Page 105 of Puck and Prejudice

He focuses on his beer. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Frederico pats my shoulder. “Lighten up, Darcy. Like you’re really mad you get to spend extra time with your crush.”

My brows shoot to the heavens. “Crush? Are you mad?”

Grayson puts a beer bottle in my hand. “Here. Have a drink.”

I neck it, drinking almost half of the bottle in large gulps. It’ll take more than a beer to make me relax.

“At least your partner is your age. I’m stuck with the grumpy teenager,” Otto Meester, one of our defensemen, chimes in. He’s been in the league for fifteen years.

“That’s practice for you. Aren’t your kids almost teens by now?” Frederico asks.

Otto takes a large sip of his beer. “Don’t remind me.”

Grayson turns to me. “So, Darcy… do you think you’ll be able to learn the dance by Saturday?”

“Even if it kills me.” I finish my beer.

“Oh… it won’t kill you.” Frederico smiles knowingly.

Otto’s attention bounces between Frederico and me. “Wait… am I missing something?”

“Jackson is in love with Izzie, and she turned him down.” Frederico laughs.

How the hell does he know that?

“Shut the fuck up,” I snap, making the jerk laugh harder. I don’t know why I put up with him.

Otto’s eyes go round. “Is that why you missed all the lessons in the past month?”

I frown. “What lessons? I thought tonight was the first one.” Chad’s guilty face tells me I’ve been duped. “Son of a bitch. You did that on purpose!”

He raises both hands, palms facing me. “It wasn’t my idea.”

Shaking his head, Grayson laughs. “It wasn’t like you fought hard against it either.”

I glance at my friends. “Did you all know about this?”

Frederico smiles from ear to ear. “Guilty.”

Grayson nods. “Yeah.”

My jaw drops. “Unbelievable.”

“I didn’t know,” Otto pipes up. “It sounds like something my dumbass kids would do. If Izzie isn’t interested in Jackson, forcing them to hang out together won’t change anything.”

I make a wild gesture with my hand. “Thank you!”

Frederico looks at Otto. “Man… youarea grumpy old man.”

“I’m not grumpy,” he retorts. “I’m just over childish crap.”

Chad’s face goes beet red. It serves him right for listening to his fiancée.

“It’s not going to work anyway. I’m over Izzie Bennet, and she sure as shit doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

“I think you’re wrong,” Chad argues. “And Jane believes that too.”

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