“Dude, you should know this one. If you flip a fair coin four times, what is the probability that it’ll have at least one head?” Mona said to me, her authoritative voice making me sit up straighter.
I went through the mental math. “15/16.”
“Sweet. Thanks, brain.”
“You’re welcome, heart,” I said, repeating our constant joke. Lilly was the hormones, I was the brain, Mona was the heart, and Kellie was the stomach. That girl couldcook.Together, we were the perfect human.
We finished the first round when the doors chimed. Out of habit, I looked up, and my breath caught in my throat at the sight of Michael Reiner and a guy who looked very much like Clark Kent. Memories of thatalmostkiss flashed through me—the way his lips were just a hair apart from mine, the weight of his hands on my hips. His soft breath tickling my face at how close we were. I swore my body remembered the heat radiating off him, and I clenched my legs together. Mm. I liked it way more than I should.
Michael looked around the bar, his face lighting up with amusement when his gaze landed on me. He widened his eyes and flashed me the biggest smile before he winked.
“Um, hi, what the fuck is going on?” Mona asked, leaning closer to me and eyeing Michael. She waved at him, making my face flush, and he waved back. “Why is he winking at us?”
“Me. He’s winking at me.” Wow, that felt weird to say.
Mona blinked a few times and bent toward me. So close, her mouth almost touched my face. She had issues with boundaries. “Why? I want one.”
Clark Kent guided Michael to another table on the other side of the bar where two other guys sat with their backs to us. Michael positioned himself so I got a full view of him, and boy, he looked smug.
And happy to see me. My heart sped up seeing joy on his face, all because of me.
Which was also weird.
“If you don’t explain what’s happening, I’m going to throw a fit. A full, embarrassing fit,” Mona said, pointing to Michael across the room. I swatted her hand down as my face burned. “We saw how hot he was, but here he is flirting with you. A hockey player.”
“Mona, my god. We’re friends.”
“Friends don’t wink at each other, girl.”
“Yes they do. We should all do that more,” I said, winking at Kellie, Lilly, then Mona. Kellie ate it up and tried returning the gesture, but it looked like she had something in her eye. “Okay, I take it back.”
“I don’t care that he’s a hockey dude,” Kellie said, her eyes dimming a bit. She knew my aversion to athletes, especially hockey players. “If a man looked at me that way, I’d do just about anything.”
“He’s not a hockey dude… He’s interning. I think he wants to be a coach,” I said, my face hot enough to melt butter. Michael kept glancing over here, and each time, my stomach swooped.
“Interesting,” Kellie said. “That is definitely one of your rules.NEVER DATE A HOCKEY COACH.”
“I’m aware,” I said, hating the way my body clenched with regret.
“Wait, did he break any of the cardinal no-nos?” she asked, hope laced in her voice.
“I mean, we haven’t even kissed, so rule three is unclear.” The orgasm rule. “He was nice to waitstaff and doesn’t talk too much, but he could be a serial dater. I honestly don’t know. Ladies, look,” I said, taking a deep breath and hating how red my face got. “We’re friends, and while I’m attracted to him, I know better than to go down this route. I’ll end up getting hurt, and it’d be safer to just remain friends.”
“Maybe friends with benefits, hm?” Kellie said, turning over her shoulder to ogle him.
Of course, Michael stared right back, amused as hell.How can I explain this to him?
“I can’t… do that,” I said, my face getting even redder. At this point, I might as well burst into flames. I adjusted the denim shirt I wore to let some air in, but it didn’t help. Not that it mattered, but I looked cute tonight. Fun headband with a knot right on the top, my favorite denim shirt, and my black jeans that made me feel confident.
If I were to run into Michael, I’d want to wear this. But as I said, it didn’t matter.
“Okay, nerds, we’re starting round two. The theme is sports.”
A collective groan went through the place from everyone but Michael. He let out a whoop, and Clark Kent patted him on the back. This would happen because he showed up. The karma gods were at work for Michael, and I found myself grinning when he met my eyes and mouthed ‘Game on.’
Maybe I was more competitive than I thought.
“First question: What is Canada’s national sport?”
