Page 68 of Pucking Rebound

“Goes great with the staircase.” I point to the solid wooden spindles.

“It really does.” He looks from the staircase to the table. “You have a great eye for detail. I love what you did in the closet.”

“It will make choosing what pair of sneakers to wear easier.” I took a Polaroid of each one and stuck it to the outside of every box. “Black ones with red bits, black ones with white bits, or black ones with yellow bits, and finally, just black. It’s a tough choice and I can see why it takes you such a long time to get ready every day,” I say, mocking him for owning so many pairs that look similar.

“Someone’s salty today.” He chuckles as he stands to his full height and folds his arms across his chest making his muscles bulge. I’m a half-pint by comparison.

A teacup, apparently,

“How are you?” Wade asks.

“Fine.”

“You’re not fine. You went out on a bender last night after the game with your friend and didn’t come home. That’s not fine.”

Home.

Which this is for now.

Little does Wade know I wasn’t out on a bender, instead, I spent all night with his best friend. I hate keeping us under wraps but it’s a necessary evil.

“I promise, I’m okay, Wade.” I walk past him, touching his arm reassuringly, and drop my overnight bag I took to Jordy’s at the foot of the stairs.

“You look like you’ve been crying.”

“I was earlier. Got it all out of my system.” Jordy held me while I cried like a big pathetic baby in his arms. Arms I could have stayed in all day.

“I bought ice cream,” Wade says abruptly. “Jordy said girls like ice cream when they are going through a breakup, which Kali confirmed.” Nibbling his bottom lip, he looks nervous.

“You bought me ice cream?” I can’t prevent the smile shaping my lips at his kind gesture.

“Caramel, coconut, strawberry, a few others.”

“Did you buy the shop?”

“Pretty much.” Red fills his cheeks with color.

“Thank you.” Built like a tank, he’s hard as nails but he’s a big softie at heart.

It’s hard to believe we share the same mom. Where he’s tall, I’m short, he’s dark haired while I am blonde, like my mom I guess, but where Wade is broad, I am half his width.

And dimples, he has none, while you can stick a pinky finger in mine and lose it.

“You know where I am if you need me, Lola.”

“Thank you.”

“Okay, sentimental shit done, I need to show you something.” Wade turns on his socked feet and leads me to the kitchen. “And remind me to hire a pool boy.”

“Already done and I hired a landscaper.”

“Hell, I knew there was a reason I liked you,” he says, walking into the kitchen which is bigger than some of the restaurants I own. “Now, you can’t say a thing to anyone.” Circling the kitchen island, he pulls open a drawer.

“My lips are sealed.”What’s another secret to add to my growing list?

I pretend to lock my lips with an invisible key as he pulls out what looks like a ring box from the drawer and places it on top of the counter.

“Is that?” My jaw drops.

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