And I don’t intend to fight it.
I’m not even going to try. It’s way too late for that. The last exit off Fake Relationship Highway before Falling Hard for Her Ville was miles back. All that’s left now is to figure out how to ask Charlotte to be mine for real.
But not tonight.
Tonight is for celebrating. Bea is getting stronger and happier with every passing day, the Voodoo just won a blowout game, and Parker’s buying the first round of Trash Pandas.
It’s going to be a good night. I can feel it.
Twenty minutes later, we load into vehicles in the players’ parking lot. Parker and Makena climb into Parker’s massive pickup truck, while Grammercy and Elly swinginto their new minivan beside them. (But not before a decent amount of teasing for buying a minivan from both Parker and Mack.)
Torrance and Sierra slide into Sierra’s petal pink BMW, a custom paint job that sparkles under the parking lot lights, while Charlotte, Beatrice, and I start for Char’s SUV.
We’re nearly there when Bea calls out, “Are you coming, too, Archer?”
I frown. I’m about to ask who Archer is when a deep voice rumbles from behind us. “Yes.”
I blink, turning to see Blue stopped beside his ancient Prius, the one barely big enough to fit his bag and his massive body. The one that also earnedhima fair amount of teasing last year, before all the guys gave up on giving Blue grief. He gives far too few shits about what other people think to make teasing him any fun.
And his first name is Archer, apparently.
Though I have no idea how Bea knew that…
Before I can ask, she calls out, “Mind if I ride with you, then? Charlotte and Bay don’t need a third wheel cramping their style.”
“Please do,” Blue says, smiling. “I’d love the company.”
“I’m fine with a third wheel,” I hiss to my sister.
Bea backs away, whispering beneath her breath, “Well, I’m not. And I’d love to get to know Archer better.”
I’m not the slightest bit upset about her showing interest in a very nice, very decent guy. After Kai, anyone without sociopathic tendencies would be great, let alone a legitimately great man like Blue.
But still, I can’t resist adding in a slightly louder hiss, “How do you know his first name?”
Bea stops dead with a stunned snort. “Dude, are you crazy? He’s Jai Archer Blue.” At my blank look, she repeats, “Jai Archer Blue. You know? The kirtan singer?”
Her jaw drops. “You didn’t know?! Where have you been? Under a rock? He’s low-key famous. Or he was, before he stopped making music ten years ago and dropped off the face of the earth.” Her dark eyes glitter as she adds with barely contained excitement, “I’m pretty sure no one has any clue he became a hockey player, and I am dying to find out why, how, when, and if he’s ever going to make yoga music again because he legitimately has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard.”
“Go,” Charlotte whispers, clearly nearly as excited as Bea. “Find out everything, and tell me later. I want all the tea. Also, I’m not even a little bit surprised. Look up hidden depths in the dictionary, and there’s a picture of that man beside it.”
Bea emits a soft, giddy yip. “I know! And will do.” Then she turns, scampering across the parking lot to where Blue is already holding open the passenger’s door for her, like the gentleman he is.
A gentleman who withholds a lot of shit from his friends, but still…
I lift a hand to him, calling, “See you there!”
As Charlotte and I start toward Char’s SUV again, I whisper, “Why didn’t he ever tell me? I’m one of his best friends on the team.”
“Don’t take it personally,” Charlotte says. “He’s a private guy.” She shrugs. “And maybe he thought you knew. You go to yoga.”
I grunt. “Once or twice a month. And honestly, I’m not sure I’d know Blue’s voice if I heard it. He doesn’t talk enough, and I’ve never heard him sing. He isn’t the ‘sign up for karaoke’ type.”
Charlotte smiles. “Well, maybe you should change that. Ask him to sing a duet.”
I laugh.
“What?” she challenges. “I want to hear you sing.”
