I hit her shoulder as she cackles. “Taylor, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think I’d have to tell her to smarten up,” I say.
There’s a small uptick in her lips, the corner showing a smile that tells me she expected exactly this without telling me so. “You two are just so stiff. Is this why they wanted to show you guys off?” Kenz complains. “I mean, you have chemistry, you’re just—”
“Just what?” Taylor asks. She stares into my soul instead of looking at Kenz.
“Yeah, Kenz, just what?” I pile on, enjoying the way she squirms for a minute. “Would you maybe like to tell us more about your recent escapades instead?”
She narrows her eyes, glaring at me as the waiter drops our food off. The aroma is to die for, and Taylor looks grateful that she has something in front of her to focus on instead of what Kenz was trying to insinuate. “I told you that in private.”
“And I told you to leave her alone. You’re going to give her anxiety,” I say in a teasing tone. Taylor seems to have wandered off into her own little world.
“She’s not very sociable.”
“Only to people who talk too much,” Taylor quips between bites. Is the wine starting to make her a bit bolder? “But you wouldn’t know that, would you?”
Kenz’s jaw drops open. “Look who’s brave now.“
“Kenz,” I warn. “Eat your meal. Taylor will tell you all about herself during dessert.”
Taylor’s face pales at the thought, but I give her a thumbs up. She’s going to be fine, and after a bit of booze and food and chocolate, something I know she can’t give up, she’s going to be more than fine. The lasagna in front of me is steaming and looks delicious. I must’ve died and gone to heaven because the first bite has me moaning. Everything is perfect, the ricotta, the parmesan, the mozzarella.
“Where has this been all my life?” I moan.
A throat clears, and Taylor’s cheeks are suddenly flushed again. Kenz laughs in response. “If you got traded to Toronto, then you’d be here with me every weekend.”
“Every weekend?” Taylor echoes, her eyes as big as saucers. “Fuck me, that sounds like heaven,” she mutters under her breath. I catch the tail end of it, but Kenz puffs her chest out slightly, proud.
“So I did a good job picking the restaurant. Is that what you’re telling me?”
“Of course you did; just stop antagonizing my new bestie, and it’ll be perfect,” I say.
“Yeah, leave the bullying on the ice,” Taylor says, “We’re going to kick your ass this year anyway.”
I laugh, watching Kenz lean back with a groan. “I forgot that you two were going to be playing together. Shit,” She wipes a fake tear from her eye, “You’re going to be a force this year.”
“Walter Cup Champs is what you meant to say, right?” Taylor asks, with an unreadable glint in her eye as she watches me instead of Kenz. She looks away after a few seconds, but Kenz doesn’t seem to notice the way my eyes widen. It’s a damn rollercoaster, and my heart and my stomach can’t handle it.
“I can’t believe you’d say that,” I say, “Winnie would be killing you if we were back home.”
Taylor snorts. “She’s just paranoid. We’ll be fine.”
Kenz groans. “I hate that you’re so confident. There’s no way you guys know you’re going to win it all.”
“As long as we beat Minnesota,” Taylor and I say in sync. Our eyes connect across the round table, and we laugh. Kenz leans back in her seat, sliding down in exasperation.
“I don’t like this. You’re supposed to be my best friend, El, not Tay’s.”
My laugh dies down for a moment. “I’m allowed to have more than one friend, Kenz.”
She sighs dramatically, readjusting to eat her supper. “I guess.”
“Move to Vancouver,” Taylor says, “Then we can all be best friends.”
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling at the thought, but through my lashes, I catch Taylor looking at me again, her green eyes like peridots in the warm light. My whole body feels alive and tingly and something that I shouldn’t be feeling for a woman who has reiterated that she’s straight so many times, especially in the last couple of hours.
I can’t keep falling for her.
“You’d want to be my best friend?” Kenz laughs. “I didn’t think I worked that much magic.”
