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BODHI

“Why is there an entire pitcher of iced coffee in here? None of y’all even drink iced coffee,” Jethro asks, peering into the refrigerator in our kitchen.

“I do,” Navy tells him proudly.

I look in the other direction, hoping Jethro drops it and doesn’t ask why there’s that much coffee prepared and who did it.

“Of course you do, Navs. How could I forget?”

He says that because Navy is almost always drinking iced coffee. She has a habit of projectile spitting it when she loses herself in a fit of giggles.

It’s adorable.

Not so much for the person on the receiving end of the coffee.

“Bodhi preps it for me.”

Shit. I didn’t think she knew.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lie, because I’m a coward and Callaway is here, listening to our conversation.

I see a look of slight hurt cross Navy’s face and instantly regret the lie.

“Oh, maybe not. It’s probably Kingston,” she plays it off, struggling to hide her hurt.

I’m such an asshole.

“Who’s ready to eat?” King calls out.

I let myself look at Navy again and catch her already staring, but she looks away before our eyes connect.

I need to apologize, but I can’t exactly do that here.

“I know I am,” Navy calls out before grabbing the whiskey sour she made for herself and vodka soda for Kodi.

I stand back as she walks out onto the back deck where dinner awaits.

Taking a deep breath, I gather myself before joining them.

I can already tell it’s going to be a long night.

* * *

We don’t have family dinner as often as we would like, but our group has always prioritized it despite our busy schedules.

These people are my family, and our time together takes the lead.

It’s nice to have my sister here as well.

“No one invited Briggs?” Gus asks, oblivious to my sudden annoyance.

“Nope,” I bite out through a mouthful of steak.

“You guys are terrible hosts,” Cal says.

King laughs. “You were too when you lived here, ocean eyes.”

The whole table breaks out in overwhelming laughter at the nickname Kodi has always used for Callaway. He’s hilarious to fuck with.

Thankfully, Cal doesn’t get a chance to respond before Kodi chucks a bread roll at King and yells at him to shut up.

“I can’t believe he’s back on the team,” Mack says.

Murmurs of consensus echo around the table before Gus turns to Navy. “He got Addie this weekend?”

She nods. “Yeah. He can’t make it to the gala.”

“That sucks,” Cal says. “But I get it.”

“It’s fine. I’m not on the team, so I’m cool with going solo,” Navy replies.

“Pass the bread, please,” Penelope says beside me.

I grab the bread and hand it to her before taking the last bite of my steak. Fuck, this is delicious.

King needs to open his own restaurant.

“Too bad you won’t be here, Penelope. You could be Navy’s date,” Kodi tells her.

Penelope laughs. “I know, right. That would have been so fun. Unfortunately, work doesn’t care how much fun I could be having.”

I’m proud of her for working hard and making a career for herself.

“What about you, B? Who are you bringing?” Cal asks me.

“Is the beautiful Poppy joining you?” Gus adds.

I think back to the text I got this morning from Poppy.

Poppy: when can I see you again? :)

I left her on read.

I don’t want to leave her guessing, but I’m not ready for her to tell Kodi I’m not interested in seeing her and have Cal ask questions.

“She can’t make it. No date for me,” I tell them all.

I’ll confess my sins later. For right now, this will at least shut them up.

Cal claps his hands as if he has discovered something and can’t help but share it. “That’s perfect! You and Navy can go together.”

What?

Shit. I said that out loud and so did Navy.

“I’m not that desperate for a date, dear brother,” Navy tells Cal, and I try not to let her rejection sting.

“I mean…it’s not the worst idea.” Why did I say that?

Do I want to die today?

If the death stare Navy gives me means anything when it comes to my future as Cal’s friend, I can gather that I spoke out of line.

But it’s true. It’s not the worst idea.

In fact, it might be Cal’s best idea yet.

I typically fight to stay away from Navy when Cal is around, but this gives me an excuse to be near her and have no one ask questions.

Maybe this is my chance to let Cal see us together and catch on to how fucking captivated I am by her—how I’m better with her close to me.

And maybe she’ll accept it for herself and see that I cared about her all along. She might just give me another chance if I give her enough clues.

Yeah, this could be good.

“Absolutely not,” Navy exclaims.

Cal butters a roll and hands it to his sister—he’s baiting her.

Smart guy. Women love it when men feed them well.

Navy takes the bread without a fuss.

“Think about it, Navy. Everyone at the Charity Gala will have a date except you and Bodhi. Bodhi needs a date; Coach even told him so. There are going to be handfuls of sponsors there looking to recruit. You know how important that is. Having a date helps with conversation starters. You’d be helping him a lot,” Cal tells her, and he makes a valid point.

Navy rolls her eyes. “What’s in it for me?”

She’s so fucking smart and witty. It’s sexy as hell.

I beat Cal by responding, “Me, of course.”

Everyone snorts and Navy rolls her eyes, shooting me a look of annoyance.

She’s adorable. “Gag me, Sir Big Head,” she teases.

Little does she know, I’m a big, big fan of being teased.

I’m starting to be very on board with this idea. This could be the answer to all my prayers and wishes.

“Don’t fucking respond to that,” Cal murmurs, pointing his finger in Gus’s direction.

Surely, he would volunteer himself as tribute to gag her.

Like Cal or I would let that happen.

“Navy, either way, you would be with us. Let’s make it a good night. You can say I owe you one or whatever. Just go with Bodhi and we can all be together,” Cal pleads with Navy to understand.

Cal is a good dude.

He doesn’t realize he’s helping me in more ways than one, but he is.

One day, I’ll be able to thank him for it.

“Fine. But you’re buying me ice cream after. I’m always craving sweets after these events,” Navy tells me, piercing me with her beautiful green eyes.

“You can count on me.”

A laugh escapes her lips as she whispers something inaudible under her breath. “Doubtful.”

I have excellent hearing and am a 10/10 at reading lips.

Prison taught me to read the opponent.

Navy is the farthest thing from my opponent, but she is the thing in my life I want to specialize in. I want to know her inside and out.

This charity gala is my night to get everyone on the same page.

Long story short…get Cal on board and make Navy love me again.

Or like me. Whichever comes first.

I’m ready.