Page 20 of Game Changer
Scott laughed and his breath came out in white clouds.
Kip swallowed. “Is the burger place close?”
“Yeah. It’s, um...oh. It’s right there.” Scott pointed across the street.
“Let’s get you inside.”
They entered and Scott smiled at Kip as the warm air hit them. Kip could not believe how beautiful he was.
They ordered at the counter (Scott paid) and sat at a table in the corner to wait for their food. The restaurant was quiet.
Kip wished he knew what was going on here. Normally when a guy invited him to get some food, or a drink, there were no doubts about where it might lead.
But this wasn’t a regular guy. And it was possible that Scott didn’t realize this seemed like a date. Maybe he was just...lonely.
How in hell could Scott Hunter be lonely?
“You live in Manhattan?” Scott asked suddenly.
“Nah. Brooklyn. Born and raised.”
“Ah. I’m from upstate. Rochester.”
Kip smiled a little. “I know.”
“Right. I, uh, I guess my life is kind of public knowledge.”
“Kind of,” Kip said, and, feeling brave, added, “but I’ll bet you havesomesecrets.”
Scott turned pink. It was cute. He fiddled with the straw in his soda cup until it seemed to inspire his next question. “Have you worked at Straw Plus Berry long?”
“Um, actually,” Kip said, feigning offense, “it’s pronounced StrawandBerry, so...”
Scott put up his hands and grinned. “Sorry! Didn’t mean to insult you.”
“That’s okay.” Kip sighed dramatically. “I’m sure people get your team name wrong all the time.”
Scott shook his head, still smiling. “Do you like it? Working there, I mean?”
Kip actually laughed at that. “It’s all right. I mean...no. I don’t really like it.”
“Is there something else you would rather be doing?”
“Of course! I just don’t know what that is yet. I mean, I have a history degree.”
“No kidding? I never finished college.”
Kip gave him a gentle smirk again. “I know.”
“Right.”
“Did you want to? Finish college, I mean?”
Scott seemed surprised by the question. “I... Yes. I did. I wanted to finish. To graduate. My mom... She would have liked that. And I enjoyed the classes. I’ve always liked learning.”
“What were you studying?”
“A little bit of everything. I couldn’t commit to a major, and I didn’t need to. The school didn’t care what I took, just as long as I performed on the ice.”
