Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 47107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
He frowned back at me.
I grinned. “What? You rotate between Blaise’s team, Mason Kade’s team, the Kansas City Mustangs hockey team, and the Javalina hockey team. You watch the Javalina more than the Mustangs, so I can’t quite figure out if you know someone on the Mustangs’ team or just like them, but I know you know someone on the Javalina because you watch them almost as much as Mason Kade’s team. So.” I propped my hip against the counter. “Who is it?” I thought about it. “Please tell me it’s not someone who is currently screwing someone you used to screw?”
He cracked a grin. “I don’t know anyone who plays for the Mustangs, but I like Cutler Ryder.”
One of my guesses was answered. “And the Javalina?”
“I know one of the guys. He’s in a relationship with a friend of mine.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Did you screw this friend?”
“No.” His lips twitched again. “She and I were not like that.”
She. I knew it’d been a she. “Are you going to tell me her name?”
He was full on grinning at me now. “I’m kinda liking you not knowing. You’re getting heated. I like this reaction. Are you jealous?”
I growled, but more customers came in, and I went to help them out.
After that, we got swamped. Four baseball teams decided Manny’s was their new hangout after their games, and I was thankful Brandon had decided to stick around. I also forgot all about the Javalina and Zeke’s friend too, that was, until around midnight when I looked over and saw a different friend standing next to him. Standing real close to him.
Penny Lancaster. I didn’t know if she was married, or if she was, what her married name was, but my stomach shrank because I remembered how he and Penny were on-and-off again in high school. She’d been more than a one-night thing, and dammit, but I knew this. I so knew this. This was not a secret. He had a past, a big past, and who was I to even get worked up about it? We were sleeping together and roommates, but beyond that, I hadn’t a clue. We’d not had “the talk,” hashing out if we were exclusive or not, but then again; when would that have come into play? I was the one who left for work, but when I wasn’t, Zeke was around. All the time. In the house, or in another room, or at Manny’s.
And now with Penny.
My head was spinning, and this wasn’t good.
I shouldn’t be reacting this way, but I couldn’t stop or ignore the burn that was going down my chest.
I went over to them, and wished that she had aged bad, but she hadn’t. She still looked as beautiful as I remembered from back then, one of the popular girls from their rich private school.
He lifted his head up as I neared them. “Hey.”
Penny had started to speak, seeing me, but hearing his tone, how he greeted me, she gave me a whole different look. Her eyes got sharper. Her mouth closed a little before she had a fake smile on her face and raised her chin up a little. A Lana Marks Cleopatra Clutch in her hand. “Hi…” She cocked her head to the side. “You’re Ava, right? From Roussou?”
I flashed her a thin smile. “I am. What would you like to drink?”
I felt Zeke watching me and ignored him.
Her eyes narrowed before another smile smoothed out over her face, and she pulled out the chair beside Zeke. “How about your most expensive wine?” She slipped onto the seat, and her smile got brighter. Her eyes slid toward Zeke. “On this guy?” She playfully elbowed him.
That burn started digging right down and deep into me, going faster. “Sure.” I didn’t wait for Zeke to approve, and turned, reaching for the good stuff. The most expensive stuff because that’s who she was. She was worth the pricey stuff. Not me. I was worth the cheap stuff. The beer on tap. Jell-O shots. That was me. And this chick, Penny Fucking Lancaster, the ex or the one who could’ve been considered the ex of Zeke’s if he ever had a steady girlfriend because she was it. The one who was mostly on-and-off with him, and that said a lot about her, about what she meant to him.
And I was totally and irrationally jealous, and I hated this feeling. The burn was hurting, slicing into me.
I poured the wine and slid the glass over to her. “Raise a hand when you need a refill.” Still ignoring Zeke, I walked right past Brandon and said under my breath, “I’m taking five.”
I felt Zeke’s eyes on my back as I kept going, right out the side door.
If I smoked, I would’ve been smoking. I didn’t, so instead, I was perched on a picnic table in the back and bent over, looking at my phone. It buzzed, but I ignored Zeke’s text.