Page 32

Olive

S kylar gives me an impressed once-over through the phone screen as she bounces Bentley on her hip. “You look great. Love the boobs in that top.”

I stare at my reflection in the mirror, studying the way my chest looks in the black shirt with a V-neck that is deeper than it was on the mannequin. “Do you think it’s too much?”

It’s hard to figure out if something looks too sexual on me or if my boobs just make it seem that way. The struggle.

“No way,” my best friend promises. “Plus, you can’t tell me there aren’t going to be people there showing way more. That top will make you look like a nun in comparison.”

Snorting, I flatten my palm along the front. “I doubt that, but I appreciate you for trying.”

Skylar shrugs. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tagalong. Danny is visiting his grandma in the hospital. She fell trying to sneak back into the house after playing poker.”

From the stories I’ve heard about Grandma Meadow, that’s not surprising at all. “Hopefully she’s okay. Tell him I said hi.”

“She will be.” She sighs, pressing a chaste kiss to her son’s head. “You seem nervous. Are you okay?”

I have no reason not to be. I usually like these things.

There’s free food and drinks and entertainment.

Plus, I get to see Sebastian which doesn’t happen as often as I’d like now that he’s a fancy pants professional hockey player.

And with him adding ‘father’ to that list, I’m sure it’ll be even less I get to spend time with him.

But I don’t want to go alone. And I was half tempted to ask Alex if he wanted to come, but I knew that wouldn’t go over well. Not with Sebastian or his team. I mean, bringing an enemy to a Rangers team event? Probably not the best idea.

“Seb and I haven’t spoken since he invited me to this,” I admit.

It’s been a long week of wondering if I should even show up.

The only thing he’s sent me since our conversation was the details of the event, including the hotel room he booked me at the venue since his place was being renovated.

He didn’t ask if I was coming, he assumed I was.

And if he wasn’t going to make a big deal out of what had been said, neither was I.

Mostly.

It still hurt, but I could keep that to myself.

“Are you fighting?”

Her question pulls me out of my head. “Not really. He told me something that was surprising about a friend and then basically told me to stay away from him.”

“From him or his friend?”

“His friend,” I elaborate. “Apparently, I’m too much for what said friend is going through.

It made me feel…” What? Offended? Insulted?

Guilty? Bad? All of those things. But more than that, it made me feel like something was wrong with me.

“It doesn’t matter. I know he didn’t mean it in a bad way.

He’s just looking out for his buddy. But it still sucked. ”

Skylar is quiet for a second. “But what about you? He should be looking out for you too.”

Yeah, well… “Whatever. It’s making me a little uneasy about tonight, is all. I’ve met most of the team and I’ve been around a majority of the WAGS and staff. But part of me wished I’d stayed home with some lame excuse.”

“You can always make something up.”

“He knows I’m here already,” I mumble, sighing in defeat.

I regret not turning off my location sharing with him.

“I’ve got to suck it up and put my big girl panties on.

It’ll be fun. They always have good food at these events.

And drinks. Maybe I’ll even indulge on some wine since I don’t have to get an Uber. ”

Skylar laughs. “Well, have fun. If you need me to get you out of there I can make a call. Call me tomorrow with all the details if you stay.”

After hanging up, I finish my makeup and give myself one last look in the vanity mirror before deciding it’s good enough. No matter what, tonight is going to be a good night.

I tell myself that three more times when the elevator dings at the ground floor where the event is happening in the ballroom.

And the first person to greet me when the doors open is none other than Bodhi Hoffman.

One of his hands slides into the front pocket of his dress slacks, which are screaming from his massive quads. Not to mention his muscles are threatening to rip the seams of the gray button-down, and his hair is gelled back into a tight bun without a piece out of place. He looks…damn.

But I don’t tell him that.

“Did you buy your shirt at Baby Gap?” I ask instead, causing his lips to curl up at the corners in amusement.

When I step out, there’s hesitation in my steps.

“Is that a dad joke?” he asks, making my eyebrows jump up. I hadn’t even meant it that way. But— Wait .

“You know that I know?”

Bodhi dips his chin, the hand from his pocket lifting to swipe his clean-shaven jaw. “Your brother told me.”

Slowly, I nod. “Did he say anything else?”

Based on the confusion on his face, I’d guess that’s a no. “Should he have? That seems like enough of a bomb drop.”

He’s not wrong. “Yeah, that was…something.” I shift on my feet. “Why didn’t you say something? It makes sense now why you were being weird when we were talking about the kid thing.”

We move aside when the elevator doors open and a new group of people step out. I can feel Bodhi’s palm against the small of my back, the heat from him soaking into my skin. “I wouldn’t say I was being ‘weird’.”

I roll my eyes, still feeling his touch.

It’s innocent, but it still burns on my back.

Shifting, I step in front of him with a smile.

“You were totally being weird. You know, I was just talking to—” I stop myself, internally wincing when I was about to let Alex’s name drop.

Clearing my throat, I let my smile grow.

“I was just talking to a friend about how there must be something in the water because everybody is suddenly having kids.”

“A friend, huh? A guy friend?”

I shrug, trying to seem casual.

“Now who’s being weird?” he teases, nudging me with his elbow. He does it so softly I almost forget he’s taken down men twice his size with the very same part of him. “Look, I didn’t want to bring up Gemma because there’s a lot I’ve been figuring out with her and her mother’s family.”

I perk up. “Her name is Gemma? That’s really pretty, Bodhi.”

He lifts one of those broad shoulders. “I wish I could take credit for it, but that was all her mother.”

“And is her mother in the picture?” The question comes out before I’m smart enough to squash it. “Sorry. That’s none of my business.”

Bodhi wets his lips, looking at the people mingling near the ballroom entrance across the hall before sighing. “Her mother passed away, actually. Car accident. It’s been almost a year.”

“Oh.” That’s who he was talking about when we mentioned missing our exes. “I’m—”

“Don’t. You don’t need to apologize.” He’s quiet for a second as something passes over his eyes. “I wasn’t on good terms with her when she died, but it was hard to hear. Because of Gemma. I want what’s best for her, and her mother’s side of the family hasn’t made that very easy for me.”

Sympathy wraps around my heart. I’m starting to see why Sebastian told me not to involve myself in this. It seems…difficult. “I won’t tell you I’m sorry then, even if I am.”

He chuckles lightly. “Thank you.”

It’s my turn to look around, filling the silence with a cursory glance of our surroundings. I recognize one of the coach’s wives walking by, waving at one of the players who has a girl with big boobs latched onto his side.

Bodhi’s voice lowers when he breaks the silence between us. “What if we mingled for an hour and ditched? I saw a restaurant down the street. Maybe we could talk there.”

Talk there?

Why is my heart doing a funny dance inside my chest? “Talk as in…?”

Bodhi smiles. “We’d be just two people who enjoy each other’s company talking about…whatever. I don’t really want to be here anyway. Do you?”

I think about Sebastian’s parting words and find myself frowning. Would he harass me for leaving with Bodhi? “I don’t know.”

“What don’t you know? If you want to stay at the party or if you want to go out to dinner with me?”

“Both?” I offer weakly.

Understanding has him nodding once, his hand sliding back into his front pocket. “Tell you what. If you decide you’ve had enough mingling here, give me a signal. We can meet by the front door.”

I contemplate. “What kind of signal?”

He flicks his nose. “What about that? You see it in movies all the time.”

“Exactly,” I point out. “Which means everybody will know we want to ditch. Or they’ll think you’re offering me cocaine.

That’s probably more likely. I’ve seen some of the girls you hang out with.

I’m pretty sure the one before Barbie offered me coke while we were waiting for you guys to finish in the locker room. ”

He laughs, the sound boisterous enough to shake his shoulders. “Honestly, that wouldn’t surprise me. She did like her nose candy.”

“Come on, before Seb comes looking for us and finds us here.”

He stares at me curiously, his eyes narrowed slightly. “Would that be such a bad thing?”

Rubbing my lips together, I manage to shake my head. “No. Not to me anyway. Let’s go, hot shot. I’m sure your team is wondering where you are anyway.”

He looks like he wants to say something but chooses not to. Then he smoothly puts my arm through his and guides us toward the room like he’s my prom date escorting me to the big dance.

I never went to my prom.

When we walk through the open doorway, I realize how this might look to my brother. So, I causally slip my arm out from Bodhi’s and offer him a small smile when his eyes find mind. “It’s warm in here,” I lie, flattening my palms down the front of my shirt.

I study the room and find Sebastian immediately. And he’s already looking at Bodhi and I like he sensed us.

Clearing my throat, I step away from the right wing. “I’ll text you if I want out. Deal?”

He watches me, his brows furrowing together at the center. “Deal, O-Dawg.”