Page 11 of You’re The One (Saints Hockey #2)

ELEVEN

Why am I taking this so seriously?

Sure, I’ve only been in the house one night, and I already know I’ll need a distraction, but helping Dominic? Yeah, not exactly something I thought I’d be volunteering for.

It could be fun though… And who says I have to set him up with his perfect match?

He didn’t say I had to be a good matchmaker.

Maybe I’ll pick girls who are the opposite of what he’s looking for.

Although, to be fair, he hasn’t given me much to work with.

A woman who wants kids and has her shit together.

That disqualifies me, at least.

I’m not sure how I feel about the kid thing, but the rest? Goals? What are those? I leave that to my brother. Ryan has enough for both of us.

“Ladies, make your way back to the beach,” Bodhi calls from one of the boats.

We all start paddling in, Summer leading the charge, grinning as she times it perfectly to ride a wave all the way to shore.

Victoria’s not as lucky. A crash of whitewater slams into her board, flipping her into the surf.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you drown,” Dominic says beside me, his voice smug and his smile cocky.

I didn’t even realize he’d snuck up that close. And somehow he’s managed to keep his balance in the choppy surf.

“I’m good, but thanks.”

Before I can paddle away, a shout grabs both our attention. Emma is caught in rough water.

Where Victoria popped up easily and swam to shore, Emma’s struggling, her arms flailing as she tries to keep her head above the surface.

“Shit.” Dominic dives off his board, disappearing beneath the waves. He doesn’t resurface until he’s a few feet from her.

Like some kind of Baywatch lifeguard, he slings Emma’s arm over his shoulder and paddles them both toward the beach.

Okay, so maybe that was a little hot.

Wolf whistles break out from the girls on shore as Summer, Victoria, and one of the medics rush to meet them. Everyone looks fine, though a little shaken up and tousled by the waves.

I’m the only one still out here.

Dominic glances back and holds up a hand, like he’s planning to help me, too.

Not necessary.

I shift my weight and start paddling, trying to time my strokes with the incoming waves. The rhythm’s awkward, and the current tugs me sideways. A wave crashes over the end of my board, but not enough to knock me off. I manage to glide onto the sand, though my landing isn’t graceful.

A shadow falls over me.

“I told you to wait. You could’ve hurt yourself,” he mutters, reaching down and looping his arms under me before I can protest. He hauls me to my feet, but thankfully lets go as soon as I’m upright.

“I told you I didn’t need your help,” I grumble.

“Do you need anyone’s help? You don’t seem too keen on accepting it, that’s for sure.”

“No. I don’t.” I’m not sure that’s the truth. I glance down to check for a wardrobe malfunction. Even if his complaint was baseless, he’s not wrong about this outfit not being ideal for water sports.

I make my way toward the girls, Dominic close behind.

Emma’s sitting on the sand, knees bent, while the others huddle around her.

“You all right?” I ask, crouching beside her.

“I’m fine.” Her eyes flick up to Dominic behind me, a shy smile tugging at her cheeks. “Just completely mortified.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Dominic reassures her. “Have you seen how many times I’ve lost an edge on the ice? And it’s what I do for a living. Now, that’s embarrassing. Plus, you made me look like a real stud.”

I look over my shoulder at him, my face probably resembling someone who just swallowed a lemon.

“Did you just call yourself a stud? Cringe.”

He scoffs. “Saying cringe is cringe.”

“Okay, millennial.”

Bodhi clears his throat. “All right, ready to continue the date?” he calls out, clearly trying to hype everyone up. “We’re heading to the pier café for sunset drinks!”

It works on Summer, though her voice carries a mocking edge as she yells, “Heck yeah, cowboy!”

Summer links arms with the two girls closest to her and heads off, following one of the production assistants toward a van that will bring us to our next destination.

Bodhi lingers behind, bending to check on Emma before helping her up.

Dominic either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care that Bodhi could be moving in on his girl. No wonder he sucks at dating. He’s clueless.

He places a hand between my shoulder blades, gently guiding me toward the others.

I sidestep his touch and dig into my bag, pulling out the cover-up I packed.

“Hold that for a sec,” I say, handing him the bag.

“Oh yeah, sure, no problem.” His tone suggests he does, in fact, have a problem with being my bag boy.

I tug the dress over my head, adjusting it to make sure everything’s covered, then hold out my hand.

He gives the bag back without a word.

“So, who do you think I should take on the one-on-one date tomorrow?” he asks, taking advantage of the rare moment we’re not being filmed.

“Umm… what about…” I trail off.

The truth is, I barely know any of the girls yet. I’ve only connected with the women I’m sharing a room with. As far as roommates go, I lucked out: Summer, River, and Emma.

River’s the only one not on today’s date. She could check a lot of Dominic’s boxes. She’s a doctor who specializes in holistic medicine, so she’s clearly driven and has her own passions. Plus, she’s gorgeous.

Finding a woman here who isn’t beautiful is impossible. So maybe the better question is: who seems the most… lackadaisical?

So, yeah. She’s out of the question.

“Can I think on it?” I look up, and he’s already watching me.

“Oh. Yeah, sure.”

I hop into the back of the van while Dominic takes the passenger seat. A few moments later, Emma and Bodhi climb in, and we’re off.

We settle around a long rectangular table, the sun beginning its descent over the ocean to our left, casting everything in that soft, golden light producers live for. I choose the seat farthest from Dominic, opposite him and three spots down.

Summer is on my left. Perfect. If anyone can help me quietly gather intel on the other girls—and steer me toward the best worst option for Dominic’s date—it’s her.

“You have lots of hidden talents, my friend.” She turns toward me and tunes out the rest of the table. The others are still chatting about random topics, everyone still in that early stage of getting to know each other.

“No, I grew up in a sleepy town on Lake Michigan, so I’m not exactly new to water activities.”

Technically, I still live in the same town. Same house we grew up in, too. Even though I travel a lot, I don’t have my own place yet. It just makes more sense to use a rent-free home base when I’m barely there.

She nods, then tilts her head. “So, what’s the deal with you and Dom? Someone said you guys know each other?”

I take it Summer isn’t a hockey person. Even if she were, my connection to Ryan isn’t obvious, especially with us having different last names.

When our parents got married, my dad never formally adopted Ryan, and Ryan didn’t change his last name once he was old enough to decide for himself.

So I have my dad’s last name, Matthews, and he has his biological father’s name, Logan.

“My brother plays for the Chicago Saints, the same team as Dominic. They’re friends, so our paths have crossed a few times over the years. But we’re not close, by any means.”

“Ah, but you always had a crush on him?” she asks, nodding. “Girl, I don’t blame you.”

A huff of air escapes me. “No. Definitely not.”

Her brows draw together. “Then why’d you sign up?”

“I didn’t know he was the bachelor.”

Which was true, at first. But I also didn’t pull out once I knew. I didn’t think I could… but I also didn’t want to. As much as I’ve thought about it, I still can’t figure out why. I don’t say any of that, though.

“Have you seen The Parent Trap? The producers kind of pulled one of those.” Which is true enough. Whether I came into this willingly or not, it was a trap.

“Yeah, I can see how it would make good television. The way he looks at you… It makes me hot.” Summer fans herself, and I laugh.

“The only way he looks at me is with loathing or concern.”

She raises one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “You have to see the way he looks at you.”

I’ve definitely caught him looking at me more than is comfortable today. But it’s just part of his good guy act. He’s following through on the promise he made to keep an eye on me. Nothing more.

“He can barely keep his eyes off you. I bet if I looked over my shoulder right now, he’d be watching.”

My gaze flicks past her before I can stop it, and sure enough, Dominic’s head is tipped in our direction. I look away quickly, but my face must give me away, because Summer lets out a hearty laugh, and I can’t help smiling, too.

Summer could be a good match for Dominic.

She’s got that same easy confidence he does.

There’s a don’t fuck with me energy about her, but it’s balanced with the kind of warmth that says she takes care of her people.

She’s also extroverted, like him, which is probably why I’m drawn to her.

Every introvert needs an extrovert to balance her out.

“Hey, could I ask you about the other girls?” I shift closer to her.

“Sure,” she replies. “What about them?”

I decide to let her in on the plan, or at least part of it. “Dominic asked who he should take on the one-on-one. He’s struggling to get a read on everyone?—”

“Aww, that’s so sweet,” she singsongs.

Is it?

“Yeah, so… I kinda wanted to mess with him a little. Set him up with the opposite of what he’s looking for. Nothing malicious, just a bit of fun.”

“And what would that be?”

“Someone more like me. No five-year plan. No sense of direction.”

Her brows knit together. “You sure about that?”

“Positive. He basically told me as much.”

She doesn’t look convinced, but humors me anyway, running through a few of the girls in the house. I’m not shocked to hear that most of them are driven in their own way, but Summer gives me a few ideas for women who might not vibe with Dominic.

“Oh! Maybe Ashley.” She sits up straighter, eyes lighting. “She’s an astrologer. I don’t know much about Dominic, but he doesn’t exactly strike me as the type to base life decisions on horoscopes or the phases of the moon.”

“That’s perfect! Thanks?—”

“Hey, what’re you two scheming about over here?” Dominic asks with a chuckle, dropping into the seat across from us. I didn’t even notice him playing musical chairs.

“You know, the usual.” Summer flashes a coy smile.

Dominic’s eyes practically light up when he looks at her. They would make a cute couple. The hockey player and the country singer. And Summer did say she was looking for some publicity. This could work.

They fall into an easy rhythm, talking about college football, but I tune out almost immediately. I watch one game a year—the Super Bowl—and that’s only for the commercials and the halftime show.

“Where did you go to college? Please don’t tell me you roll with the Tide, or I’m afraid any chance of a future ends here.”

Dominic laughs, deep and genuine. “Don’t worry. I have no ties. I didn’t go to college?—”

“You didn’t?” I cut in, more interested than I mean to sound.

His gaze darts to me, like he’s just remembered I’m still sitting here. “Nope. I was drafted straight out of juniors.”

I guess we have that in common. Not the getting drafted part, just the being “uneducated.”

He says it so easily, like it’s no big deal. And maybe, for him, it isn’t. He had a plan. A path. I’ve just been… drifting.

I don’t regret skipping college. Not exactly. But sometimes I feel a little behind. Like I missed a step I was supposed to take, and now it’s too late to catch up.

I wish I could stand behind my choices the way he does.

I turn to Summer, figuring this is probably a good time to let them have their moment. “Do you know where the restrooms are?”

She gives me quick directions, and I slip away, spending longer than necessary trying to finger-comb the tangles out of my hair.

When I finally step out, I’m surprised to find Dominic leaning against the wall across from the door.

“Is this the only bathroom,” I ask, eyeing him, “or do you not even trust me to pee alone?”

He shakes his head. “Just wanted to catch you before we head out. What’d you decide on the date?”

He says it like we’re teammates, conferring on the next play.

“Ashley.”

“Ashley?” He repeats it slowly, brows pulling together. I can tell he’s trying to match the name to a face. “I’m not sure I remember her. You think we’d be a good match?”

“Definitely.” I manage to keep a straight face.