Fated Shot

Chapter 20

Jack

After I made that exhilarating discovery, something that I’ll be damned if we don’t play with, I used every ounce of restraint to keep it PG between us the rest of the trip. If I play my cards right, I can keep spending time with her, but for now, she’s a flight risk, and I’d rather not push my luck from across the country.

We landed at 6 am in Toronto after a hard-earned 2-1 win against the Vancouver Vortex. It was a tough game; we were on a high after the win, but as soon as we boarded the plane and the adrenaline wore off, I crashed for nearly the entire ride home. I don’t know how it’s possible, but somehow I feel more exhausted than before. By the time I make it back to Maplewood, it’s already 7 am, and I’m running on fumes. Penn’s empty spot when I pull in shouldn’t be a surprise. Leave it to the twenty-three-year-old to have enough energy to get off the plane and head straight to breakfast without a second thought.

Instead of heading straight to the elevator, I choose to wander further down the garage and take the Oakcrest one instead. It’s Thursday, her day two of baking so I know she’ll be up and embarrassingly, I’m dying to see her. The bell dings when I reach the twelfth floor, wandering over to her apartment, I knock gently.

“One second,” her sweet voice calls out .

When the door swings open, seeing her face alone is enough to knock the wind out of me. Her hair is up in a ponytail, her body wrapped tight in a sunflower apron, and she’s covered in flour. She looks up, surprise painting her face as she quickly panic swipes her hand across her face, which in reality ends up spreading the white powder around more.

“Hi,” she says, her voice soft and surprised.

I chuckle. “Morning, Wyndham.”

“BFG.” She nods in greeting, regaining her composure, looking quite pleased with herself. Fuck, she’s cute.

“You finally decided, eh?” I ask, a grin spreading across my face. Nicknames became a necessity really quickly. I accidentally dropped my phone a few days ago, and when Penn leaned down to pick it up, I nearly had an aneurysm when I saw it still open to our extensive message chain. I’ve never moved faster, snatching it away from him. We made a plan to use aliases from now on.

“Yep, it was a close call between BT or BFG, but in the spirit of forgiveness, I decided Big Friendly Giant was more appropriate.”

It’s too early for me to connect those dots, but I bite anyway. “BT?”

“Booth Thief,” she replies with a clever little smirk.

“I think I’m going to have to get Harold involved, Wyndham. Innocent Cordelia’s patrons being bullied out of open spots—whatever would he say?” I tsk.

“Reserved spots, you mean.” She’s feisty and energized this morning, and it instantly brightens my mood. I love seeing her like this, out of her shell.

“Early bird gets the worm, Mia.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Next summer, I’m going to beat you there every day.”

“I’d like to see you try.” I smile, lowering my head to her level and raising my eyebrows playfully. The thought of seeing her, talking to her, and being with her every day in Wyndham sounds like a dream. I’d happily give up my booth, but I’ll be damned if I tell her that.

***

“I swear this guy is floating,” Max calls out, motioning to me as he takes a seat in his stall, pulling off his skates.

It was a quick, optional practice, but after seeing Mia, taking a four-hour nap, and having a big breakfast, I felt like a new man and was ready to get back on the ice.

“Bro’s been giggling and blushing into his phone for days,” Evan adds.

Theo, taking a newfound interest in our locker room chirping, decides to join in. Since the start of the season, he’s been really coming out of his shell. It’s great for building up the team dynamic, even if it is at my expense.

“You got a girl, Brody?” he asks.

I wish . Wait, Fuck. Is she my girl? No, she’s not. The disappointment of that statement is a bit too much to dig into right now.

“Just texting a friend,” I say exclusively to Theo.

“Oh yeah, I have quite a few friends too,” Max chimes in, making air quotations around friends. “The play is to keep them on rotation—it keeps things fresh.”

I roll my eyes, ignoring him, starting on my own skates.

“And how’s that working for you, bud,” Evan asks.

“Just fine, thanks. Bachelor for life,” he shouts, pumping his fist in the air. Honestly, this time last year, I would have joined in on that sentiment. I wouldn’t have fist pumped, because I’m a fucking adult, but I definitely would have settled for a nod of agreement. It’s not that I’ve never wanted a relationship, just that I’ve never even met anyone I’ve wanted to spend more than twenty four hours with until…

Scott interrupts, thankfully, before I dig myself deeper into the inevitable hole that’s undoubtedly enveloping me. Coming out of the shower, he addresses the lot of us. “Boys, I can’t make it out tonight, family time.” This immediately elicits a round of playful boos.

That honestly sounds a lot more fun, but all I have at home is an empty fridge, and my current favorite distraction is busy tonight. The conversation turns to our plans for the evening, and just like that, the heat is off me again.

Turns out the relief was only temporary, though, because the moment we get into my car, Penn turns to me. “Are you dating someone?”

How the fuck does one even know that? Am I supposed to ask her? Even if we were dating, it’s not like I could share that with anyone , let alone this gossip.

“No.”

“Really? Cus’ it sure as hell seems like it.” His tone is a whole lot sharper than usual.

“Geez. What’s with the third degree, Penn?”

“I just want you to tell me the truth.” His words come out with a soft edge, laced with quiet hurt.

Don’t think, just do was his whole idea and the reason I’m in this mind-fucking situation. What does he want from me? There’s no winning here.

“Listen, I’m just doing what everyone told me to do. I’m putting myself out there,” I snap back before I’m able to restrain myself.

He frowns, refusing to meet my gaze as he mumbles under his breath, “I just think I should know these things before the rest of the team does. We’re supposed to be brothers…” Sh it. There it is.

The silence hangs heavy as I sink into the weight of my guilt. He shakes his head and mutters, “You know what, never mind.”

It’s not like I’m withholding information from him specifically. There’s just nothing that I can share, and the rest of the guys are observant, nosy fuckers.

“There’s nothing to know, Penn. I promise.” I say, my voice relaxed, more disappointed than berating.

“Who is she?” he asks.

I let out a sigh, it’s clear he’s not going to drop this anytime soon.

“It’s my Wyndham girl, okay? I don’t even know what’s happening, so I couldn’t even tell you if I wanted to.”

“Fine.” He lets out an equally frustrated sigh, but turns to me with an understanding look. “Well, are you happy?”

“I’m happy, Penn.”

“Good,” is all he says for the rest of the drive home.