Page 22 of The Puck Daddy

Of course, this is when my stomach decides to growl loud enough to be heard over the background music. Again.

The three of us burst into laughter. I take a chip and get a heaping amount of salsa on top. “Oh my gosh. This is good. I don’t think I’ve eaten here before.”

Theo nods. “They make pretty decent food here, especially for the campus lunch rush. Since we’re so close to everyone, the boss realized students might want to eat here too.”

That makes sense.

“So,” Theo hedges. “Did you get your friend home safely the other night?”

For a moment, I’m confused until I realize who he’s talking about.

Felix laughs and snags a chip and dips it into the salsa. “You mean Guy? Oh, my gosh. Adrian. Tell him the story.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Theo cock a sexy, thick eyebrow.

“Guy is Coach’s son.”

Theo’s mouth falls open. “Wait, little baby Spencer? Damn.” He scratches his chin. “I remember the kid when he turned seven. He used to hang out and watch us during practice when I was on the hockey team. That had to have been what?” Theo counts with his fingers. “Eleven or twelve years ago… wait a second.”

Theo leans away from me to look me in the eye. I turn my face toward him.

“That would make Spencer, or excuse me, Guy, only eighteen. He was drunk that night.”

I nod, launching into the story of how I took him home and how Coach answered the door.

“Damn,” Theo laughs. “No wonder Coach was taking things out on you during practice. I’m going to have to tell the bossman to crack down on the IDs.”

I glance back at Theo with a grin. “Wait, you were there? At practice?”

Now it’s Theo’s turn to blush. I’m vaguely aware of Felix’s head bouncing back and forth between Theo and me.

Rather than shy away, Theo smiles again. “I was too curious about this hockey player I met the night before, and showed up in my advance finance class the next day.”

My chest fills with warmth and happiness.

Kayla arrives at our table with our drinks, followed by another coworker who brings our food. Seeing Theo’s order makes my mouth water. Two kinds of melted cheese overflow juicy double cheeseburgers, accompanied by a large, heaping bowl of salad.

Theo reaches for the tongs and serves a large portion of salad onto my plate. I notice the way he adds extra cherry tomatoes. My brother doesn’t miss the move, either. Felix nudges me under the table and grins before handing Theo his plate as well. Theo doesn’t even miss a beat, serving Felix salad like we’ve done this a million times.

We spend the next thirty minutes eating and reminiscing about how significant Coach Wilson is to each of us, Felix included. I’m shocked to find out that Theo has kept in touch with Coach all these years, but hasn’t seen him in person since enrolling back at Brynn U. I get the impression he’s a little nervous about seeing his idol after retiring. We laugh and bond over our crazy stories, and all the while, Theo keeps his thigh pressed firmly against mine.

“Wait,” Theo says, leaning back and pushing his empty plate away. “What did Coach say to you before practice? You know, the day after you delivered his son to his doorstep.”

I groan, giving him the condensed version of Coach Wilson’s lecture.

Theo laughs. “There’s no way he said you should have a fake relationship.”

I nod. “It’s true. I mean, I couldn’t really tell if he said it as a joke, but he seemed pretty serious. Honestly, the more I think about it, it’d be an easy solution.”

“Wait.” Felix points his index finger back and forth, bouncing between Theo and me. A wide grin spreads across his face. Oh crap. I know this look. I don’t like this look. What the hell is he up to?

I narrow my eyes. Felix has always been the sweet one of the two of us, but sometimes he has his moments when he decides to be mischievous, and even more so lately.

“You two. The two of you.” He claps his hands together eagerly. “Wait, this is perfect!”

“What the hell are you going on about?” I ask.

“The two of you should fake date!”

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