I stifle a groan. Brynn looks enthused by the idea. “Coach, with all due respect—“ I begin but he cuts me off.
“Nah, you can’t fight this. You’re on sanctioned best friend mode until I say otherwise, and Bailey here is going to make sure that it’s happening.”
Brynn looks entirely too happy with the idea.
I hate it.
I should have never started rooming with her.
Eloise looks a little shocked at the prospect. “Sounds good, Coach,” she says almost woodenly.
“I need a team that likes each other, and if you can’t do that, then one of you will have to go.” Ice shoots through my veins, and while I feel the nerves, Eloise looks terrified.
“We can do it.” I wrap my arm around her and pull her close. She stumbles into my space, and I get a whiff of her sweat and the underlying sweetness of her floral perfume. My gut flutters. “We’ll be best of friends before you know it.”
He raises an eyebrow, face bright red. I wonder if he thinks I’m being smart.
“Good. You two will be good for each other.” He turns on his heel and walks away, and something about it makes me queasy.
Brynn gives the two of us a smile, and Eloise shakes me off when he’s far enough away. “Coach is gonna keep his eye on you.”
“Setting two?” Eloise asks, and Brynn gives her a thoughtful look.
“Maybe. It seems like it might be a new setting.Suspicious.”
“Awesome,” I mutter.
“Anyway, in order to make sure you’re having your mandated best friend time, I’m your chaperone.” She looks too eager at the idea.
“Great!” Eloise looks a little less shell-shocked at the idea.
I wonder why she got so panicked when Coach told her one of us was going to leave. She just signed a new contract.
I mean, she could possibly be traded if something happened between us. She’s new, so she hasn’t set down any roots. It would make sense.
It would suck for her, but she’s the easier option to get rid of here. “Well, Captain Chaperone, what is our first playdate?” I ask, and Brynn scrunches her nose, still smiling. I know I’m going to eat my words for that.
“I was thinking Grouse Grind on Saturday. How’s that sound?” She asks and I groan.
She snorts. “Brynn, that is the worst thing you could have said.”
“I could make you go bowling.”
Eloise perks up. “Oh, I like bowling,” she says eagerly.
Brynn and I turn to each other, trying hard not to laugh. “You played with Winnie in college?” Brynn asks, and Eloise nods. “Right, you weirdos.”
Eloise looks offended, and I hate to tell her theinside joke; it’s hard to explain, really. “Oh, okay,” Eloise says softly.
“Winnie loves bowling–you should go with her,” I say, and her cheeks darken exponentially. I wonder if she knows what kind of bowling Winnie likes. I wonder if Winnie’s her type.
My throat gets tight at the thought of her and Winnie together. I push the thought away; it feels wrong to think about them as a couple.
Brynn clears her throat quickly. “You guys, we’ll be fine. Grouse Grind is a quick hike. I mean, if the boys can do it, then so can we.”
“You’ve seen the boys on the Vancouver Knights, right?” I ask, and Brynn rolls her eyes. “They’re fit.”
“So are we.” Brynn sounds offended as she places her hands on her hips.
