Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 152064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 760(@200wpm)___ 608(@250wpm)___ 507(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 760(@200wpm)___ 608(@250wpm)___ 507(@300wpm)
“Otherwise he’s competing with his brother,” I finish. “Not that he won’t always be compared to him anyway.”
“Yeah. Chicago has their sights on him. That would be a great team for him,” Flip muses.
“I’m sure he’d love to play there. It’s a fun city.” But if he’s in Chicago, he’ll never be able to ask Enid out.
“It is,” he agrees. “If we could go anywhere this summer, just the two of us, where would it be?”
My heart skips a beat. “Like a couple’s vacation?”
His eyes light up. “Exactly.”
I tap my lip. “Are there parameters? Like inside Canada or North America?”
“No parameters. No destination limits. Name your ideal summer vacation.”
The server drops off our appetizers.
I ponder the question again while I cut into a pan-seared scallop. “Honestly, Canadian summers are so short. I hate to leave here when the weather is nice. I’d love to go back to the lodge in Huntsville and spend a week enjoying the beach and you shirtless. It’s so pretty and peaceful up there.”
“I have my eye on a piece of property in that area. We could build a cottage,” Flip says.
“Are you taking notes from Connor these days?” I tease. But the fact that he’s talking in terms like “we” and building a summer home feels like he’s planning a future with me.
“Dallas has a place, now Connor and Dred, so I can see the allure. Especially since you want to stay local and dance in Toronto,” he says.
“What about you? You have lots of time left in your career. What’s your dream after hockey?” He could do anything, go into sportscasting, work for the Hockey Academy like Roman and Hollis, or be a coach and end up anywhere.
“I want to help you pursue your career goals and find a second career that fits our life.” He says this so matter-of-factly.
Like it’s the only possibility. He wants to build a future with me. My heart soars. Does this mean he feels the same way about me as I do him? Is he falling for me, too?
Is this how my parents were when they fell in love? Did they promise each other the world, and slowly the dreams they imagined faded as life and my dad’s career took over? Did my mom just smile and tell him it was fine, but really she was dying inside, alone and wishing for more? What if Flip gets traded? What if I get a job outside of Toronto? What if we make a plan and it all falls apart?
“Hey.” He squeezes my hand. “Sorry, was that too much? I don’t want to overwhelm you.”
“No.” I shake my head. “It’s not too much. It’s just…everything you’re saying—” I lick my lips. “—is exactly what I want, but…”
“You’re scared?” he asks.
For a moment I want to say no, but then I’m just like my mom. I don’t want to say one thing and mean another. “Yeah. I’m scared. I don’t want to end up like my parents.”
His expression softens and saddens. “I get that. And it’s okay to be afraid. I am, too. But as long as we’re in it together, we’ll be okay.”
I love you.
I don’t want to lose you.
I bring his hand to my cheek and kiss the back of it.
I don’t know why I’m suddenly on the verge of tears. “I need to use the bathroom for a moment.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “I’ll just be a minute.” I bend and kiss him on the cheek as I pass, hoping to wipe the concerned look off his face.
I walk down the low-lit hall and push through the door to the bathroom. It’s just for one person, so I lock the door and spin to face my reflection. My cheeks are flushed. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Maybe it’s exam stress, or how certain Flip seems about our future together.
I smooth my hands over my hips and turn to make sure I don’t have panty lines, which is the moment I discover why I’m unreasonably horny and my feelings are on fire.
It’s shark week.
And not only are my brand-new panties ruined, so is my dress.
CHAPTER 44
FLIP
Ialmost worked up the nerve to tell Tally about Fiona, but then I thought about how much stress she’s already under. It’s unfair to put more on her plate just to get this thing off my chest. I also don’t want to do it in public, so I kept my mouth shut. But when she’s through exams and settled, I’ll be honest with her about that piece of my past, even though it scares the absolute shit out of me.
I glance over my shoulder. Tally has been in the bathroom long enough that I start to worry. My phone buzzes with a new message.
Tally
I have a problem.
Flip
Do you need me?
Tally
I need a new dress and new panties.