Page 104 of What Are the Chances
Grace chuckled softly.
“I’m serious,” Lana firmly said. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to my brother, Grace. Anything that gets in the way of that earns its way onto my blacklist.”
It was sweet watching Grace and Levi’s sister interact. It made me wonder what it would be like if Tanner and Will were to spend time with each other.
Before I could fixate on the idea, I blinked the possibility away. It could never happen, I knew that. So why bother pretending it could.
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
She’s all I’d ever seen
WILL
I was outside with the team, sitting around a bonfire that was nowhere near warm enough tonight.
Ryan had bounced from the group chat quickly to find Parker. Rumour was he still hadn’t sealed thewholedeal and was getting edgy. Props to Parker for making him work for it.
My only worry was that the second he got what he wanted, he’d lose interest. That wouldn’t bode well with my progress with Riley. Not that I could consider myself making serious headway when I hadn’t spoken to her tonight. It’s just, I knew there was a conversation we needed to have. And with the odds equally as high that she’d cut and run, I was pretty fucking nervous.
“Do you want another beer?” Tripp asked.
“Nah, I’m good.”
I had a lunch meeting with the GM of the Bobcats tomorrow and I couldn’t be hungover. I’d drunk enough for a bit of liquid courage though. Before that wore off, I should find Riley.
When Levi rose to head inside, I jumped on the bandwagon and followed him. He headed straight for the kitchen where Grace, Lana and Riley were.
Grace’s eyes lit up when he appeared, the same way Levi’s did whenever Hughesy walked into a room. I was envious of what they had. Envious that Grace made the effort to learn about hockey and come to Levi’s games. Envious that he went to all of her home meets and live streamed the ones he couldn’t get to. Envious that she hadn’t slept in her dorm once sincereturning on New Year’s Eve. Envious that she loved Levi enough to commit to moving to Colorado with him after graduation.
I was happy for my friend, don’t get me wrong, but things had shifted when Levi met Grace. I’d always known him to be as obsessed with hockey as me. Then all of a sudden, he wasn’t. Suddenly he had something bigger in his life, which made me realise I didn’t.
But I could.
And that someone was sitting right there, her eyes soft as she watched Levi wrap his arms around Grace’s shoulders.
Lana hopped off her barstool and pulled me in for a quick hug. “Hey, Will.”
I didn’t need to crouch as far with Lana. She was quite tall. I’d missed catching her before the game. Her flight hadn’t arrived in time to see her before we were due to board the bus.
“Why’s my nemesis here?” she asked me.
I frowned. “Nemesis?”
Levi levelled his sister with a suspicious glare. “You don’t go to school here, Lana. You can’t have a nemesis.”
Grace chuckled quietly. “She’s talking about Summer.”
Levi’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s a good question. I don’t know who would’ve invited her.”
“One of her friends is dating Maxwell,” I filled in.
At least that’s what she told me last Saturday night when she cornered me at Lastlings.
A fleeting grim expression crossed Levi’s face. “Looks like I’ll be having a few words with our goalie.”
Grace tenderly patted her boyfriend’s chest. “Calm down, caveman. Maxwell can date whoever he wants.”
I didn’t blame Levi for wanting Summer kept at a safe distance. She was the one who’d taken it upon herself to fill Grace in on the bet Levi had made with Ryker. While it was undoubtably Levi’s fault for agreeing to the dumb bet in the first place, it wasn’t Summer’s news to share, and she hadn’t out of the goodness of her heart. She’d done it to stir drama. I didn’t like girls like that.
