“Gordie. My dad made a bet with his buddy, and my dad lost. My godfather got to pick my middle name and went with Gordie. So yeah, Naomi Gordie Fletcher.”
“Gordie as in… Gordie Howe? Mr. Hockey?” My eyes almost bugged out of my face. “That’s pretty badass.”
“Not as a young girl when we were bedazzling everything and getting monograms of our initials.” She forced out a laugh and looked down at her hands. “My sister was Cami May, so you could imagine my envy.”
“I don’t know if I’ve ever given much thought about my middle name.” I crossed my arms and tried to remember if my parents told me why they’d chosen that. Maybe it was a long-lost family name or a tribute to their favorite dog. I wasn’t sure, and it was moments like these where my chest weighed a million pounds. I would never get to ask them for middle-name anecdotes. The paralyzing grief rippled under the surface, and I did the only thing I knew—deflected it. Distracted myself.
I could give my whole attention to a person, a sport, an assignment, just to avoid getting lost in my own thoughts or feelings. “Listen, I can see you have some bitterness about not having a cute middle name that looks good in sparkles, but that shit is cool. Not saying that because hockey is in my blood. It’s unique, and anyway, who wants to fit in? I sure don’t. My sister’s name is Ryann with two N’s, and she loves how different her name is. No offense, Klutzy, but you don’t strike me as someone who was born to blend.”
Naomi’s entire posture changed. Her shoulders relaxed, and warmth flooded her eyes. “Thanks. I needed to hear that.”
“I’m always good for a truth bomb and pretending to date you when guys like Gage come around.” I winked at her, and Naomi blushed. The pink on her cheeks had my grin stretching across my face. She was damn cute. “So, speaking of names… Fletcher. Simpson. Why do you go by Fletcher?”
She nodded. “My official last name is Fletcher-Simpson. My mom never took my dad’s last name when they married, and I just liked Fletcher better. My sister chose Simpson.”
“Naomi Gordie Fletcher it is.” I studied her again, feeling a natural closeness with her that I hadn’t experienced in a long time. Kindred spirits, lost souls. It wasn’t purely physical either. Sure, she was attractive, but the fact she was the boss’s daughter put an instantnot going therevibe around her. That made her live in a different part of my mind. One that didn’t cross into more than friends.
Because this internship, working with Simpson, was the thing I needed to figure out my future. No matter how cute his daughter was, nothing could mess that up. Plus, I missed having someone to share stuff with. Freddie was great but distant. My sister and I spoke twice a week, but that was via phone. Once I got past Naomi’s exterior, she opened up, and it like we’d known each other for months instead of days. I said her name again and winked when she met my eyes.
“Okay, you charmer, you’re a hockey player.” Naomi smiled.
“Was. Not anymore,” I said, the edge of my voice a little sharper than intended. “I was. For most of my life, but that chapter’s done.”
“Not really. Sure, you’re notonthe ice, but you’re interning with my dad. He lives and breathes the sport. This might be more intense than being on the team.” She released a little sigh that had me frowning. Her dad’s dedication to hockey apparently bothered her.
I wanted to ask why, but her attention shifted to my right where a very different version of Naomi stood. Same facial features, same coloring, but everything else was the total opposite.
The sister waved and smiled brightly at Naomi, who stiffened.Interesting.
“Hey, you!” the girl said, her gaze moving to me, and her eyes widened. “Oh, you’re handsome. I’m Cami.”
“Cami with the cute middle name. Nice to meet you.” I smiled and winked before getting up from the table. Cami’s grin grew as she checked me out from head to toe, but I didn’t react with more than an arched brow.
“Talking about me, I see,” Cami said, sitting next to me and not leaving more than a few inches between our arms. She smelled like an explosion of lavender and flowers, and I itched my nose. It wasn’t bad, but it was a lot. Nothing like the subtle lemon of Naomi. “You on a study date with my sister?”
“No. This isnota date. He came over here to annoy me,” Naomi said before I could even breathe.
“Well Ms. This-is-not-a-date,” I said, laughing at how fast she claimed we weren’t together. Her tone made it sound like I was the last person she’d be caught on astudy datewith, and a prickle of annoyance had me narrowing my eyes.
Which was dumb.
I didn’tdate,and hello! COACH’S DAUGHTER. That cleared up any weird feelings she caused, and I smiled at the sisters. “I should let you both catch up, since my plan is complete.Annoy Naomi, mission accomplished.”
Cami let out a little pout of protest, but I ignored it. She had trouble written all over with her outfit and lack of personal space. The minute I was around both sisters, it was very clear they couldn’t be more different. Besides the basic facial structure, body type, hair, and eye color, there was nothing similar about them. I gave a tight smile to Cami before glancing atnot a dateKlutzy McGee and found her staring at me with hurt in her eyes.
Seeing that pain in someone else caused a protective instinct in me that I often thought of as Momma Bear. Gender wasn’t hard lines, and the phrasePoppa Bearreminded me of a nursery rhyme. Momma Bears guarded those around them, and that’s how I felt about Naomi. “See you at the game Friday, Fletcher? You bring the clipboards and bar charts, and I’ll bring the charm?”
Her lips twitched just a half an inch up on one side before she nodded. “Leave the charm at home, please.”
“Never.”
With that, I lifted my hand in a wave before heading back to Freddie’s table. Half of the Skittles were gone by the time I sat down. “You cheat on your very meticulous study plan?”
“I would never.” His eyes flashed at me before he leaned back in the chair and jutted his chin toward Naomi and Cami. “How do you know the twins?”
Cami leaned over her forearms, her upbeat voice carrying across the library, but I couldn’t stop watching Naomi. Her shoulders were slumped, and she looked at the table andnother sister.
“The twins? They have a name? A reputation? Oh, do tell.” I tried not to look too eager, but if Freddie knew about them, that piqued my interest. He rarely got out and preferred playing videogames over socializing in person.
