Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
"Isn't there a limit on how many books you can check out?" Tolliver asked.
"Yes," I said, pulling another three books and adding them to the stack in his arms.
"Ha, ha no."
I spotted another title I was searching for and snagged it as well.
"It's 50."
Tolliver nearly choked. "Fifty? As in five-zero?"
I nodded.
"That's...how long do you have to read them?"
"Two weeks," I said with a grimace, "which is why I'm playing it safe and keeping the number reasonable."
He looked at the stack that was nearly at his chin. "This is reasonable?"
"Yeah. Elle told me she likes romance—or romance movies and rom coms."
"She does?"
I gave Tolliver a look. "Is that news? She's your sister."
"I just never knew," he said. "Elle's not really a girly-girl."
"And I am?"
"You're...is there a right way to answer that?"
"I don't know. Is there?"
After a second, Tolliver smiled. "You're perfect," he said simply, and I rolled my eyes.
"Nice save."
"I thought so."
Continuing to scan the titles, I said, "Anyway, since she loves hockey and likes to laugh, I'm getting a few of my favorite sports romances too. The list of recs Lottie sent had 30, and she said she was working on part two. She wanted to get input from Bo before she finalized it."
"Wow," he repeated.
"I know."
"Hey, who's Bo?"
"That's Lottie's boyfriend," I said, smiling as I thought of my bookish cousin. "He's her total opposite in every way. Bo is all grumpiness and storm clouds. Lottie is pure happiness and sunshine. It's crazy how they fit together so well."
Tolliver sent me a look. "Sometimes opposites attract."
"Yeah, and sometimes they clash. Lottie and Bo certainly did. At first."
"How'd they finally get together?"
"Bo wooed her by checking out romance books for his grandma." I threw him a smile. "Lottie was a library volunteer, and he came here all the time just to see her. Isn't that romantic?"
Tolliver shrugged, nearly upsetting the books in his arms. "If you worked here, I'd come in."
I arched a disbelieving brow. "You'd drive to the next town over just for me?"
"Yeah. You doubt it?"
"No," I said after a moment. "I think you're a secret romantic, Tolliver Stone."
He laughed quietly, but I meant every word.
"Is that a good thing?" Tolliver asked.
"It's definitely not bad."
A squeal escaped my lips as I spotted one of my all-time favorites.
"If Elle doesn't like this one," I said, placing it on top of the pile, "we can't be friends."
"I'll be sure to tell her that," he said.
"I mean it. This is a deal-breaker."
Tolliver smiled.
"What?"
"You're cute," he said.
"Absolutely not. I'm terrifying, remember?"
"You can be both."
"I prefer to be scary," I mumbled.
He nudged my shoulder with his. "Let's go. Leave some for the other bookworms."
"Book dragon," I corrected.
"Book dragon," Tolliver repeated as if tasting the words. "You're right. That suits you much better."
We began walking through the stacks, making our way to the checkout counter.
"You know, in Japanese mythology, there were ice dragons," he said.
"That's cool," I replied.
"I think I could be one of those. A book ice dragon. What do you think?"
I felt my lips twitch. "You could be."
He gave me a full-on smile. "Then we could be dragons together."
That sounded far too good. Once we were in the car, the books securely stowed in the back, Tolliver turned to me and took my hand.
"What...?"
My voice trailed off as he said, "How's your wrist?"
"Better," I said, fighting back a shiver as his light touch travelled over my hand, wrist, and forearm. "My PT says I'm healing faster than any client she's ever worked with. But I think she may be exaggerating."
"I don't know," Tolliver said, circling my hand gently. "Feels like your rotation is easier, not full range of motion but almost. Is there any pain?"
"Barely."
"Good. That's very good."
"Tolliver?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you want to go into medicine?" I asked, and he stilled. "I just wondered because you seem to know so much."
He smiled. "You know, I don't think anyone's ever asked me that before. Everyone just assumes I want to play hockey."
"Because you're so good."
That smile brightened by about a thousand watts, and I didn't regret giving him the compliment.
"Well, thank you, Kent." Tolliver's fingers moved between and over mine, making it hard to concentrate on what he was saying. "But yeah, I may try college and even professional hockey—though again, I doubt I'm good enough to play at that level."
"I bet you are," I said fiercely.
He shrugged. "Even if I did play, I'd still want to do something with sports medicine one day."
"Is it because your mom's a nurse?"
"That, and I've seen injuries on the ice, what it takes to recover. I think it would feel good to help someone like that. To regain their ability to do something they love. You know?"
I swallowed then nodded.
"It still kills me that I did this," he said, placing a soft kiss against my wrist. His lips stayed there a moment, almost as if he hoped it would help me heal, before releasing and lowering my hand.
Devastating. Tolliver was absolutely devastating, and I didn't even think he knew it. "I'm so sorry."
"It's okay," I said shakily. "It was an accident."
"But I ruined your summer."
"You didn't ruin anything, Stone. Stop giving yourself so much credit."
He grinned at that but shook his head.
"Why were you out there anyway?"
"What do you mean?"
"You live on the ice," I said. "Not the court. What made you want to play basketball?"
"I was trying to impress a girl," he said.
My throat grew tight.
"Oh?" I said, trying to play it off. "How'd that turn out?"
"To be determined."
Before I could ask what he meant, my phone pinged with a text. Breaking my stare with Tolliver, I glanced down and saw Stacia's name.
"It's my soon-to-be stepsister," I said. "She wants us to meet her at this address."
"Then we better go," he said.
Tolliver's kiss was still warming my skin as he pulled onto the road. His words ran through my mind, causing all kinds of confusion.
I was trying to impress a girl.
What girl?
Did I know her?
Was she athletic like him? Or nerdy? Shallow or deep? Gorgeous or plain or somewhere in the middle?
Was she kind and nice enough for Tolliver? Because he definitely deserved someone nice.
And why had this never occurred to me before?
Tolliver was smart, fit, and lovely. Of course, he'd have someone, or even multiple people, he was interested in.
He definitely had to have a ton of admirers.
My chest tightened, but I ignored it. Fingers tracing along my wrist, I tried to convince myself that I didn't care.
I was trying to impress a girl.
Whoever she was, if she wasn't impressed, she must be a total idiot.
* * *
"Dresses aren't really my cup of tea" I said to Stacia, looking up at the sign on the store in front of us.
Billie's Bridal Boutique.
It was a gorgeous shop. The window featured mannequins clothed in elegant black and white. Flowers were placed strategically above them, framing the entire scene. According to Stacia, they had the best formal wear in North Carolina.
"That's okay," she said with a bright smile. "I love shopping, especially for clothes. I'll help you find the best look."
Shifting on my feet, I bit my lip. "Even for concerts, I usually wear slacks and a nice top. I thought you wanted me to watch you try on dresses, give you my opinion, that kind of thing."
"Well yeah, but I really want to help you find a dress."
"Did my mom tell you to do this?"
"No," she said with a shrug, "I just thought it would be fun to hang out. Unless you don't want to?"
Stacia had the puppy-dog eyes down pat. I was already here. She was right. I did need a dress for mom's wedding. And Tolliver was stepping around the car to join us.
"Covered the books with a blanket and rolled down the window slightly for temperature control," he said, clapping his hands. "So, are we doing this?"
"We are," I said, hoping I wouldn't regret it.
As Stacia said "Yay, yay, yay! I can't wait to see you in the looks I picked out," I was already questioning my decision.
Then she nodded at Tolliver and said, "It's strange to see you off the ice."
"Same," he said. "Aren't you supposed to be swimming or something?"
They laughed and knocked fists.
"You know each other," I said, stating the obvious.
Stacia nodded. "Since we were kids."
"Our parents are friends," Tolliver said. "Her dad used to assistant coach youth hockey. She was always hanging around the rink."
"Until I discovered the pool," she said.
"She's like a fish."
"I love the water."
Stacia threw me a smile.
"Besides, it's much better to do something you love versus watching sweaty boys zoom across the ice. Right, Freya?"
"Yeah," I said, forcing a smile of my own. "Let's go in."
"Let's," Stacia repeated.
Tolliver arrived at the door first and held it open for both of us.
"Such a gentleman," she said, booping him on the nose and making him laugh as she walked inside.
Seeing my face, he asked, "You sure you're good with this?"
"So good," I lied.
Tolliver's brow furrowed.
"Thanks again. For the door." Before he could say anything, I was already striding past him. "Hopefully, this won't take too long."
Catching up with Stacia, she pointed to one of the dressing rooms. "Freya, you'll change in there. I've already got everything set up."
"Okay," I said.
"Let me know if you need help."
"Mhm."
"Tolliver," she said next, "there's a seating area here, or you can wander around. They have snacks and flavored water up front. I trust you can entertain yourself."
"I'll wait here." Tolliver shot me a grin. "In case Kent needs me."
"I won't," I said, and his face fell. "Do your thing, Stone."
"But—"
"I'm sure you and Stacia want to catch up."
With that, I entered the dressing room, shutting the door and resting my head against the slats.
"Is she okay?" Stacia asked, speaking quietly, her voice muffled though the frame.
"I hope so," Tolliver said back.
"What did you do?"
"Nothing."
A beat of silence.
"Seriously, Stass, I didn't do anything."