My free hand clenches in my pocket. The cold metal of the bus shelter presses against my back.
“Wow. Thanks, Maya. But I think I can handle myself.”
“Can you? Because this seems really sudden, and with the party this weekend?—”
I’ve already lifted the phone away from my ear. “I gotta go. I’ll call you later,” I say into the icy wind and hang up before she can respond.
Then I stand there for a second, phone in hand, trying to remember how to breathe. The exhaust from a passing truck hits me, diesel fumes mixing with the metallic smell of cold air.
The digital sign changes.2 minutes.
“Your sister?” Brody asks quietly.
I laugh. It’s not a happy sound. “Yeah. Apparently, I can’t be trusted to date without supervision.”
Brody frowns. “She said that?”
My gaze lifts at the tone in his voice—clipped. He almost sounds…defensive, which would be crazy because he doesn’t know me well enough to be angry for me.
“Not…exactly that.”
Brody tilts his head, that protective look deepening. The thought sends a wave of heat rolling through me. “Whatdidshe say?”
“That you have a reputation for being charming.” I’m going for light sarcasm. It comes out harsh, almost bitter. “That I’ll get hurt…that I’m not exactly your type. That she’s worried I’m going to—” I stop. Can’t quite say it out loud.
Ruin her wedding. Embarrass the family. Prove I’m exactly who they think I am: the sister who can’t get her life together.
“I wouldn’t believe everything you read about me on the internet,” he says.
“This may come as a shock to you, Brody”—I stuff my hands deeper into my pockets as a shiver runs through me—“but I actually don’t spend my evenings catching up on the latest hockey drama. It’s my sister’s fiancé, Derek. He’s not a huge fan.”
Brody is still, standing at my side, his warm gaze searing through the side of my head. A gust of wind scatters the snow off the top of the bus stop. Icy crystals glitter against the inky darkness. Finally, he turns toward the road, tucking his hands into his own jacket as though he intends to join me on the bus.
“I heard her mention a party,” he says nonchalantly. “This weekend?”
“It’s a meet and greet, actually.”
Brody raises a brow. “What is a meet and greet?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. It’s a party for everyone involved in the wedding, the families and wedding party, to all meet prior to the wedding.”
“Sounds like a fancy way to waste money.”
I gape at him. “That’s…” Not entirely wrong. But you’d never catch me saying it. “Yeah, well…it’s still happening.” And why not tell him everything else? After all, according to him—and everyone else on the internet—he’s myboyfriend.“Andmy mother wants me to bring a date. She’s been trying to set me up with literally anyone who crosses her path. I narrowly avoided getting traded to an Olive Garden waiter for unlimited breadsticks earlier today. I had to lie and tell her I already had a date.”
Brody chuckles, the sound taking me right back to Barcelona. To the warmth and sunshine. The bus is visible down the street now. Headlights cutting through the darkness, that familiar rumble of diesel engine.
1 minute.
“I could be your date,” Brody says softly.
My head snaps his direction. “What?”
“To the meet-and-greet party.” He pauses. “Your sister’s marrying Derek, right? I’m invited anyway. Teammate obligation. I could—wecould go together.”
Something in the way he suggests it—the offer coming out too easily, too eagerly. My heart hitches as something clicks into place. The one thing Derek’s always complaining about: Candy Kane’s image.
He needs PR. “You need this.” The words come out slow, understanding dawning. “You need a girlfriend, don’t you? That’s what this is about.”
