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“Look at you moving in on the coach’s daughter.” Ryder gives my tricep a jovial tap.
“I didn’t know she was Coach Carling’s daughter until about fifteen minutes ago.”
“Oh damn.” He laughs. “I like her even more now.”
“She didn’t know I play for the Coyotes either,” I add.
Ryder narrows his eyes. “What the fuck, Darius? Relationships are built on trust.”
“You’d know all about that,” I droll.
He scratches behind his ear. “I actually do. Just because I don’t do relationships doesn’t mean I’m unaware of how they work.”
“I know how they work too. But sometimes things are easier said than done,” I explain.
“And sometimes it’s easier to be evasive about something than to be honest from the get-go,” Ryder states.
Kaiden places his hand on Ryder’s shoulder. “I gotta be honest, you’re impressing the fuck out of me right now.”
“Bro?” I say, giving him awhat the fucklook.
“What? You can’t be salty that you made a bad decision and he’s calling you on it.”
“Yeah. You guys give me shit all the time and I’m always a good sport about it,” Ryder says.
I nod. “That’s fair.”
Ryder’s gaze sweeps over to Evie and mine follows. “You better get ready to grovel. She’s pissed.”
“Yeah. I plan to do whatever it takes to make this mess up to her.”
“We better take our seats. Dinner’s about to be served,” Kaiden points out.
“Thank fuck. I’m starving,” Ryder says.
I carry my gin and tonic I’ve yet to finish. So much for needing a stiff drink. As luck would have it, our table is next to Evie’s. I pull out the chair right behind hers and plop down onto the seat.
I tug my phone from my front pocket and type a text to her.
Me:I’m so sorry, Evie. Can we talk after dinner?
I send the message and hope she answers me.
My phone vibrates and I look at the screen.
Evie:Fuck off!
Shit. She’s really upset with me.
The waitstaff moves around our table, setting salads in front of everyone along with baskets of bread and butter. Ryder double fists the rolls and drops them on his plate. Catching me watching him, he shrugs.
“Hey, you fuckers eat a lot and I’m not taking any chances.”
He’s not wrong. We can pack the food away, for sure. The chatter dies out all around the room as everyone is focused on eating each course as it’s brought out.
As delicious as everything tastes, my appetite is nil. My stomach’s unsettled, but not in the good way—theI’m in loveway.
I’ve been nauseous since Evie walked away from me with her mom. And sitting in such close proximity to her isn’t helping. With our backs toward one another, and our chairs only a few feet apart, there’s an invisible pull between us. It’s difficult to stay away from her knowing she’s nearby.
