Page 70 of Rival Season
“Just took me a moment to get my head on right, Coach,” I admit, dipping my chin.
“He was making eyes at his girlfriend,” Fisher taunts as he slings an arm around me and ruffles my hair.
Noah smirks. “Matthews claims he’s not in love but he’s full of shit.”
I ignore both of them and force myself to meet Coach Anderson’s only-slightly-terrifying glare.
“It won’t happen again, sir,” I say. “I’m focused and ready now. I promise my girlfriend isn’t a distraction.”
Coach Anderson shocks me by smiling in response. “Don’t sweat it, Matthews. I know as well as anyone that being with the right girl can actually do wonders for your game.” His smile disappears as quickly as it arrived, and his glare is back. “Now get your butt out there and win.”
CHAPTER 26
HAZEL
After the game,the guys are buzzing from their win. Before I can wrap my mind around how handsome Penn looks in his tailored black suit, Fisher announces we’re going to midnight trivia. With the guys in their game day finery, we pile into Fisher’s G Wagon. Ally and I took the metro to the arena, so we’re also hitching a ride.
I sit in the back between Penn and Noah. It’s a tight squeeze between two hockey players. Now I know why Ally called shotgun so fast.
I lean toward Penn to give Noah more room…but also because I enjoy the warmth of Penn’s body and how amazing he smells after his post-game shower. He’s wearing a simple black suit that contours to every muscle on his body. The minute he buckles his seat belt, he yanks his purple tie off and unbuttons several buttons on his white dress shirt, revealing a sliver of bare chest. I get a tantalizing glimpse of intricate ink and a smattering of dark hair before I make myself look away.
“I love what you did with the jacket,” Penn leans in to whisper, his lips brushing my earlobe and making a shiver move up my spine. “I can’t believe you did that for me.”
There’s a hint of vulnerability in his tone that has me looking up at him. “I thought I should have something with your number on it,” I say, then pump my eyebrows once, attempting to keep things light. “I just wanted to support my man.”
He chuckles softly, and I soak up the drive across town pressed against his side.
When we arrive at the bar, we’re just early enough to order food and drinks before trivia starts. The place is already alive with people, the high-top tables filling up quickly in front of the stage where they do the trivia. We snag a tall table, and a waitress sweeps in and takes our orders. The guys order a pitcher of beer and enough food to feed a family of five for a week, clearly starving after their game. Ally and I order burgers, and I get a glass of rosé.
The waitress turns to Ally. “How about you? Whatcha drinkin?”
Ally smiles. “Just a Coke for me.”
The waitress nods and she’s off toward the kitchen to put in our order.
“You really need to turn twenty-one already so you can drink with us, Ally,” Fisher teases.
“I always forget how young you are,” I admit, nudging Ally with my elbow.
Noah smiles, wrapping an arm around the back of his girlfriend’s chair. “She might be the youngest, but she’s wiser than the lot of us.”
“How old are you, Hazel?” Fisher asks, leaning his elbows on the table and studying me.
“Twenty-six.”
Fisher whistles, looking between Penn and I. “Damn, Hazel. You’re a cougar.”
Penn covers my hand with his where it’s resting on the table. “She’s only three years older than me, Fishy.” His thumb rubs agentle circle on the back of my hand, and I know he’s trying to comfort me so I don’t feel weird about Fisher’s comment, but my shoulders remain tense.
“True,” Fisher agrees. “I forgot you’re twenty-three now. Noah and I need to catch up.”
“You and Noah are only twenty-two?” I ask nervously, almost afraid to hear the answer.
“Yep, the three of us just graduated from college last spring,” Noah answers.
I swallow, feeling inexplicably out of place. My undergraduate years of college feel like an eternity ago. I realize if we were all in our thirties, these age gaps wouldn’t seem like such a big deal…but we’renotin our thirties.
The waitress stops by again, delivering the three appetizers the boys ordered along with our drinks. The guys dig in immediately, like they’re starving.
