Page 69 of The Offside Rule
“It’s a lot more complicated than that, and you know it. You shouldn’t be encouraging me. You should be reminding me why it’s a terrible idea.”
“Yeah… no. Tell me all the details.”
“Tomorrow at breakfast. Too risky,” I countered.
“Grr… I’m going to wonder all night. Those hockey boys are dreamy. I bet they know how to treat a vagina.”
“Billie, stop. I hate you.”
“No, you love me. Tomorrow. Ten thirty. Brunch. Wear something cute but not trying too hard because I know you’re going to pretend you’re chill,” she giggled.
“I am chill.”
“You kissed a forbidden hockey player and then sat on your bedroom floor to call me. You’re a lot of things. Chill is not one of them.”
She hung up before I could respond. I looked at my phone. Then I looked at my door. How did she know I was on the floor? She knew me too well. There was no way I was sleeping now. Notwith the memory of Hunter’s mouth still ghosting over mine. I groaned and fell backward onto the rug. This was not good. By the time I stopped fantasizing and scrolling through pictures of him online, I was exhausted enough to change into pajamas and fall asleep.
CHAPTER 12
Catherine Celia
By Sunday morning, I had slept maybe four hours total and had changed outfits twice before deciding that jeans, a cropped white tank, and an oversized blue button-down I left open was the call.
Billie Rose was already outside the brunch place when I arrived, wearing a floral sundress, cowboy boots, and an expression that said she had been waiting all morning to hear about my kiss with Hunter.
“There she is,” she said.
“Don’t start,” I warned. I hadn’t even had my first cup of coffee.
“I haven’t even warmed up.” She grinned.
Liv waved from near the entrance, her blond hair pulled up in a claw clip, sunglasses on top of her head. Taylor stood beside her in black leggings and a gray cropped tank top, holding an iced coffee. I also recognized Sadie, she didn’t live in Dallas so we didn’t see her often. Her dad was a retired hockey player that had played for a number of years on the same team as my dad.
“Sadie, I didn’t know you were in town,” I said.
“I stopped in for a quick visit. My dad had some meetings here this weekend,” she said.
“With the Dallas Blaze?” I asked.
“My lips are sealed,” she replied.
“I understand,” I chimed. Liv and Taylor nodded like they did too.
“Liv said there would be brunch and drama,” Sadie said, surprising me.
I shot Liv a look.
Liv lifted both hands. “I said brunch and girl talk.”
“That means drama,” Sadie said.
Billie looped her arm through mine. “It means sit down and confess.”
We walked inside, and I immediately wanted to leave. Because there, in a big booth near the back, were Hunter, Max, Leo, Ronan, Nate, and Luca. Dallas was huge. The world was huge. But apparently my life had shrunk down to one building, one arena, and one brunch place where Hunter Russell sat looking way too good for a man who had kissed me against his wall less than twenty-four hours ago. His eyes found mine immediately. My stomach dropped. Then did a weird flippy thing.
“Oh,” Billie Rose said under her breath. “Well, this is delicious.”
“Behave,” I muttered.
