Page 136 of Most Valuable Players
“I’m an honest drunk. Too honest. Don’t ask me anything embarrassing.”
“How’d you get so drunk?”
“Alcohol.”
She giggles and then falls quiet. All around us, our friends are chatting and laughing, but we’re in our own little bubble, which is nice. A Genevieve and Heath bubble that I kind of dig.
“Hmmm. What kind of dirt can I get on you while you’re drunk?” She narrows her gaze and smirks. “What’s your favorite color?”
“Pink.” I get the reaction I hoped for and then chuckle. “Kidding, it’s green. What’s yours?”
“Mine actually is pink, but notpinkpink. Like a really dark pink. Cerise.”
“That’s cute.”
“What is?”
“That you think I know what color cerise is.”
She reaches over, catching me by surprise, and runs a thumb along my chin. “Did you get this scar from hockey?”
She’s barely touching me, but I like it, so I lean in a bit and tilt my chin up so she can see it better. “No, I had a confrontation with a coffee table. It won.”
Her hand falls away. “Ouch.”
“Time,” Adam calls, breaking the moment. He holds up his phone. “One-hour time limit.”
“One hour?” Ginny squeaks.
“We’re really good hiders,” Rauthruss says before Reagan climbs on his back and he jogs off. Dude is super competitive.
Ginny and I move at a much slower pace. I manage to get her on my back, the feel of her pressing up against me is way too nice, but my legs aren’t cooperating.
“Maybe I should carry you?”
“I got this,” I say but then stumble a few feet.
“Which way, ya think?” she asks when we get to the first turning point.
Everyone else is going right, so I head left.
“I heard you got a job.” I slow my pace. I’m not all that interested in searching for Maverick and Dakota, or generally being around anyone, but Ginny.
She smells like gummy bears which makes me think about kissing her again.
“I did. Dakota hooked me up with it actually. I start next week. I’ll be leading tours of the Hall of Fame and athletic facilities, even doing recruitment tours once I get the hang of it.”
“That’s cool. I still remember mine.”
“You do?” I pause when we come to another spot where we need to decide which way to go. “You decide.”
She waves to the left, which really doesn’t go anywhere and we’re real close to being out of the borders of the game, but I keep that to myself. “Yeah, I had this guy named Clint. Wasn’t nearly as cute as you.”
Her light laughter tickles my ear. “You’re incorrigible.”
I’ll be honest that I’m not really looking for Mav. I just want to keep talking, so I’m especially surprised when Ginny yells, “There they are!”
Dakota and Maverick are crouched down inside a fancy looking rectangular water fountain that’s currently empty. It’s a good spot and I don’t see them myself until we’re basically on top of them.
