Page 11 of Wanting the Winger

I wroteMrs.Sebastian Stonein that notebook hundreds of times, and I wrote out fantasy dates for us.He was drafted into pro hockey right out of high school, so from the time I was fourteen, I imagined him calling me onto center ice in front of a crowded arena of screaming fans and announcing to the world that he loved me.Then he’d get down on one knee and propose.

After The Incident, though, I wised up.I started dreaming of becoming an independent, accomplished scientist who signed her name,Dr.Delaney Morris,instead ofMrs.Sebastian Stone.

“How many hearts does an octopus have?”Dex asks the girls.

“We’re doing practice trivia,” Mara explains to me.

Suki takes Bash’s shoulders and guides him over to the side of the table I’m on.

“Harry and I need to finish up dinner.You take over for me, Bash, and Carter can take over for Harry.”

“Do you want help?”I offer.

She waves a hand.“Nah, there’s not much left to do.”

“What do you think, girls?”Bash asks Hallie and Charlotte.“How many hearts in an octopus?”

“One?”Charlotte guesses with a shrug.

“I think eight,” Hallie says.“One in each leg.”

“We’ve got a real scientist on our team.See what she thinks.”

Charlotte’s eyes widen with admiration.“You’re a scientist?”

“I’m a microbiologist.”

“Whoa.”

“I love that,” Dex says.“Tell us about your work.”

He’s very good-looking, fit and clean-shaven, wearing a T-shirt that says, “I’m not gay, but my boyfriend is.”I like him immediately.

“Well, today, I started working on a project with a professor at Cleveland State.We’re studying the microbiome.”I break it down further so the girls will understand.“The food we eat travels through the digestive system, and one of the places it goes is our large intestines.There are trillions of microorganisms there—fungi, bacteria and viruses—and they make up our microbiome.Ninety percent of the serotonin in our bodies, which is the feel-good chemical that makes us all happy, is made in that microbiome.I’m isolating and studying a strain of bacteria that may help treat anxiety.”

“Seriously?”Dex puts his elbow on the table and rests his chin on his fist.“That sounds fascinating.”

“I think it is.”

“Will you be a Smartini?”Mara asks me.“Please?”

Suki answers from the kitchen.“I already asked her; she’s in!I’ll get you a T-shirt, Lainey.”

I can’t believe how quickly they welcomed me into their group.Though I’m not sure what it means just yet.

“What do I need to do to be a Smartini?”

Mara grins at me.“You have to be fucking fabulous and smart—which, done.And you have to come to trivia with us on Tuesday nights at the Tap House.”

Dex looks at Mara, his brows pushed together with concern.“She also has to be ruthless.We show no mercy to other teams.”

“Right.”Mara turns to me.“You can be ruthless, right?”

“Ruthless is my middle name.”

Hallie laughs.“That’s a weird middle name.”

I feel Bash’s gaze on me, and I glance at him.Warmth and pride swim in his eyes.The flutter in my stomach returns because I’m not used to Bash looking at me this way.

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