“I’ll bet. Should be any day now, right?”
I nod. “I’d think so, yeah.”
“How was that thing you had to go to for Prince? The Yacht Club thing?”
I swallow, take a quick sip of water and avoid eye contact. “It was good.”
He pauses mid-bite. “Good, huh? Didn’t expect to hear that. Not when you had to spend the entire night with the Ice Queen.”
My shoulders stiffen at the nickname. “She’s not an Ice Queen. And I know I’m the one who called her that first. But she’s not like that.”
“Hmm.” Callum swipes at his mouth with a napkin, grabs another slice of pizza. He doesn’t push — he never pushes.
I clear my throat, stretch out my legs, an awkward silence stretching between us. “She’s different than I thought.”
One of his brows shoots up, but he stays quiet. So I keep talking.
“Better. She’s funny. Smart as hell.”
“Pretty.” Callum points out the obvious, although he actually undersells.
“Smoking hot, man. You should have seen her in that dress. Fucking gorgeous.”
He brushes his hands together over his plate, dusting off the crumbs. “It’s good to see you more settled, Benny. But be careful, okay? She’s still Prince’s daughter.”
Like I could fucking forget.
I scrub a hand over the back of my neck, blow out a long breath as I stare out the window at the ocean. “Yeah, I know. It’s not a thing. We’re not a thing.”
No matter how many dreams I have about her.
Callum doesn’t comment, dropping the subject of Tori, and we move on to easier topics—hockey, Morrison, Weston and Harbor. After dinner, we watch some film, then playCall of Duty.
Around nine, he stands up and stretches.
“I gotta go. I’m gonna be beat at practice tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I should get to bed, too. Thanks for coming.”
He smacks me on the back, a big show of affection for him. “You bet. I’ve been missing having you around. Hardly any shit to pick up with you gone.”
I grin. “I’ll stop by, leave some dirty dishes in the sink. For old times’ sake.”
“Don’t.” He shoves a hand in his pocket, strolling to the door. “See ya.”
As soon as he’s gone, I text Tori:
Bennett: Going to bed
Alone, sadly.
Sunshine: Sleep well
Bennett: You too, Sunshine
I click off the message and smile until I fall asleep.
I’m walking out of the gym when Coach Keller stops me with a quick tap on the shoulder.
