Page 81 of Stealing for Keeps
“Me too.”
We’re locked in, grinning at each other, when Andie bounds to Claire’s side and wraps an arm around her shoulder.
“Thank you both. It was so fun having you here. Did you see my scene?”
Claire’s mouth opens, and then she nods. “Yeah. You were great.”
She definitely didn’t see it. Neither did I.
“I gotta go home and get ready. Are you two coming to the hockey game?” Andie asks, walking backward away from us.
“Oh, I completely forgot,” Claire says.
“I’ll be there,” I tell Andie. “Wish Brandon good luck for me.”
“I will.” She smiles at me. “You should come, Claire.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
“Talk her into it, Austin. I’m counting on you!” With that, she jogs away.
“What do you say, want to check out hockey tonight?”
She laughs. “That’s your idea of talking me into it?”
“It’s worked so far.”
“True. Promise me you won’t secretly ask the coach if I can sit on the bench to observe them.”
“Of course,” I promise. “I wouldn’t want you to lose any of your teeth. I like your smile.”
She blushes, and it makes my pulse race. We walk together out to the parking lot to our cars. I bump her shoulder with mine, then let it linger. The backs of our fingers brush, and I link my pinkie with hers. “Want me to pick you up?”
“That’s okay. I can meet you there.”
“Are you sure?” The more time I spend with her like this, the more of it I want.
“It’s probably not a good idea. What if Vaughn saw us together?”
Fuck good ideas. That’s what I think, but dammit, I know she’s right.
“All right. See you there.” I will be counting down the minutes.
* * *
“Do you want to sit with me and my friends?” I ask Torrance when we walk into the arena for the hockey game. I was surprised when she said she was going to the game and even more surprised when she asked if she could have a ride.
She hasn’t said a lot to me in the past couple of weeks. I overheard her talking to Mom, begging to fly back to Arizona to go to homecoming with her friends. Mom told her it wasn’t a great time and assured her we’d go back for Thanksgiving, but since then, she mostly stays in her room blasting her music.
My sister scoffs. “No way. Please pretend like you don’tknow me.” Then she veers off like she’s afraid someone might see us together.
Well, all right then. I head down the stairs, scanning the bleachers for Claire. I don’t see her, but Rowan lifts a hand and moves over to make room for me to sit between him and Vaughn.
“I didn’t know you were coming tonight,” Rowan says.
“Andie talked me into it.”
My buddy grins, then tips his head to where Andie is sitting two rows ahead of us. Or standing. She’s up out of her seat, yelling, “Let’s go, number forty-seven!” and holding a sign over her head.
