Page 12 of Rebel Secrets (Devils Hockey #3)

Chapter Nine

R ebel

“Namaste, everyone. Be gentle with yourselves today and every day. Be mindful. Be kind. Go now and have a good day.”

Pushing up off the floor, I rolled up my mat and headed for the wall to my water bottle.

When Kaden had told me about the yoga classes in town, I’d told him to go fuck himself, I wasn’t falling for that prank.

“Seriously, man. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning, Missy Jane holds classes at seven in the all-purpose room at the church on Main. A few of the guys and I went to a couple classes because Rain and Erin begged us to support the class so that Missy Jane would keep holding them. The whole damn team showed up. You know how persuasive your sister is. And Erin just wears you down until you give in.”

“Who the hell’s Missy Jane?”

“Oh yeah, forgot you’ve been gone. She’s the dentist who took over Doc Swisher’s practice.”

I hadn’t been expecting much when I showed up this morning. I’d started taking classes in Reading when Coach had suggested it to help with conditioning, and it’d become part of my morning routine. Roll out of bed and do a three-mile jog then another twenty minutes of yoga to keep loose.

When I’d left St. David last year, no one had been teaching yoga. In Reading, several members of the Redtails actually paid a local instructor to lead a class once a week for us.

Since I found it helpful to have an instructor to follow, I was happy to hear about the local classes.

But there were a hell of a lot more people here than I’d expected.

Half the team, a good amount of the Angels Dance Team, several older women I recognized from some of my mom’s clubs.

And a couple of younger women I didn’t recognize who smiled at Kaden and I as they walked out the door.

For a second, I’d held my breath, hoping they wouldn’t approach. I didn’t want to talk to anyone this early in the morning, much less make small talk with women I didn’t know. And be a decent human about it.

Of course, my sister didn’t give a shit about my personal boundaries.

With Erin following in her wake, Rain stopped at my side, stuck her finger in my waist and smiled at me.

“Hey, I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“I didn’t know I had to give you my schedule for the week.”

Rain’s nose wrinkled just before she stuck her tongue out at me. Which of course meant I had to pull her ponytail. Some things you just had to do.

Rolling her eyes, she slipped her arm through mine as we started walking toward the exit.

“Saw the new girls eyeing you up. You want an introduction?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Erin’s face scrunch, though I couldn’t tell if she was trying to hide a laugh or a grimace.

“I think I’ve got enough on my plate before the wedding, thanks.”

“True. Plus, you’ll be leaving in August anyway. You two wanna come with us to get coffee. You don’t mind if I bring these two dull skates, do you, Erin?”

“Oh, course not.”

I had to sneak a glance at Erin to make sure she’d actually spoken. It been so…not Erin.

“And I can finally fix that leaky faucet in the kitchen for you,” Kaden said, “if you make me a pot of that amazing chocolate coconut pie coffee.”

Now she laughed, the sound snaking into my ears and down my spine, like a chill. Except I wasn’t cold. I was overheating. From class, of course.

“You’ll do anything for that coffee, won’t you?”

“It’s my one vice, what can I say?”

I rolled my eyes and could resist needling Kade. “Yeah, that’s bullshit. You’ve got way more than one.”

“Hey, man, I gotta have some secrets.”

Kade’s dark eyes narrowed as he grinned my way. I expected Erin to be staring at Kaden, mesmerized by the guy’s smile, like most of the women in this town. The guy was a serial dater, though he’d been engaged to be married when he’d come to the Devils.

Kade didn’t talk much about what happened, but a few months later, someone asked when he was getting married, and he said never, and he didn’t want to talk about it, and he never had.

Grinning, he slipped around me and opened the door with a flourish. Rolling my eyes, I waved Rain and Erin by then slipped through the door before Kade could shut it on me. His face clearly expressed his intention to do so.

Turning so the girls couldn’t see me, I flipped him the finger, which made him laugh.

“I don’t know what you two are doing but it’s probably not appropriate for adults, so stop.”

My sister sounded so much like my mom that Kade and I stopped and stared at her for second.

“Damn, you heard it too, right?” Kade said.

My sister frowned so hard, her forehead creases had creases as she stopped in the parking lot, one hand on her hip. “What?”

Kade and I smirked at each other and then I caught Erin’s gaze, and the smirk became a smile. Our gazes met and held. And held.

Until Rain smacked my chest with her hand.

“Hey!” I rubbed the spot she’d hit. “Why are you attacking me?”

“I’m sure you deserve it for something. Why are you all laughing at me?”

My smirk was back. “We’re just gonna call you Miss Rain from now on.”

It took her a second to get the joke, though it wasn’t really a joke. She had sounded exactly like our mom.

She stuck her nose in the air. “I consider that a compliment. And I’m gonna tell Mom on you.”

That made everyone laugh, including Rain. But all I heard was Erin.

Since the coffee shop was only a couple of blocks from the church, we decided to walk, Kade and Rain keeping up much of the conversation. I fell into step behind the other three but found my gaze falling on Erin more than anyone else.

She had her hair woven into a loose braid that waved down her spine to the middle of her back. It was a beautiful color, so many shades of copper and auburn and gold all mixed together. And then my gaze slipped to her perfect ass.

Fuck.

I yanked my gaze up and over her shoulder, staring straight ahead. What the fuck was I doing checking out Erin’s ass? Seriously?

When we reached the café, Erin opened the front door and ushered us all in, locking the door behind her. Monday was the one day of the week the bakery and the bookstore were closed.

“I’ll put a couple of pots on,” Erin called over her shoulder as she headed for the kitchen at the back. “Guys, help yourself to anything.”

Rain opened a refrigerated case behind the counter, and Kade and I took out the stacked trays. Muffins, scones, lemon pound cake, banana walnut bread, all sorts of other pastries.

It’d been a running joke when Erin had moved here that she’d burned down the kitchen the first time she’d used it. That wasn’t completely true—yeah, the fire department had to be called—but it hadn’t been all her fault. The ovens had been faulty.

That had been almost five years ago, and now she was providing everything that wasn’t the main meal for the biggest wedding this town had seen in decades. We weren’t the best of friends, but the least I could do was admit that the woman made the cherry almond scones I’d ever eaten.

“Maybe that’ll sweeten you up a little.” Rain elbowed me with a little snort of laughter as I took two scones.

“Then maybe you should have some.”

“Brian thinks I’m sweet enough already. And Mom loves me more.”

I burst out laughing. Only Rain could get me to laugh like this and the grin she got when I did was worth it. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, I pulled her in tight for a hug.

“Admit it,” she said. “You missed me while you were gone.”

Yeah, goddammit, I had. I missed spending time with my family and friends. Missed having breakfast on a random Monday morning with one of my best friends and my sister. And Erin.

A week ago, just the thought would’ve made me want to run in the opposite direction.

Yeah, and now you’re checking out her ass.

My gaze snapped in her direction as she returned from the kitchen carrying two carafes.

“Ah, the love of my life,” Kade said, making Erin give him a look.

“I know you’re talking about the coffee.” She held out her left hand. “This one’s for you and me.” She set it on the counter in front of Kade. “And this one is for the blackhearts over here.”

She smiled at Rain, who thanked her profusely and poured the two of us steaming mugs of nectar of the gods.

Perfect. Bitter and strong. Just the way I loved it.

“Thanks.”

She blinked, looking almost like a deer in the headlights.

Then her lips curved in a slight smile, and she nodded before turning to talk to Rain. Leaving me to study her profile. How had I never noticed how pretty she was before? And why was I noticing now?

Probably not something I wanted to dwell on.

Except we were going to dinner tonight. Together. Just the two of us.

And I might actually be looking forward to it.

I spent way too long deciding what to wear, and I was already running late.

I’d lost track of time working in the yard after I’d gotten home from breakfast at the café, and now I was fucking around figuring out what I should wear to a dinner that was not a date.

Not even close. More like a working dinner. Yeah, let’s go with that.

“Fuck this,” I grumbled and grabbed a pair of khaki shorts and a plain t-shirt in a color that didn’t clash.

By the time I got to the restaurant, I was a minute late, and Erin was nowhere in sight.

“Rebel! It’s nice to see you. We miss making all the food for you. Rosie’s thrilled to cook for you again. Rosie, Rebel’s here!”

Trying not to wince at the volume of his voice, I had a genuine smile. “Hey, Mr. Mike, you’re looking good.”

“It’s that Mediterranean diet everybody’s talking about.

” Mike Benanti patted his round belly, his dark hair gone completely white now and barely enough to circle his head.

He only stood five-foot-five, but he filled the room with his personality.

If the windows were open in their home down on Steel Street, the neighbors sometimes heard him singing.

Most said they actually turned off their TV to listen.

“I’m Mediterranean. I eat. Guess that’s all there is to that. ”