My stomach is in knots. I’m not sure if I want to puke or die. “I didn’t mean to, but now I’m worried that I’m going to get fired for kissing her and my contract is going to go up in flames.”
“She liked it,” Winnie says. “But, back to the porn—”
Brynn lunges across the counter and puts a finger over Winnie’s lips. My heart stops. “She liked it?” I whisper.
Winnie’s enthusiastic nods make me think that everything is going to be fine for a moment. “It doesn’t matter if she liked it; the matter is consent and not kissing people in the locker room. Shit, Taylor. I’m so happy you’ve told me, but now we’ve got to figure this out,” Brynn says. “Is there any way someone saw you?”
I shake my head and so does Winnie. “We were all on the ice. I mean, I think we all suspect something is going on,” she says, “The way you’ve practically glued yourself to her after you became friends was pretty obvious.”
My cheeks flame, and Brynn groans. “I just wanted you to be friends.”
I shrug with a small smile. “I guess I’m an overachiever.” Her eyes narrow into tiny slits, pinning me to my space.
“So she liked it? Maybe you should text her and ask her to come over, get on the same page and everything?” Winnie says, posing the question as Brynn sighs. She pinches the freckled skin of the bridge of her nose before nodding.
“That would make the most sense, but would this be the best spot? She may think we’re trying to silence her if she sees the three of us,” Brynn considers.
There’s a twinkle in Winnie’s eye, the blue dark with mischievousness. "A neutral place- like Oat’d."
“A coffee shop at 6, come on, Winnie,” Brynn mutters. “Maybe take her to dinner?”
“What about just showing up at her door?” Winnie says. “Bring some takeout and talk everything over.”
“She may not take too kindly to her showing up,” Brynn says. “I don’t know what I would do if Taylor kissed me at work.”
I stick my tongue out. “She has a point, Winnie. But maybe we let her settle into the thoughts and let them stew, and then I ask her for coffee tomorrow before practice.”
“We have the Ottawa Otters coming into town tomorrow. The game the next,” Brynn mutters. “We’re going to be on media overload before the game.”
“No one’s going to recognize us,” I say. “Besides, we could just say we’re getting a coffee before work.”
Brynn shakes her head. “We’re not thinking thisthrough enough. I feel like we need to let management know.”
“They’ll bench me,” I snap, “They’ll think I’m unstable and shouldn’t be playing and who knows? Maybe they’ll ship me off before we can blink. I can’t leave.”
“Youareunstable, holy shit Taylor,” Brynn snaps. “This is a nightmare. You know what? Fine, go to Eloise’s, bring a peace offering and talk everything through. If she’s okay with you kissing her, then we’re on solid ground, and you need to tell management that you’re pursuing a relationship with her.”
I jump up, nodding. I grab the keys to Brynn’s car and my purse before turning back to them. “Where does she live?”
Brynn’s groan is low as I watch her pull a wine class from the cupboard and the bottle of white out of the fridge. Winnie smirks, turning to me. “Come on, drop me off on the way home, and I’ll show you where she lives.”
“Brilliant,” Brynn mutters while pouring the wine. “It’s the blind leading the blind.”
I’m tapping my foot against the floor, anxiously waiting at the door in front of me.
I knocked.
Wait,did I?No, I'm sure I did.
I hear footsteps approaching the door and it swings open. Eloise’s sharp brown eyes meet mine. She looks cozy. Her hair is tied up in a bun. She has on grey sweatpants that are a smidge too short for her and a black tank top. No bra.
Shit, she’s not wearing a bra.
Jeez.
It’s not until I’ve looked her up and down that I realize I’ve been staring her down like a cat in heat. I think I may even be drooling. “Taylor?” she asks, and I jerk my head up, nodding. “What are you doing here? It’s late.”
“Winnie told me where you lived, which, nice place.” She smothers a smile. “Can I come in?”
