Page 34 of Wildcat
12
ONE NIGHT OF FUN
LEO
I letScarlett pick the restaurant. She chooses McDonald’s and then stares at me, daring me to tell her no. Ash is going to give me so much shit. Especially after he joked about taking her to get an extra value meal for our second date.
It’s hard to care right now though as she sits across from me dunking a chicken nugget into honey mustard sauce and casually glancing at the form she placed on the table between us.
Bad news for her: even when she’s glaring at me, I like being around her.
I pop a fry in my mouth and lean back in the booth. “Sooo, photography?”
Her gaze narrows.
“I heard you talking to Lindsey yesterday. You didn’t mention it the other night.”
“We didn’t mention a lot of things.”
“Fair enough. Do you have your camera with you?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Can I see some of your pictures?”
“There isn’t a lot to show. I’m just practicing and doing favors for friends.”
“What about the ones you take just for you?” I keep staring at her until she rolls her eyes and relents. She pulls her camera from her purse and then comes over to sit beside me. I hadn’t realized asking to see her photos would get her closer, but I’m high-fiving myself as her hair tickles my shoulder.
She powers it on and holds the display where I can see. She skips through a dozen images of Mike’s bar, finally stopping on one of Jade smiling, eyes downcast, hand up to her face, tucking her hair behind one ear.
“She was tired of posing for me at the end, but it ended up being my favorite. She looks so sweet and innocent.” Scarlett snorts like Jade being innocent is funny, then looks over and our eyes lock. Her gaze darts to my mouth and she licks her strawberry red lips. “She’s a chameleon like that. Sweet and polite one minute and ready to hop on the bar and dance the next.”
“Beautiful.”
She looks away first. “She is.”
I meant Scarlett, but something tells me she knows exactly who I was talking about.
“Anyway.” She moves back across from me. “How’s hockey? Ready for the first game?”
I chuckle at how quickly she’s put space between us—both physically and emotionally. “It’s great, and I’m always ready.”
“Of course you are. I bet you spend the entire off-season counting down the days.”
“Something like that.”
She raises both brows pointedly.
“What’s that look?”
“Nothing.” She sets her empty nugget container on the tray and then pushes the form toward me with one pink nail.
“All right. All right. A deal’s a deal.” I fill out the form and she takes it fast, like she’s afraid I’m going to do something with it. I guess I can’t blame her.
“Tell me what the look was about. Is counting down the days for hockey that bad of a sin?” I take our trash and dump it, then hold open the door for her.
“I’ve known guys like you. Your whole world revolves around the sport and everything else is second. At least you’re honest about it.”
