Page 51 of Ruin The Friendship
He nods again, eyes growing even wider at my use of his first name. “Yeah. I work here at my grandpa’s booth so I can put money toward my gear and stuff.”
“Hard worker, love to hear it,” I answer wholeheartedly. “What position?”
“Goalie.” He grimaces. “My aunt works two jobs so I can play and join the private leagues.”
Yeah, no wonder. Being a goalie is expensive as heck.
An idea pops into my mind. “What would you say to a deal? If you give me the hot chocolate recipe, I’ll see what I can do to get you a private lesson at the arena with Aadland and me.”
The kid is at a complete loss for words, his jaw on the floor until an older man steps up behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder.
“Everything alright here?” he asks.
“Perfect,” I respond. “My—uh?—”
How do I refer to Lydia? She’s my best friend, of course, but things are starting to blur, and I’m not about to reveal that she’s pregnant to strangers. Who knows what kind of weird headline might come from that?
“My friend. She really,reallyloves the hot chocolatehere, and I was wondering if I could get the recipe. I offered Dylan a deal.”
“A deal?” the old man asks warily.
“It’sFletcher Graff,Grandpa.” Dylan gestures to me, still in shock. When his grandpa doesn’t connect the dots, Dylan groans. “From the Minnesota Blue Herons. The captain!”
His grandpa’s eyes widen, and his eyebrows lift, so I offer an awkward wave.
“We’d be happy to give you the recipe. You don’t need to do a lesson,” he says, waving a hand.
Dylan groans in disdain. “Aprivatelesson, Grandpa!”
The older man is already searching for a pad and pen to write down the recipe while I pull out my phone. “Give me your aunt’s phone number, and I’ll see what I can do, okay?”
The smile reappears on Dylan’s face as he pulls his own cell phone from his pocket. We craft a message to send to his aunt, while his grandpa also texts her, so she doesn’t think it’s a prank. There’s something special about Dylan, I can already tell. I want to help him achieve his dreams.
I know that Lydia and I are still testing the waters, but I already think of the baby growing inside of her as mine. The realization that I could someday have a son like Dylan makes my heart clench. I would move heaven and Earth to make my son or daughter's dreams come true, and I can’t wait to help with Dylan’s.
Five minutes later, I’m walking back to Lydia with another cup of hot chocolate, a recipe, and a heart full of joy.
23
A PACKAGE DEAL
LYDIA
Fletcher takes my hand as we head into our apartment. It was a magical night, complete with everything I could ever want on a first date. It’s wild to think that I just went on a first date withFletcher. We’ve officially shifted into the new territory, and honestly, it felt easy and oh so real.
“I had a great time tonight,” I say.
Fletcher drops my hand so I can bend over to unzip my boots and kick them off.
“Me too.” He’s quiet for a long moment, running his hands through his hair. He glances up at me, those green eyes burning with heat and a hint of trepidation. “Is it too soon to ask if you want to go on a second date?”
I can’t stop smiling at the boyish expression on his face. “No, not at all.”
“What do you say to next Thursday night?” He steps up close and holds me tight, his thumb rubbing small circles on my back.
I lean into the simple touch. “I’d have to check my calendar.”
Fletcher coughs out a laugh, squinting at the fridge. Of course, my insistence on keeping our schedules up to date is coming in handy. “The calendar doesn’t have anything on it for you besides work, so I think your schedule is clear.”
