“I promise you would! Cat and I will be there, but we need more women to counter the testosterone levels. If you don’t enjoy yourself, then we’ll ditch the party and go dancing downstairs.”
“Ugh…fine. I guess if we can leave, then I’ll go.”
I pump my fists in the air. “Yes! You won’t regret this, Brinley.”
“I really think I will,” she says before she drains the rest of her wine.
14
PIPPA
The full moon hangs over the ice rink, both of them shining the same luminous white. Twinkling white Christmas lights loop around like city stars. It’s a beautiful night to be out on a date, with a whole world of romance and possibilities ahead of me. I would twirl on my skates, if I was physically capable of doing so.
“Is Ryan Archer really your stepbrother?”
Just like that, the beautiful night turns ugly. Why the hell is my date asking about Ryan? It surprises me so much, my ice skates go out from under me and I land on my ass in the middle of the rink. Dull pain spreads through my tailbone.
“Are you okay?” Trevor asks, extending a hand out to me. He looks like Aladdin standing on the magic carpet, reaching down to help Jasmine up. He’s cute—reallycute, with a bright smile and swooping dark hair. Plus, his profile on Keepr had pictures of him with an adorable tabby cat. All good things.
So maybe I can forgive him for mentioning the devil’s name.
“Yeah, only my pride really hurts.” I let him pull me up. “I’m usually a better skater than this.”
“You were doing great before,” Trevor reassures me. “Guess talent runs in the family.”
What’s he doing bringing up my familyagain? Because I know he doesn’t mean my parents. He’s curious about Ryan, the infamous ladies’ man and poker champ.
Or maybe he’s trying to make conversation. Not every guy is an asshole.
I force a smile. “I wouldn’t say skating’s a talent or anything. I’ve never really been the athletic type. Back in school, I was one of the artsy kids. What about you?”
“I was more of a gamer,” Trevor says. “My parents thought I was going to waste my life playingThe Witcherall night. They were always being like, ‘You love computers! Can’t you just get into coding?’ I was like, ‘You’re missing the point!’”
I nod. “Right. You didn’t want to be a coder, you wanted to be Geralt of Rivia.”
He shoots me a glance. “You playedThe Witcher?”
“More like, I had a crush on Henry Cavill.”
“Fair enough,” he says with a laugh. “Are you still an artist?”
“Not at all. I’m a writer atBelladonna.I mostly do essays and articles.”
“The last essay I wrote was in college. I think I got a C-plus.”
I smile. “Don’t worry. I won’t hold it against you.”
On the speakers, “Jinglebell Rock” ends and “Santa Baby” starts playing. Another couple skates by us, laughing and holding hands. I’ve always thought a Christmas ice skating date would be romantic. Now that I’ve got Trevor off Ryan, maybe it can be.
“So, do you still game?” I ask.
“Nah. I actually ended up getting more into poker instead. I even hit up the tournaments sometimes.”
Motherfucker. He’s about to bring up my stepbrother again, isn’t he?
“I almost qualified for that sprint tournament Ryan held last year, but I missed the cutoff,” Trevor rambles, completely missing my frozen expression. “I mean, it’s always competitive to get a seat, but I hear if you have a connection, he makes exceptions.”
“Uh-huh.”
