Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
brEE
I still haven’t answered Chase’s last text.
Weary to the bone, I fall back on my bed.
Harper’s thumping around, getting settled for the night.
I’ll do the same as soon as she’s done. Rooming with her has worked out great, despite sharing a bathroom.
As an only child, I never had to share one growing up—not until college when I had an assigned roommate.
And I had my own place before moving to Sarabella.
We lingered at the bar for a while after the guys left. Thankfully, Mia and Sophie came separately, and Sophie offered Lily a ride home so she could stay longer, too. After swearing Harper to secrecy, I gave her a semi-brief rundown of the Chase Files so we could talk strategy.
At first, I thought Harper would find the Chase Files unbelievable.
She’s so nice and innocent, but when I got to the part about Chase’s latest attempt to blackmail me, this fierce side of her showed up, telling Sophie to annihilate him.
That’s when they filled me in on how Harper’s father treated her as GM of the Sun Kings.
She totally understood, which made me love her even more.
She understands what it feels like to be used by someone who supposedly cares about you.
I guess you could say we’re bonding over our traumas.
After we brought Harper up to steam, Sophie helped me craft a reply to Chase, telling him I found a new contact—a photojournalist who freelanced for the magazine. All true. And that she would reach out to him to set up an interview. Also true.
When he didn’t text back right away, Sophie instructed me to share her contact information with him when he did.
My own dread compelled me to ask if she was sure about doing this, because I knew how awful listening to Chase’s self-absorbed rhetoric was.
She replied she couldn’t wait to tear the scumbag apart with a gleam in her eye that made me even more nervous.
But now I’m second-guessing everything—even my friendship with Wade.
The heat between us tonight was undeniable, I’ll say that. And unexpected. Wade’s never acted like that toward me before—sexy…flirting…
I recognized it, too, from the times I watched him flirt with a girl in high school or with the puck bunnies when he played in junior league. But never with me. That’s how I knew he wasn’t into me, so I pushed those feelings away until they vanished. Until I only saw Wade as my best friend.
But what if those feelings never went away? How else can I explain the intense emotions I’m experiencing now? They seem so sudden, yet familiar at the same time.
A shiver runs through me as I remember how Wade leaned in to tease or taunt me during our darts faceoff, his lips grazing my ear as his warm breath caressed my neck.
His clean, spicy scent wreaked havoc with my resolve to keep us in the friend zone.
As much as I love how the girls have encouraged me to take the risk and made that crazy spreadsheet to help, I still feel an intense need to protect our friendship.
But after tonight, I don’t know anymore.
Wade lost despite his efforts to unhinge me. I’m sure he only did all that to mess with my game, which only made me more determined to win. He always knew how to bring out my competitive side.
But the way he left…
The rest of the guys didn’t stay long after that either. I think they picked up on the weirdness there at the end. Maybe they agreed with me that Wade was being a sore loser, but I suspect they’re as concerned about him as I am.
He seemed fine until he walked over to our group. Good thing Sophie saw him before I did and covered my phone, or that could have turned into a very awkward—
I bolt up into a sitting position, eyes frantically searching but not seeing. Could Wade have seen Chase’s text before Sophie hid it? That would explain the sudden shift in his attitude.
After I reply to Chase, giving him Sophie’s contact information and telling him she’ll be in touch, I switch to the Puck Babes chat.
Bree: He replied. I sent your info, Soph. He confirmed it, too.
Sophie: I’ll call him early tomorrow and sound eager. That way, he thinks he’s hot news and won’t suspect a thing.
Mia: And you thought I was the maniacal one?
Bree: I hope this works.
Sophie: It will. Trust me.
Mia: If anyone can expose that poor excuse of a man for what he truly is, Sophie can.
Sophie: Why do I feel like we need a jingle to go with that?
Bree: (laughing emoji) Do your worst, Soph. Or should I say best?
Sophie: Both work (heart emoji)
Now, to ask the more important question.
Bree: Do you think Wade could have seen Chase’s text before Sophie put her hand over my phone?
Mia: Still stressing over how he reacted to losing?
Bree: Yeah… That’s not like Wade. He’s usually more excited about my wins than his.
Sophie: Maybe it didn’t matter as much then.
Bree: What do you mean?
Mia: Can I explain this one?
Sophie: Please do! I have an article to prepare (winky face). I’ll keep checking back, though.
Mia: That was about more than a dart game, Bree. You were so focused on beating him, you didn’t see the way he watched you more than the board.
Bree: He did?
Mia: Oh, yeah. The man is a total goner for you. Trust me, I know that look. Ethan stared at me the same way the first time we met, as if his brain turned to mush when he looked at me. He said he had never believed in love at first sight until he saw me.
Bree: Wow. This would be so much easier if Wade and I didn’t know each other so well already. I can’t read between the lines because they’re all blurred.
Sophie: Oh, sweet analogy, Bree!
Mia: Such a word nerd.
Sophie: You know it, Diva!
Bree: What should I do?
Mia: Fight fire with fire.
Sophie: Hmmm, not sure I agree. Might be better if they were honest with each other rather than playing games.
Mia: I think the games are the best part.
An image of a phone number written larger than life in red lipstick across the arena plexiglass pops into the text thread.
When I first met Mia and asked how she and Ethan met, she showed me the picture—one Ethan took and has kept ever since—telling me the entire story of their movie-worthy meet-cute at the arena and how she wrote her phone number, backward no less, after practice.
Mia: My favorite game of all.
Seriously impressive, but she’s as bold and daring as they come, despite her insistence that she’s a boring school teacher. As if. I think she uses her profession to hide the wild child she really is.
Bree: I’m not good at games.
Mia: Girlfriend, you totally disproved that theory tonight.
Bree: That was a real game. Not flirting.
Sophie: You forgot we had a front-row seat to the whole thing. And you, my friend, were flirt-challenging him as much as he was you.
Lowering my phone, I take a moment to reflect on the evening.
I did. I flirted with Wade and loved it. Too much, maybe.
Bree: Okay, I need moves, ladies.
Sophie: Opening the spreadsheet now.
Mia: Did we forget to add Harper to our chat? Or is she asleep already?
Bree: I’ll fill her in. Again.
Which I do when we cross paths in the hallway, along with a promise to add her to the chat group. I think Harper needed friends as much as I did. And do.
Especially if things don’t work out with Wade, and I lose my best friend for good.