Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
“I made a general observation.”
“Livia.”
“I work with these men professionally. It would be completely inappropriate for me to—”
“You can say Locke Donovan too,” Birdie suggests. “I won’t be jealous.”
My mouth sags slightly open. Does she know that I have… what… feelings for him?
Everyone turns to look back at me but I play it off. “I’m not confirming that,” I say.
“You’re not denying it,” Molly says.
“I work with him, ladies. I can’t be making comments about it at all.”
“Oh, bullshit,” Birdie says with a snort. “Juno is doing a documentary and banging the star. Lines are crossed all the time.”
Juno chokes on her wine and elbows Birdie. “That was crass—”
“But true,” Birdie inserts, then turns my way with expectant eyes. “Juno had clear opinions on Crosby being hot despite a working relationship. So, spill it.”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“It just—” I stop. “Fine. Locke is objectively attractive. That’s a factual observation about a person’s physical appearance and it means nothing.”
Molly looks at me with the expression she’s deployed since we started puberty and first noticed boys. The one that says she knows exactly what I’m not saying and she’s filing it away for later. The fact she doesn’t push here in front of everyone tells me she’s one hundred percent going to push for details.
I appreciate that discretion more than I can say.
“He’s so mysterious,” Juno says, steering the conversation forward. “I’ve been around this team for a while now and I still feel like I know almost nothing about him. He shows up, he does the work, he disappears.”
“Mystery makes a man infinitely more attractive in my book,” Birdie says.
“Yes,” Molly agrees, pointing her finger. “Add in a little hard to get, and my juices get going.”
“Eww,” I say, wrinkling my nose at Molly, who snickers. “But yeah… pretty sure there are studies done on the effects of mystery on attractiveness.”
And Locke Donovan is nothing but a big, shadowy ball of mystery.
After dinner we migrate to the backyard. Juno opens the wide glass doors, the night air cold and sharp, but she lights the outdoor fireplace and we pull chairs around it. We open Molly’s champagne and it’s one of those evenings that feels separate from everything else. Like a pocket in time.
“So, ladies,” Molly intones, her third glass of wine making her nosier than normal. “Continuing on the hot hockey players… I want to live vicariously through you three. Let’s play Marry, Fuck, Kill, but I won’t give you choices since I don’t know them at all. You tell me who you would Marry, Fuck, Kill on the team.”
“Oh no,” I say, holding out my hands palm first. “I absolutely refuse to play that game.”
“Party pooper,” Molly says and looks to Juno.
She shakes her head. “Nope. Only interested in Crosby—”
“To marry?” Birdie exclaims with excitement, sitting up so fast her wine sloshes.
Juno blushes. “Far too soon to tell, but if I do feel that way, you’ll be the first to know and then you can push your brother to give me a ring.”
“Deal,” Birdie says, and the women tap their glasses.
“You’ll play the game, won’t you, Birdie?” Molly asks with a very tipsy and beseeching flutter of her eyelashes.
“Sure,” Birdie says. “I mean… I’m just a player’s sister. I have impunity on these things.” She looks up in contemplation. “Let’s see… even though I’m firmly against marriage, if I were so inclined, I’d marry Patrick Rowe because he’s rich and can support my shopping habit.”
“Shallow,” Juno says under her breath, but intentionally loud enough we all hear it.
We laugh and Birdie doesn’t look at all shamed. A coy smile breaks out. “I’m going back to my earlier observation that Locke is the hottest guy on the team, so he’s the one I’d fuck.”
My hand tightens on my glass and the smile that was there threatens to slide, but I force it to stay in place.
“And…” She looks up again. “I’d have to Kill Arch and happily do that over and over again.”
“Oh, stop,” Juno says with a playful push. “You love him.”
“Like a gnat that won’t leave me alone,” she replies, although I hear the affection in it.
“So you’re friends with him?” Molly asks.
“No, Crosby and Arch are best friends and so he’s like an annoying little brother to me,” Birdie clarifies. “And if it wasn’t for that almost brother-like connection, he’d probably be my pick for the hottest guy on the team.”
Now that gets my attention. “Really?” I drawl, totally intrigued.
“Oh yeah,” Birdie says, nodding effusively and slopping more wine. “He pushes all my buttons, but again… annoying little brother thing, so that makes him unfuckable.”
“Oka-a-a-y,” Juno drawls low. “That’s enough wine for you.”
“What?” Birdie asks, completely unabashed. “It’s the truth and you know I’d even say that to his face.”
Juno laughs, shaking her head. “Oh, yeah… I know you would.”
Interesting. I’m pretty good at reading people and I have determined that Birdie doesn’t have any interest in Locke at all. She thinks he’s hot, but it’s Arch Hewitt who has her eye. I don’t buy that pesky little brother bullshit at all.