“You’re a menace to everyone.” Oliver rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone. “Oh, no way.”
“What is it?” I asked, immediately going worst-case scenarios. Em texted him to run away, and Oliver took her without my knowledge. Even thinking that in my head made no sense.God.I needed to get it together.
“Price Charming got traded here.”
“Oh, the receiver from LA?” Quinn’s brows came together.
“Yeah. He went to our college too. Different year. Good guy,” Oliver frowned, meeting Ivy’s gaze. “Ivy, he ran in circles with us a bit. His wife… she passed away a year ago. She went to Central State too.”
“Shit.” Ivy paled and ran a hand over her chest. “I remember reading about that—totally sudden, out of nowhere. I’ll let Sloane know so she can prepare. He’s a great guy, hell of an athlete. You all better be nice to him.”
“Are we mean to anyone?” Quinn fired back.
“Yes. You’re a pain in the ass to most.”
“How soon until he’s here?” I asked, grateful for literally any distraction. Em would find her first clue any minute, and she’d call when she did. My hands sweated, and my pulse raced—the ring sat heavy in my pocket, and God, I wanted her to wear it. Only two hours from now, then she would be.
Then I’d convince her to get married fast. I wanted her to have my last name. I wanted Miles, her, and me to all be Abbotts.
“Few days. He could start next game too. It makes sense since Blaze is out for the year. Also, why so many guys from Central State? Y’all aren’tthatgood?”
“Quinn, shut up.” Oliver pushed him to the side right as my phone rang.
Em.
“Fuck off all of you. She’s calling! She’s calling!” I barked, physically shoving Quinn and Jordan backward as I bolted down the hallway.
“You’re gonna cry!” Quinn yelled after me.
“I already did once today!” I shot back. “This is growth!”
I ducked into the empty film room and answered on the first ring, breathless and grinning like a fool.
“Hey,” I said, trying—and failing—to sound normal.
“You’re not gonna believe this,” Em said, voice bright and breathless. “I found a note taped to the coffee maker.”
I leaned back against the wall, eyes closed. Showtime.
“No way. Did you read it?” I asked.
“Obviously I read it,” she said. “It says—” She cleared her throat dramatically. “‘Good morning, future clue-solver. If you want to know how much I love you, follow the trail. First stop: the place you said tasted like happiness.’”
There was a pause.
“Noah,” she said slowly. “Is this… is thisthething?”
“It might be the thing,” I said. “How do you feel about…muffins?”
She gasped. “You did not.”
“I sure did.”
She knew what this was. She had to.
I cleared my throat, wishing I could see her face. “Yes, baby. This isthe moment.Now follow the clues.”
“Ah! Okay, ohmygod. Okay, Noah, hey, Noah?” she asked, voice filled with emotion.
