Her hair blows into my face and she tries to tame it.
“The way you talk about Adam reminds me a lot of Nathan. Always looking out for me even when I didn’t want him to.”
“Maybe we’re just good at giving them reasons to worry about us.”
“That’s probably accurate.” I think back to all the times I gave Nathan reason to worry.
“What about you? You’re going to be a big hockey star when college is over. Is it weird to have your future all mapped out?”
“Feels so far away it doesn’t seem real yet, I guess.”
“Will you get me tickets so I can come cheer you on?”
I like the vision of her being there even if it’s unlikely to happen. “We might be able to work out some sort of barter system.”
“Oh yeah? What’d you have in mind?” That sexy glint is back in her eyes.
“Nothing appropriate for the kids sitting in that minivan next to us,” I tell her and sit up. I take her hand and pull her up next to me, drop a kiss to her forehead, and say, “We can discuss it back at my place.”
27
Ginny
On Sunday, I drag Heath over to my dorm to hang out. Ava’s still gone, so we sit on my bed and watch TV, make out, watch TV, nap, make out—it’s the perfect ending to a great weekend.
“You could stay the night,” I offer as he’s getting dressed to go.
“I wish I could, but I promised Maverick we’d work on Shakespeare. His test is tomorrow.”
I let out a sigh. “I should probably do some homework too. Someone distracted me all weekend.”
He leans down to kiss me. “You didn’t seem to mind so much when you were riding my face.”
Fresh desire blooms, and he must read it all over my expression because the next thing I know, I’m flat on my back and he’s on top of me kissing me like the world will end if he doesn’t.
A squeak and the slamming of a door breaks us apart.
I give Ava an apologetic smile. No matter how many times she sees Adam or Heath, she still gets shy around them.
“Hey, Ava,” he says to my roommate and then slowly rises off me, but not without another quick kiss. “Bye, baby. See you at the dining hall tomorrow?”
“Umm… yeah.” I think through my schedule. “Only for breakfast, though, I’m working at the Hall of Fame in the afternoon.”
“Too bad.” He winks and then heads out.
Monday afternoon I have three tours in a row. It’s only my second time working by myself. Usually we do them in pairs, but today, I’m the only one available.
I have a junior high class, a soccer recruit, and then finally a hockey recruit. Knowing I might see Heath before or after the last tour makes the time go by at a snail’s pace. It’s nice out today, though. Perfect Arizona weather with blue skies and a light fall breeze. I take Andi, the soccer chick, over to the practice field and we sit while I let her ask me questions and soak up the experience.
We return just in time for my last tour. I hand her off to a girl on the Valley team as Rauthruss and Maverick walk in the hockey recruit, Tom.
“Genevieve!” Maverick calls, his voice echoing in the big, open space.
I wave and step forward. “Hey, nice to meet you.” I smile and extend my hand to Tom.
“You’re in good hands,” Mav assures him. “Ginny is Adam’s sister and Heath’s—” He catches himself in time, but my blood pressure still rises. Mav coughs. “Friend.”
“Thanks, guys.” I bypass the weirdness by stepping away and inviting Tom to follow me with a head tilt in the opposite direction.
Tom is a quiet guy who doesn’t say a lot as I show him around. We go by all the usual places on the tour, but I still can’t get a read on him until we get to the last stop.
“And this is the hype room.” I do my best Vanna White as he stares into the darkened room with wide eyes and an excited smile. Upbeat music already pumps into the space, and with the press of a button, the TVs come to life with the standard Welcome to Valley message splashed across the entire room.
Tom walks in, slowly giving it the appropriate amount of awe. “This is so dope.”
“Right?” I follow behind him and close us inside.
I cue up the hockey team video and scoot to the back to let him enjoy the five-minute segment in as much privacy as I can.
The hype room is still my favorite part of this job. I could sit in here all day. Even I feel like a badass after watching the videos and I did not inherit the athleticism my brother did.
I wait for the bits with Heath in them, having practically memorized when his face or an action clip appear.
Things have been great. While I don’t love keeping it from my brother, it’s been nice to spend time with Heath without the judgment or questions from anyone. I love my brother and I understand why he wants to protect me, but I don’t need it in this scenario, and I’m not willing to gamble that he’ll be cool with it. Heath and I are having fun. A lot of it. And yes, maybe my feelings have gone beyond that, but I refuse to get swept up in analyzing it. But as Heath’s face displays on the screen, flashing a cocky and disarming smile, my body melts.
Fine, I like him a lot. Who knew dating could be so much fun? I’ve never laughed so much or felt so wanted. And I don’t mean his obvious appreciation for my body. We spend a lot of time together and only half of that is naked. Seventy percent tops.
As it gets to the end sequencing, I step closer and get
