Page 13 of Pucking Tangled
“Maybe that was my goal.” She smiled. “Or maybe, I just didn’t want to starve.”
“Either way, you’ve raised the bar now. Don’t be surprised if Waylon or Luca try to marry you by the time the playoffs are over.
Her breath hitched for just a second. She highly doubted there would be any marriage happening in this house. “What happened to rule number 1?”
“Doesn’t say anything about marriage. Only hook-ups,” Casey said, sliding past her to get to Owen. His fingers brushed against her arm, just briefly, but she caught the tiny shift in his expression. The way his smile twitched before turning into something softer.
It felt familiar. But different too.
“You were pretty quiet at dinner. That’s not like you,” she said, watching him as he stood on the other side of Owen.
“Tired from practice,” he replied a little too quickly.
Owen glanced between them, like maybe he sensedsomething,but he didn’t press. “I’m going to the bathroom,” he said, handing Casey the dish towel. “Don’t let her do all the work.”
“Bossy,” Mia playfully called after him.
“Captain,” he corrected smoothly over his shoulder, disappearing with a grin.
Casey leaned a hip against the counter and watched her finish rinsing a pan. “You didn’t have to cook. We were all just joking when we said you could make dinner sometimes.”
“I wanted to,” she said, keeping her tone light. “It felt... normal. Like home.” The words slipped from her lips before she even had a chance to stop them.
Casey’s face lit up. “It feels like home?”
She paused and bit her lip. Stupid word vomit. “Uhm, I’m not sure yet. It helps that there are a few familiar faces”
“You mean my sexy mug?” He winked.
Mia side-eyed him. “And Owen. Luca and Waylon are growing on me, a little.”
“That quick, huh?”
“Don’t worry, you’re still my favorite,” she teased, handing him the now-clean pan and bumping his shoulder.
He didn’t take it right away.
Instead, he looked at her—really looked at her—studying her in a way that made her breath quicken and her heart skip a beat. Not like he was seeing his best friend or roommate. Something else flickered in his gaze. Something she couldn’t put her finger on.
“What?” she asked, clearing her throat.
“You’re different here with us,” he said quietly.
Mia blinked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s not a bad thing. I promise.” He took the pan and dried it before putting it away. “It’s like you’re more…confident and relaxed at the same time. Either that or you’re just getting better at pretending.”
Ouch. Shots fired from her bestie.
She picked up a dishrag and busied herself wiping down the kitchen counters. “I haven’t really had much of a choice with school and everything. It was either sink or swim.”
“Mia, you’ve always swam,” he whispered.
She glanced at her best friend. “It helps when you’ve got someone who’s always believed you could.”
He shrugged like it was no big deal, being one of her biggest cheerleaders and confidants, but his jaw was tight.
Unspoken words and emotions hung in the air betweenthem. The kind that came with decades of friendship. History. Shared secrets and family vacations.
