Page 46 of What Are the Chances
Confirming my suspicions, Lucas stepped out of the locker room and walked straight to Marnie. Pouting, she pressed onto her toes and kissed him. I’ll bet his ego was bruised. Allentown hated losing to us as much as I hated losing to them.
“Hey, man,” Levi said, appearing at my side. “Are you ready to–”
His question died off after following my line of sight.
Tanner Holbeck edged out of the visitor locker room, freshly showered and looking deflated. Riley separated herself from her friends and made herway over to him. He softened at the sight of her before draping his arm over her shoulder and kissing her forehead.
What. The. Fuck.
“Seriously,” Levi agreed.
Shit.I must’ve said that out loud.
Riley was too caught up in Tanner fucking Holbeck to notice me watching her. Was she dating Holbeck? She sure hadn’t been acting like it earlier when I had my head between her legs.
“Should we get out of here before he sees us?” Tanner suggested, looking anxious.
Riley nodded eagerly. “Parker’s staying at a friend’s place tonight. We have the house to ourselves.”
Smiling, Tanner called out to his friends who then fell into step behind him and Riley.
Did it bother me that Riley was dating Tanner Holbeck?
Did it bother me that she’d come to his game when she’d never come to one of mine?
Did it bother me that they had the house to themselves tonight?
Hell fucking yes to all of the above.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
What a coincidence
RILEY
I’d consider tonight a success. Allentown had lost in overtime, which wasn’t ideal, but Tanner and I had successfully dodged dad and I’d successfully dodged Will and his friends. I had to take the wins where I got them.
Lucas had decided he needed to burn off steam after the loss. Not one to turn down a night of partying, Marnie and Brooklyn had talked us all into heading to a new nightclub in town.
Nightclubs were my least favourite. Overpriced drinks. Sleazy guys. Techno music. The list went on.
I sat in the booth beside Tanner, doing my best to catch-up with him over the loud music. He’d already moved past tonight’s game. While the team had lost, he’d played incredibly well, scoring both of Allentown’s goals. He was a pro at moving on from a game, unlike Will who could let bad games or even bad parts of games ruin the entire night. I’d learnt early on in our relationship never to plan a date night after a hockey game.
Tanner leant forward, reaching into his pocket. Dad’s name flashed across his phone screen, dulling the mood. Tanner and I had purposely scattered to avoid a run in with dad. I’d managed to locate him just as the second period started. He’d kept his gaze laser-focussed on Tanner, even when Tanner was on the bench.
Moments like those, I understood why Tanner hadn’t declared. But I hated that dad had that power over Tanner’s life. My brother belonged on the ice. A shitty parent shouldn’t have the power to take that away.
The moment Tanner’s phone stopped ringing, mine began. I felt bad ignoring it. He was still our dad. But now wasn’t the time. I literally wouldn’t be able to hear him even if I answered.
“I’m going to get another drink,” Tanner announced, slipping out of the booth. “You want one?”
I eyed my empty vodka and tonic. I was already feeling slightly buzzed, but I also didn’t want to sober up. This place would be unbearable if I did.
“Sure. I’m running to the bathroom though. I’ll meet you back here.”
I didn’t bother asking Marnie or Brooklyn to come with me. Marnie was practically in Lucas’s lap, kissing away his boo-boos from the game, and Brooklyn was typing out a lengthy goodnight message to Edge.
I joined the end of the toilet line, which was much too long for my liking. Another con in the club column.
