Page 127 of Dream Chaser
“You okay?” Mags’s eyes are wide.
“No,” I say honestly. “I think I’m going to fall into stupid freaking love with him!”
Lexi throws both hands up in victory. “I knew it! I’ve been saying it since Philly.”
Mags sits up straighter. “I said it first—don’t you dare.”
“Philly was the confirmation, Mags. The buildup was mine. I practically had a vision board.”
“Both of you, shut up!” I snap, but I’m laughing. “You’re not wrong.”
Lo smiles, soft but sharp. “Then maybe stop hiding it.”
I pause then grin. “Okay, fine.” Then it hits. “Wait—how are none of you surprised?”
“You two have flirt-fought since he was recruited, and this season, the heat turned up a bit,” Mags answers.
“Plus, you walked a little funny after that night in New York,” Lexi states, and everyone laughs.
“And hello, your stories.” Ava’s voice comes from … somewhere.
“Where is Ava?” I ask.
Harper holds up her phone, and Ava smiles on the screen. “Adorable, by the way.”
Chapter 26
Her Biggest Fan
Griffon
The door swings shut behind me, muffling the last gust of cold air, and every head in a ten-foot radius turns.
“Jesus Christ,” someone murmurs near the bar.
I nod once, lifting my chin, shameless in my choice of attire: a navy T-shirt that reads“IZZY ROSS’S BIGGEST FAN”in big white letters across the chest, paired with a trucker hat that reads“Team Harmonica.” Subtle? Not even a little. Effective? Hell yeah.
I scan the room. Twinkle lights strung from the rafters, streamers in team colors twisted around the beams, and every table packed shoulder-to-shoulder. The brewery is buzzing.
I spot a few teammates already camped out near the back, but I make a beeline for the table front and center, the one closest to the little platform stage.
As soon as I sit, Mags strums a chord. Iz is half-turned, adjusting her mic stand. Then she sees me.
It’s not dramatic—no gasp, no dropped guitar pick—but her spine goes rigid, and her lips part like I just short-circuited every brain cell in her body. She blinks once. Twice. Then her eyes narrow, and the corners of her mouth twitch.
“Unreal,” she mutters into the mic, not realizing it’s already live.
The crowd laughs, a warm, amused ripple. A few heads turn my way, and someone behind me stage-whispers, “That’s commitment.”
I tip my hat.
Iz shakes her head slowly, like she can’t believe she’s seeing what she’s seeing, but her smile gives her away. It’s not forced. It’s fond. Soft. The kind of smile that makes all my nerve endings wake up and take notice.
Lexi—via FaceTime, the phone propped on a music stand—snorts. “If that man doesn’t get lucky tonight, I’m throwing the whole town away.”
Mags smirks, strumming the opening of a song I’d know anywhere. “This one’s for anyone lucky enough to have grandparents that still slow dance in the kitchen.”
The girls launch into “Always on My Mind,” old-school harmonies and playful timing. Iz leans into the mic with that smirk still on her lips, and when she hits the first chorus, she glances at me dead-on and winks.
