“How do you know it was him who messaged me?”
She narrows her eyes. “And don’t play dumb with me either.”
Now hungrier than ever, I pick up my cell and unlock it, bringing up the text thread with Will and handing her the phone.
For several minutes, she studies our interactions as I continue to eat. Every now and then, she gasps or raises an eyebrow, and I giggle, wondering which bratty comment from Will has my sister all twisted up. Probably all of them.
Rather than me verbally fill her in on every detail, it feels easier to let her read through everything that’s been said.
When she’s finished, Marley locks my phone and slides it toward me.
I take a last mouthful of pasta and wait for a verdict.
“What do you think?” I eventually ask, too anxious to let the silence last any longer.
Blue eyes, a shade darker than mine, gaze back at me. “I think we need to go out and have a drink. Because that boy”—she points to my cell—“isn’t going to stop until he has my sister right where he wants her.”
I open my mouth to reply, but she shushes me, turning all gooey-eyed.
“And I, for one, am really freaking jealous. Any girl who claims that she doesn’t want a hot hockey player obsessed with her is nothing more than an accomplished liar.”
27
. . .
Will
“All cell phones must be switched to Airplane mode now, sir.”
I nod once and ignore the attendant. We both know I have at least five more minutes before I need to use the plane’s Wi-Fi.
Me
I have 36 hours before the next practice, and even then, I could spin Coach a story about having the flu.
Mason
Are you seriously on a flight to Vancouver?
Me
Yes. Quicker than the ferry because the weather is shit.
Mason
Damn. Maybe this is where I went wrong with Eloise for all those years. I should’ve been chasing her across countries rather than simply picking up the phone and calling her like a normal person would.
Me
Ha-fucking-ha. You know Drew has gone dark, and therefore, calling is no longer an option.
Mason
Did you ever stop and think that maybe she actually needs the space she told you about when you stalked her into your parents’ bathroom?
Me
I wish I hadn’t told you about that part.
