Page 59 of The Love Playbook

“No, my friend, you cannot,” Jace says as his smirk turns into a shit-eating grin. “Especially when Brynn promised to stop by afterward to reward me.”

I groan.Great. So, Charlotte’s at some party flirting with some loser as we speak, and later, I’ll get to listen to Jace and Brynn go at it all night. Fucking fantastic.

“I know a couple guys,” Damon announces, stealing the jerky bag from me as I sink back down into the couch.

I stare at him blankly, but he ignores me, rooting through the jerky for fuck knows what. “Like in the mafia?” I ask. “Someone to knock this guy off? I mean, I’m all about busting a few kneecaps, but I’m not sure we need to go to extremes here.”

Damon chucks a piece of jerky at my head and narrowly misses his target.

“And you call yourself a quarterback.” I tsk.

“I know some guys from thesoccerteam, you jackass. I could probably get us an invite. That way, we wouldn’t technically be crashing. If asked, we can tell the truth and say we were invited.”

“I knew you were my favorite!” I lean forward on the couch and take Damon’s face in my hands, planting a noisy smooch on his forehead as he laughs. “I will buy you five tons of jerky, you beautiful, beautiful bastard.”

“You guys are fucking weird,” Jace says.

Brandon eyes me warily like I might come for him next as he says, “I’m with Jace on this one.”

“Let me make a few calls . . .” Damon trails off as he stands, taking his phone and the jerky with him as he heads into the kitchen.

“This is perfect.” I spin around to face the others.

Jace shrugs. “I mean, I guess I wouldn’t mind free beer and making out with my girlfriend on some other dude’s couch, but Brynn’s still gonna be pissed.”

“It’s fine. Just act like you had no idea the party Damon got invited to is the one they’re at.”

“Right. Because I’m sure there are two parties on campus being hosted by the soccer team.”

“Do you remember that time Brynn and the girls went on the triple date, and you asked me to crash the restaurant with you?” I ask, ignoring his sarcasm.

Jace purses his lips, glancing the other way like he can’t hear me.

“And do you remember how I sat there alone after we got there, eating a bowl of pasta while you made out with Brynn in the bathroom?”

“You loved that pasta!” He points his beer bottle at me.

“It was damn good pasta,” I admit. “But I left baseball, beer, and pizza for that pasta, and I even wore the damn loaner dinner jacket they gave us that smelled like cheese balls. And that shit was itchy, too. Gave me a rash for weeks.” Jace sighs as I stand and make my way to him, slapping him on the shoulder. “You owe me one wingman, and it’s time to collect.”

The sound of music and laughter trickles out to where we’re standing in front of one of the old student apartments. Exhaling, I rub a hand over the back of my neck.

Shit, I’m never nervous. What the fuck is wrong with me?

Damon knocks for the second time, and I ask, “Are you sure we’re at the right place?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” he says with an eye roll. “Relax.”

“I’m relaxed,” I mutter at the same time a dude with bright red hair flings the door open.

His gaze immediately finds Damon, and they slap hands before Damon motions toward us. “These are my boys Jace, Chris, and Brandon.”

“What’s up?” Redhead tips a chin in our direction, then steps aside, allowing us access.

The second my feet cross the threshold, my gaze scans my surroundings to see it’s not so different from our apartment, only older. A small living room opens up to a little kitchen with a hallway I imagine leads to the bedrooms. Dispersed in the small space are maybe twenty people, which makes it pretty easy to find Charlotte.

My stomach flutters as my gaze zeros in on her like an arrow hitting its target, and all my nerves disappear.

She’s standing in the corner of the living room, talking to a dude I can only assume is the guy who invited her.