Page 82 of What Are the Chances
I’d forced myself to dress a little nicer. Dinner at dad’s wasn’t a casual affair. There was no eating on the couch with the hockey playing in the background. It was a three-course meal seated around his oversized dining table in the formal dining room with ceilings so high the clink of cutlery echoed in the silence.
Dad wasn’t a formal guy in any sense. I wasn’t sure why he pretended.
I peeked through the drapes, but there was no sign of Tanner yet. Just like formalness wasn’t dad’s ammo, promptness wasn’t Tanner’s.
Parker was on the couch, a blanket draped over her lap and a trashy Netflix movie playing. I envied her. I’d love nothing more than to join.
“Quiet night?” I asked.
She paused the film. “Ryan will be here soon.”
“You don’t need chaperones this time?”
Parker coyly shook her head. “No, we’re good.”
I smiled knowingly. “Got it.”
Outside a car horn tooted. That would be Tanner.
I scooped up my bag. “I won’t be back until eleven.”
Dinner likely wouldn’t go that long, but I’d convince Tanner to hang out for a while to give Parker and Ryan privacy.
As I opened the door I spotted Ryan walking up the drive. He did a double take when he passed Tanner’s car, and Tanner looked equally as surprised tosee Ryan. Damnit. What were the odds of this timing? And what were the chances of this getting back to Will?
Reaching the door, Ryan smiled at me. He was dressed in a white tracksuit which should look terrible, but it somehow suited him perfectly. I wouldn’t have the confidence to wear all white. It would be stained within thirty seconds. Case in point, there was foundation on my turtleneck.
“Hey, Riley,” he said. “Are you heading out?”
“Hey, Ryan. Yeah, you and Parker have the house to yourselves. Have fun.”
“You too.”
His words came out a little unsure, like it was taboo for him to wish me a good time with Tanner Holbeck. The rivalry between Phil-U and Allentown was one for the record books, though something told me this was more about loyalty to one of his best friends than hockey.
“What the fuck is Ryan Murphy doing at your house?” Tanner barked the second I opened the car door and slipped into my seat.
He hadn’t wasted a second getting straight to the point.
“He’s sort of dating Parker.”
Edging his car into reverse, Tanner’s eyebrows hit the roof. “I didn’t know hockey player was her type.”
“Me either.”
Unlike most girls on campus, Parker had always seemed impartial to athletes. She didn’t go out of her way to strut past them at parties, and she’d never seemed particularly phased by Tanner which was refreshing.
The few times I’d gone to an Allentown party with him, I’d witnessed the attention he received. He was like the equivalent of Levi Holloway of Allentown. That much attention was too much for anybody’s ego. Though for all the attention my brother received, I’d never known him to date anyone. Maybe he was acasualguy like many div-one athletes. To be honest, I’d rather not know.
“Are you going to have to play nice with Caufield now that Parker is dating one of his best friends?”
I grimaced. “About that.”
Tanner slowed to a stop at a red light. His knuckles tightened around the steering wheel in anticipation.
“Long story short, Will and Tripp O’Connor kind of replaced you and Lucas for my final assessment.”
Tanner’s lips thinned. “Give me the long story, Ri. Are you back with Caufield? Is that how Parker met Ryan?”
