“Hey!” I chased after him, but he was already halfway to his truck. Damn his stupidly long legs.
“I didn’t ask for this,” I called as I raced to catch him up.
“I know.” He dumped my bag on the bed of his truck. “But I like winning. Picking you up helps me achieve that. I don’t need you wasting energy walking to the rink.”
I kept my feet rooted to the spot. It was bad enough I’d accepted so much of his help with hockey. I didn’t want to owe him any more than I already did.
“Also, I kind of like how much it pisses you off when I help you.” Parker pulled open the door of his truck for me and nodded at the passenger seat. “Just get in. We’ve got a game to get to.”
As much as I wanted to keep refusing, I was already nervous about the game and knew how tough it was going to be. Conserving my energy was probably a good idea.
“Fine. But no more surprise visits to my house. You don’t just show up at people’s doors unannounced, enthrall their cat, steal their gear, and force them into your truck.”
He was grinning again as I climbed in. “I’m just working on winning you Fosters over one at a time.”
I slammed the door shut and could hear his chuckles as he walked around to the driver’s side. He was still smiling as he got in and started the engine. It rumbled to life with a deep hum before music started drifting from the speakers.
“My cat clearly has no taste,” I said as he pulled away from the curb.
He laughed, flashing me that smirk again. “Clearlyshe’s theone member of your family who hasanytaste.”
“My stepmom seems to think you’re okay.” I was still pissed at her about that.
“Does she now?”
“Don’t get excited. She literally only just met you.”
“Too late. It’s already gone to my head.”
I despised my lips for tilting upward, and quickly kept them moving to stop an actual smile from forming. “Tessa also has the worst taste in men. She likes my dad after all.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” Parker agreed. “How’s it going, with your dad?”
Just the mere mention of him made my heart feel heavy. “Not great. He still hasn’t changed his mind about me.”
“A Foster being stubborn?” He feigned a look of shock. “No way.”
“I’m not nearly as bad as him.”
“Sure.”
“I’m not!”
“I guess you did eventually agree to get in the truck.”
“And I’m starting to wish I was walking.” It was nice and warm in Parker’s truck though. And we were already turning into the rink parking lot. Perhaps spending an extra few minutes with him wasn’t the worst thing in the world.
“You know, for someone who makes out like they don’t want to be around me a whole lot, you’re around me awholelot.” He pulled into a parking space close to the entrance. But I didn’t get out of the car right away. Neither did he.
“I’m just using you for your wheels and your hockey skills.”
But he leaned across the console. “Admit it, you don’ttotally hate me.”
“I-I do.” The feeling was still there, somewhere deep inside, I was sure of it.
“I don’t believe you.”
“You want me to be more convincing?”
