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CHAPTER EIGHT

THE PLAN

ADELINE

The moment I walked in and saw that hot man who knows how to get my pulse flaring, I should have turned right back around, thanked the girls for the invite, and faked a stomach virus. But no. Instead, I sat here with Penn shooting me furious looks and having an attitude with me.

Nope, not putting up with that.

I walk outside, stepping onto the quiet sidewalk as I dig in my purse for my phone. I just need to call a ride, get home, and pretend this night never happened.

But life just can’t be easy. The door swings open behind me.

“Addy.”

I close my eyes for a brief second. Keep walking. Maybe he’ll be the one to disappear this time.

“Addy,” Penn says again, his footsteps heavy as he catches up to me.

Dammit.

I whirl around, arms crossed. “What?”

He hesitates for half a second, like he wasn’t expecting me to actually turn around. “I—uh—” He exhales roughly, raking a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, okay?”

I narrow my eyes. “Sorry for what, exactly?”

His jaw ticks. “For being a jerk.”

I lift an eyebrow.

“A total ridiculous jerk,” he adds.

I tap my chin. “I don’t know. Jerk feels a little…soft. Maybe go with asshat ?”

His lips twitch, but he fights it. “Fine. I’m sorry for being an asshat.”

“Good. Because you were an asshat.”

“Right.” He nods, like he’s determined to be mature about this. “Glad we agree.”

“Great. Now that we’ve established that, I’ll be going.”

I turn back to look at my phone.

“Wait a minute. You were kind of an asshat, too.”

I freeze before turning back slowly. “ Excuse me?”

Penn folds his arms over his broad chest, and he looks so stinking hot right now, it’s completely unfair. “You heard me.”

Oh, I don’t care how hot he is, this attitude is not working for me.

I scoff. “How do you figure?”

His eyes flash. “Oh, I don’t know. You showed up, hugged the chef like he hung the damn moon, then waltzed over to our table all, oh wow, what a surprise! , like you were totally fine pretending I don’t exist.”

I gape at him. “Are you seriously mad that I hugged Camden?”

“Mad?” He snorts. “No. Just very aware that you have a type.”

I blink. “A type.”

“Yeah.” He tilts his head, counting off his fingers. “Tall, good-looking, mega-successful.”

“Oh my God,” I groan. “You are too much. Get over your dumb, jealous self and go back inside.”

He looks momentarily stunned. “I wasn’t jealous.” His cheeks turn pink when he says it, and I smirk.

We stare at each other until he shifts on his feet. He runs his hand through his hair and exhales like he’s defeated.

“Okay, I was totally jealous,” he says quietly.

My heart soars at that, but it drops in the next second when he says, “But I’ll get over myself.

I’m really sorry I’m being so rude. I…I’m not used to…

uh, that was crazy in the Bahamas, right?

The instant connection between us. At least for me.

But I know we’d never work out. Fuck. I’m not even the boyfriend type—what am I saying?

” He shakes his head, and I feel the loss when his eyes drift away from mine.

“I want us to be comfortable since we’ll be around each other all the time with work. ”

“Right. Yeah. I do too.” I’m embarrassed that I thought he could ever want anything more.

You knew this was too complicated , I tell myself. But my heart hasn’t quite caught up with reason just yet.

“It was crazy for me too, Penn. It wasn’t just you.”

His eyes flicker over to me again, his full lips parting slightly. He takes a tiny step forward, and for a second, I think he may close the distance.

But then he puts his hands in his pockets and rocks back on his heels.

“There’s no way we could ever be anything more than friends anyway,” he adds, “because of your dad.”

I make a face. “My dad doesn’t get a say in who I go out with…I’m twenty-six years old, and I’ve lived away from home for years.” I laugh under my breath. “He might think he gets a say, but no, not happening.”

Penn winces. “He’d have a lot to say if he thought you were with me, trust me. I don’t think he’d even approve of us being friends.”

I frown. “Why do you think that?”

“He seems to think I only exist to party. I’m pretty sure that I shock him every time I come out on the field and play my ass off.”

“Your record speaks for itself.”

I want to argue that my dad would never treat someone poorly unless they deserve it, but the little Dad has said to me about Penn hasn’t been the most positive. I wonder what his deal is.

Penn shrugs and I’m surprised by the level of hurt I see on his face. I’ll definitely be asking my dad about this when I get a chance.

Rhodes’ voice rings out from the restaurant door. “Hey, lover boy, hope we aren’t interrupting a moment. The appetizers are out.”

I whip my head toward Rhodes, who’s grinning like a complete shit-stirrer. Behind him, Weston and Henley are standing in the doorway, equally entertained.

“Ohh,” Henley murmurs. “I think we did interrupt a moment.”

Penn groans. “Can you not ?”

“I just wanted to apologize for our friend’s behavior…if he hasn’t already apologized himself,” Weston says.

“He started out with good intentions, I think, but then he almost blew it.” When I say the last few words, the guys laugh.

“He means well,” Henley says.

“ He is right here,” Penn says.

“Mm-hmm, and how’s that working out for you?” Rhodes says, throwing his arm around Penn. “How you like me now?” he sings.

I press my lips together to keep from laughing.

Rhodes gestures between us. “We’re just trying to figure out what’s going on here. Enemies? Lovers? Long-lost soulmates? What would Elle call these tropes?”

I nearly snort.

Weston smirks. “Right now, I’d say exes who never actually dated.”

I do laugh at that. “You guys are too much.”

Penn throws his head back, groaning. “Don’t you guys have wives to annoy right now?”

Henley smiles at me. “Sorry, Adeline. This one here has given us hell for years, so we’re just having a little fun at his expense.” He pounds Penn’s back. “I hope you don’t take us too seriously. We don’t want to scare you off. Penn is a good man…despite his earlier behavior.”

“It’s true,” Rhodes says. “The best guy.”

Penn rolls his eyes.

“Absolutely,” Weston says. “And Bowie would agree if he were out here…but he’s got the baby.”

I cover my mouth as I try to rein in the giggles.

I was looking forward to getting to know these guys better, but I did not foresee it going this way.

They’re way funnier than I expected. I’ve always liked them from afar.

I even listen to Henley’s podcast now. My dad has given his life to this team, and the love for them has carried over into our family for as long as I can remember.

Penn lets out a rugged exhale. “Just…come back inside. Please. Please don’t go.”

Those eyes. They’re hazel with brown outlining his pupils and then melding into green, with a gold rim around that. I remember them in the sunlight on the beach, the way they looked like a fire being lit.

“Please,” he says again. “I’d like a redo.”

Still, I hesitate. The smart thing would be to leave, put as much distance between us as possible so my feelings for him don’t grow by the second. But then I look at him—the slight uncertainty in his expression, the way his fingers flex at his sides…

I’ve proven I’m rarely good at doing the smart thing.

“Fine,” I say, crossing my arms and giving him a playful look. “But if you say one more rude thing?—”

I hear the guys crack up in the background as they move toward the restaurant, and I smirk as I stare at Penn.

“I’ll let you insult me freely for the rest of the night,” he says.

I lift a brow and smile. “Sounds fair.”

Penn clutches his heart, shooting me a relieved smile. He gestures toward the door. “After you, Adeline Evans.”

I walk past him, feeling his eyes on me the whole way.

When we get back to the table, the girls are so excited.

“I’m so glad you came back,” Sadie says.

They all smile at me warmly.

“We just had a great little chat outside. Didn’t we, Preacher Man?”

There’s a roar of laughter when I say that.

“I’m loving this so much,” Weston says, wiping his eyes.

I sit down, picking up my fork like nothing happened. While we were gone, an array of food arrived. I think they must have ordered every appetizer on the menu.

“Camden really outdid himself tonight,” I say, digging in.

Penn mutters something under his breath, and I shoot him a look. He lifts his hands and swallows hard, pointedly focusing on the plate in front of him. Smart man. Except his little jealous bit is making me far happier than it should.

“If this was a rom-com, we’d be seconds away from a make-out scene,” Rhodes says.

Penn chokes on his water.

Bowie sighs, shaking his head. “Forgive my friends. They have no manners whatsoever.”

The restaurant buzzes with energy as we focus on the food. Laughter rises above the hum of the dinner rush. Penn has been quiet since we came in from outside, but I’ve been answering questions right and left. When there’s a lull after we order, Penn leans in closer.

“So, where have you been the past few years?” he asks. “I’ve been with the team for quite a while and I would’ve remembered seeing you.”

My romantic heart is flattered by that, but he probably doesn’t mean anything by it. I need to keep reminding myself of this, despite the way he looks at me. He said it himself—he’s not the boyfriend type.

“I’ve been at Berkeley. Lots and lots of schooling behind me.” I grin and take a sip of water.

“Is nutrition your passion?” His eyes dip down to my lips and I nearly fan my face because I’m suddenly so hot.

“It is.” I gulp. Talking about “passion” when he’s looking at my mouth this way is challenging. I try to sound professional when I add, “I love finding healthy and inventive ways to help athletes perform at their highest peak. To me, the food goes hand in hand with your workouts and practices.”

He grins like he can see right through me.

“I can get behind that,” he says. “Tonight, though, can we order a whole cheesecake and pay for the consequences later?” He puts his hands together and pleads.

I laugh. “Pretend I’m not even here.”

“Impossible,” he says softly.

We stare at each other for a long beat, his eyes drinking me in like they did in the Bahamas. My cheeks burn.

The rest of the table asks me more about my plans for the team and the evening flies by. The cheesecake is divine.

“The team’s lucky to have you, Adeline,” Henley says, leaning back, appraising me. “God, I miss playing.”

“You were such an exceptional player,” I tell him. “I really hated to see you get hurt.”

“Thank you.” He waves me off like it’s no big deal, but it’s obvious the sport means everything to him.

“I hope to make sure you guys feel your best,” I say. “I’m not telling you anything you don’t know, but fueling your bodies the right way can make a huge difference.”

Elle bumps her shoulder into mine. “And if they don’t listen, you can whip them into shape.”

“That’s the plan.”

Weston points at Penn. “This means you can’t live on gas station snacks anymore.”

Penn groans and looks at me, shaking his head. “Don’t listen to him.” To Weston, he says, “Dude! Don’t be telling my secrets to the lady!”

Laughter erupts around the table and I can’t help but grin.

Torturing Penn Hudson sounds like a lot of fun.

When dinner is over, he hangs around. “Can I drive you home?”

Part of me wonders if that’s all he’s asking, but we chat all the way to my house and when he pulls up to my condo, he turns to look at me and smiles.

“I’m glad you stayed,” he says.

“Me too.”

The air between us is much lighter than it’s been, and I’m really glad I didn’t miss out on a chance to hang out with him.

“I’ll see you on Monday,” he says.

I nod, trying not to be too disappointed.

“Thanks for the ride.”

“Night, Adeline.”

“Night.”

I put my hand on the door and he hops out on his side. “Hold up,” he says, jogging around to open my door.

My heart thuds against my rib cage and I stare up at him when I place my feet on the ground.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

His eyes are on my lips and he nods, distracted. “Mm-hmm,” he says, his voice husky.

He swallows hard and takes a step back, his hand going in his hair as he takes a deep breath.

I want him to kiss me more than I want my next breath, but I reach out and squeeze his hand instead.

It’s enough to give me all the tingles, and I nearly laugh at the insane level of desire I feel for this man.

It’s crazy. What is it about him that checks all my boxes?

I let go of his hand and hurry past him. He’s not boyfriend material , I tell myself a dozen times as I go inside and shut the door. When I peek out the window, he’s still sitting in his vehicle. I jump back, hoping he didn’t see me, and attempt to not obsess over the man all night long.