Page 9

“No, there’s got to be something to up the ante. Something that pushes us to win. Maybe eating something gross, or singing in Harvard Square in a bathing suit.”

The group laughs and I keep my gaze on Jack's, folding my arms over my chest. Of the whole guy group, Jack is the one who likes to poke and prod to get a reaction. I'm not about that just now.

"Are you talking about a bet?" I ask.

Jack nods. "For sure. Whoever wins gets to decide the consequence of the other."

I shrug. "Okay, what do you have in mind?"

"What about a date night with everyone?"

I laugh, the sound coming out hysterical. I promise I'm not a witch.

"No dates."

Jack frowns and says, "Why not? I thought for sure you'd be up for some fun."

I wave to the course and say, "If you hadn't figured it out yet, this is my idea of fun. Dates are on the blacklist of life."

Miles laughs and says, "What's with you ladies and your lists?"

He has a point. Rachelle had her breakup bucket list to help her get over Landon and while I don't think Dani had one in particular, she's been known to write down whatever comes into her brain. I glance at Evie and Hillary, wondering what kind of list people they would be. Millie I've got pegged as just hoping to make it alive one day at a time.

"Don't you worry, we have lists for everything."

Jack takes a step toward me and turns, so he's facing the same direction but he's on my left side. "What kind of lists are we talking about?"

He put his fingers up to his chin as if thinking on some deep topic.

"Stuff, okay. Let's go get ready for the race."

I don't need him to find out how deep my obsession for writing down goals or wishes goes, or who might be featured in some of them. Like his hockey buddy who is watching the exchange as if at a tennis match.

"If we're betting, I need to know what the stakes are," Jack says, and I'm ready to throw a punch. The guy isn't usually bad, he's just grating on my nerves at the moment.

"How about the winner gets to choose the consequence. But no dates."

Trey and Spencer give each other a frown and Trey says, “Are you sure you want to keep that open-ended?”

It takes me back to the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, where Elizabeth Swan uses the pirate code to ask for Will Turner to be released. Or maybe it’s herself when she’s first taken? I can’t remember.

What kind of trick would Jack spin off my words?

“No dates, and the consequence can’t be that we have to do anything sans clothes.” My cheeks redden at that thought and I make sure not to look in Trey’s direction. My whole body will burn to ash if I think of him in even his underwear.

Confidence soars through me. I've got speed, and I know that even if I do come in second place, I can handle just about anything they're bound to dish out as long as I’m fully clothed.

Well, maybe not from Jack.

A bunch of cheers pulls me from the memory and I turn to find Trey walking to stand next to me. Gosh, why does the man have to look so dang hot all the time?

I've been able to keep my decade long crush for the guy a secret so far, but I'm a little nervous about how I'll be able to keep up the charade if we're constantly doing things as a big friend group. The least my roomies could've done was to give me a heads up. No, maybe it’s better they didn’t say anything. I would've gone through every scenario possible and panicked for days. I might’ve feigned sick this morning instead of coming here.

Turning away, I head to the start line. There's a big crowd and maybe I won't tip off my friends that I’m flustered by the hockey star.

Not that he would remember the chubby, scrappy hockey girl who attended a few camps with him growing up. There wasn’t even a hint of knowing who I was when we met up with him after his game. If he knew I was the same girl as Mac-Attack, would he be weirded out?

One of my lists is the top twenty reasons Trey should be put in the hall of fame, and he's only been playing for four years in the NHL. He's the hometown hero alongside Carson Carver—working to build the Boston Breeze and help them win a Stanley Cup Championship.