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Stephen tsked at me, a wide grin taking over his handsome face. “Good morning to you too, beautiful. I take it we skipped coffee in favor of basking today? I can get behind that.”
The camera spun and Stephen plopped down into one of the cushy patio chairs on his balcony. Behind him, the skyline of downtown Austin glimmered in the sun. Unlike me, he’d stayed in town to attend the University of Texas, and his parents had gifted him a condo in the new high rise they’d built next to the lake.
The penthouse, of course. I tried not to be jealous—I’d spent the summer in my family’s beach house, after all—but living as a transient for the last few weeks made me stare longingly at his patio furniture.
Stephen’s face relaxed even as his blue eyes sharpened. “There. Now we’re both lazing about. Why are you outside? Have you finally given in and decided to just live under the bridge in a series of interconnected boxes like a feral cat?”
I laughed, letting the stress from everything melt as much as possible in the face of Stephen’s ridiculous image of my life. “Not quite. I found a place to live. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than Lizzy’s floor.”
He leaned back, swiveling slightly. “And this new place accommodates my duck bestie?”
“Yes. Henry has her own bathroom and several full-grown men coddling her.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why are there several full-grown men in your new place? You didn’t become a madame, did you? I mean, good for you, but… wait, is this a reverse harem situation? Are you the marshmallow in the fluffernutter sandwich?” His brows flew up. “You think any of them are interested in crossing swords? It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve seen you naked, and I know your type. Totally worth it.”
I squeezed the bridge of my nose and shook my head. A large cup of coffee would make such a huge difference in this conversation. On the best of days, I had trouble following Stephen’s wild topic changes, but I was usually at least mediocre in controlling the chaos. Today, I could barely keep up.
“I’m not engaging in orgies, though I appreciate your willingness to sacrifice at the altar of my nakedness. To answer your first question, I have four male roommates, none of whom drink cold brew, so I’m outside Wildcat talking to you instead of getting my fix.”
Stephen scoffed. “Girl, go inside and handle it. I’m not ready to deal with your uncaffeinated ass.”
I sent a speculative look at the side of the coffee shop, then sighed. “I’ll grab something on the way to practice. You’ll just have to live with less fun Eva today.”
“Challenge accepted. So who are you shacking up with?”
“Coffee guy.”
He pursed his lips and gave me a chiding look. “You still don’t know his name?”
“Why would I want to know his name? He’s an asshole who refuses to follow the rules of society. Just because he has a dicktastic attitude doesn’t mean he has to pull me down with him.”
“So you’ve thought about his dick?”
I choked on my own spit. “No.” Yes. Hard yes.
Stephen’s voice softened. “What’s his name?”
“Gavin,” I muttered.
“And what’s the real reason you hate him?”
My eyes shot to Stephen’s on my tiny phone screen, and unease crept up my spine. “You know what happened.”
He leaned over, propping his cheek on his hand. “I know what you tell everyone, but you can’t fool me, sweet cheeks. You only hate someone with good reason, and rudeness isn’t enough.”
I glanced in the direction of Wildcat Coffee and relented when I didn’t see any signs of a tall, smug hockey player. The reminder would do me good. “He’s the reason Kayleigh had to leave halfway through the semester.”
Stephen’s mouth twisted as he leaned back and stared into the distance. “Which one was Kayleigh?”
“The freshman I was mentoring two years ago. She wasn’t handling the transition to college well.”
“What does that have to do with your hockey hottie?”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s notmyanything. Kayleigh didn’t have the healthiest coping mechanisms. She showed up to Wildcat drunk off her ass on the way to a game. They refused to serve her any coffee and sent her back to her car to drive to the stadium. Less than two blocks later she was pulled over and arrested for drunk driving. My sources say it was Gavin who handled the situation.”
His brows flew up. “She could have killed someone. You’re mad at him for that?”
I blew out a breath, aware of how petty it sounded on the surface. “I’m mad at him for calling the cops instead of her friends. She was wearing her cheer uniform, Stephen. He could have stalled her and had one of us come get her. Instead, he kicked her out then called the cops.”
