“Will do, Coach.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
ELLIOT
I am goingto huck my phone straight into the Rideau Canal.
Okay, I’m not going to do that, but in this second as my phone lights up once again with yet another call from Shawn, there is nothing I would love to do more.
I flip my phone over on the counter so I can at least pretend someone else is calling and return my focus to the cookies I’m making. Wait…did I already add the baking powder to the flour? I cannot concentrate today.
After the Otters beat Florida on Saturday, they secured their place in the Eastern Conference finals. The best of seven series starts tomorrow in Boston.
Shawn texted yesterday asking for tickets to the first home game. It’s not that I really believed that after I gave him the jersey and tickets to the game last week that he would be satisfied, but I thought I’d have more time before he asked for something else.
But no. He wants “better seats” this time. To one of the most sought-after series in sports.
Asshole.
“Hey.” Sam enters the kitchen, and I do a double take.
“You grew again,” I say in disbelief.
“I mean, yes. I’m an adolescent. I’m in a constant state of growth.” He leans over to see what I’m making, his chin resting on my shoulder. He wasn’t tall enough to do that last month. Was he?
“Well, slow down, would you?”
“Sure thing.” He watches me as I measure the ground ginger and add it to the mixing bowl. “Another cookie order?”
No. I just wanted to beat the crap out of some dough.“Nope. I just felt like ginger snaps.”
The phone starts to vibrate on the counter again. I try not to react, but I’m sure that Sam feels me stiffen.
“Are you and Arthur fighting?”
“What? No, sweetie. Why do you ask?”
Sam shrugs, moving to stand beside me at the counter. “Your phone keeps ringing and you keep ignoring it. I thought maybe something was wrong.”
I shake my head. “No. Arthur and I are fine.” Better than fine. Part of me still can’t believe how hard and fast I’ve fallen for the big brute.
“Good.” Sam sounds relieved. “Because I kind of already invited him to your birthday party.”
“I’m sorry, my what?”
“Okay, not a party, party. Just like a dinner party? I know it’s usually just the two of us, but I thought we could change it up this year? We’re going to have it at Ben and Maddy’s. Ben and I have been working on the menu for a while. It was just going to be the four of us, but I asked Arthur to come too.”
“I…when did you see Arthur?”
“When I was at Otters training yesterday. Is that okay?”
“Of course it’s okay, sweetie. But he’s really busy. So is Ben, for that matter. It’s the playoffs. He can’t just drop everything for my birthdaydinner.”
“We planned it for two days after your actual birthday. It will be between home games next weekend. And he said he’d come.”
“He did?”
“Yeah. He seemed kind of excited, to be honest.”
