Page 19 of Summer Shot
“I have an idea!” Syd jumps off the couch and rushes over to the kitchen table.
Chapter nine
Lucas
Alittle friendly competition between teammates is healthy. Did I expect it to be cooking related? Absolutely not. I expected it to be around shooting in the driveway, but at least there’s creativity and excitement from the guys. Ryder seems to have that quality; he’s a catalyst for raring up the team with energy and enthusiasm. If it translates to the ice, he is going to be the biggest asset for the Wyverns this year.
Blaine and I dart around the grocery store, snagging our ingredients. I regret not having one of the girls come along to film how ridiculous we are all being—dashing in and out of aisles, tossing things into our carts like we set some sort of time limit, which I guess we probably should have. After fifteen minutes, I text Keith to give us a time warning or we will never leave this store.
“Five minutes!” Keith’s voice bellows from the aisle over. A small elderly woman shopping next to us jumps at the sound of his voice booming through the store.
“Donato, I don’t know if all these things go together,” Blaine admits to me as he rifles through the items I’ve thrown into our cart. “Can I swap a few things out?”
My eyebrows raise at Blaine asking for my permission and his potential expertise with ingredients. “Yeah, man, go for it.”
Back at the house, it’s game on. The chef teams are scrambling to unpack their groceries and claim space in the kitchen before the girls divulge the secret ingredient.
“What if we all need to use the stove at the same time?” Tyler complains. “Who gets priority?”
“There’s one outside too. There’s enough space,” I reply sharply, slightly annoyed with his lack of comradery.
“What about the oven?” Harlan interjects.
“We’ll share the space. We share the ice almost every damn day,” Blaine chimes in nonchalantly. “It’s not going to be a big deal.”
Pride swells in my chest at Blaine’s team mentality, especially knowing how competitive and hotheaded he can get. Of course I want to win to show off for Laur, especially since she shared she loves to watch the show Ryder based this fiasco off of with her mom, but I wasn’t keen to be partnered with him at first.
“It’s just for fun,” Ryder pipes up with the same vibrant energy he seems to always have.
“And to feed us,” Libby retorts, her lip curled with slight disdain. “Please make something edible.”
“That’s not very likely, and I’m already starving,” Bren mutters under her breath.
Blaine clears his throat in response. “You’ll be delighted to know that Lucas and I took the liberty of preparing some appetizers for you all, since it’s going to take us probably two hours to cook.”
“We did?” I ask at the same time Libby whines, “Two hours?!”
Blaine proudly presents a tray with tortilla chips, various salsas, a chunky guacamole, and even a white queso dip as the appetizer we supposedly prepared.
“Swift thinking,” I mutter to Blaine, patting him on the back. I wonder if his kind gesture has anything to do with his new situation with Libby.
A pleased grin appears on Blaine’s face, which grows to a full ear to ear smile when Bren declares, “Five points for Lucas and Blaine. Not all heroes wear capes, but they understand a girl’s love for queso.”
“That’s fucking ridiculous!” Tyler throws his hands up in frustration. “You can’t give them points!”
“How do the points even work?” Blaine mumbles.
“Tyler, relax,” Lauren speaks up, trying to save the day. “Bren was just joking around. We will judge fair and square. We’ll even come up with our own point system while you all are cooking.”
“Will Keith and Brooks bring out the food, so you don’t know who it’s from?” Tyler brows are drawn together as if he’s a kid waiting for his parents to give him a serious answer whether his buddy can sleep over tonight.
“For fuck’s sake, Tyler,” Libby takes over. “Yes. Keith and Brooks will bring out the food. We will be drafting emails and eating the delicious snacks that Blaine and Lucas so thoughtfully brought. We can go somewhere else in the house if it’s really that big of a deal.” Hands on her hips, lips pressed together, Libby just scolded Tyler exactly like he was that little kid.
Tyler just nods in response, eyes filled with shock at Libby’s response. He knows he is pushing his limits.
“Great, so now that we have that settled,” Laur pipes up. “You will all have two hours to cook and plate your foods. You must ensure that the meal consists of a main course and at least one side dish, as previously agreed upon. Are you ready to know the mystery ingredient?”
“YES!” Blaine and Ryder shout in perfect unison. They are both hyped up for this game. Maybe we should integrate more little competitions off the ice throughout the season. Well . . . if this one goes well and Tyler can keep his shit together.
