.
The conversation stayed friendly through the meal with no obvious favoritism being shown to either guy, or intrusive hockey questions about his famous dad or brother. But Mikah knew they were coming. Hockey fans always asked about Zee. And that always led to how the Geels were ahead of them in the rankings.
“Your brothers play ice hockey, right?” Mr. Amvehl asked.
The question had not specified Zee, so Mikah volunteered that his youngest twin brothers played for their college team. “Jakob and Conrad like to play together. If they get drafted to separate teams, they’ll have a problem.”
“Aww. Twins,” Mrs. Amvehl said. “I wish we had two Pipers and two Calistas.”
Calista giggled. “Me too.” She’d mostly listened during the conversation; this was the most she’d spoken.
Piper grinned at her and shook her head. Calista ducked back to her computer.
His family would have made her put the laptop away. Her family rolled with the idiosyncrasy. Different dynamic going on here. He had finished a cup of coffee and not once had their parents compared the two sisters. He and his brothers had the same top-level skills, so it made sense his parents pitted them against each other. Wouldn’t be a fair comparison here. Calista didn’t have Piper’s easygoing friendliness, but she was cute enough, with Piper’s coloring. But she lacked Piper’s spark. Not that Piper was irresistible, Piper was…intriguing.
He wanted casual not stable suburbs. What did Piper want?
Given Piper’s recent breakup, no way she wanted to run to the altar any time soon, that gave him a longer-than-usual window to make their fling happen. Sure, she was no convenient quickie, or a one-nighter, or even a long-weekender. But a brief affair with him would sound great to her. He just had to make his intentions, or lack thereof, clear. She’d follow through with the suggestion, then they’d spend the rest of the weekend between Canadian sheets. They’d part ways before the holidays came up.
This was his chance, their affair would start this weekend. No need to bring that up here, of course. Though her parents with their cheerful comments on the games they’d gone to, well, he had them in the palms of his hockey gloves.
The talk turned to cars, and a 1953 Ferrari Europa Gran Turismo her father was fixing up.
Liam drooled.
“Just the base right now.” Mr. Amvehl’s enthusiastic posture belied his casual words.
Liam shot his gaze in the direction of the garage like he could see through the walls. “I’d love to see it.”
Mr. Amvehl rose and waved at Liam. “Come on.”
Dang, sounded pretty interesting, but he’d hang here with Piper. Not that he wanted to be with her out on the patio, listening to the birds, but he knew not to turn his back on the women. They’d hatch who knew what plan over the fruit course.
In fact, if her mom and sister left too, he could get Piper to show him around the pool area, steal a kiss, a real morning welcome, kick off his plan.
Liam looked back at him and arched his eyebrows.
Mikah shook his head. “I’ll hang here and finish up, thanks though.”
Piper checked her phone and headed after her dad and Liam.
