Page 3 of Six Wishes

CHAPTER2

Hot

Chloe

As soon as I get back to the table, I drop into my seat. I walked back here like in a daze, not quite sure how I even remembered to put one foot in front of the other.

“Hey, you okay?” Brian, one of the guys who’s on our volleyball team, leans over to ask.

“Totally,” I smile, hopefully reassuringly, then take a sip of water out of the bottle I snagged from the bar before heading back here.

“Did anybody bother you?” His eyes take in the room like he is trying to figure out who he needs to beat up for me.

Brian’s always hinted at the fact that he likes me as more than a friend, but so far, his attempts to ask me out left me cold. He is a great guy, and I’ve known him forever. I heard about the beach volleyball league through him actually. He is an incredible guy, he’s got a solid, but dangerous job as a firefighter, and he would take a bullet for anyone. He is just not for me though, and I hate that I have to keep on pushing him away.

“No, I just…”

“Hey,” my cousin, Hunter, pops up out of nowhere right next to me, even though she was sitting across the table only a second ago. “Who was that you were talking to? He was hot, and he looked like Van Boyd.”

“The hockey player?” Brian’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Yeah, uh, that was him. We’ve met before, actually,” I smile at both of them and shrug like it’s no big deal.

“Yes, I am still jealous of you and my brother taking that selfie with him!” Hunter crosses her arms and pouts next to me. She is talking about the time I was out with my friend, Alison, who happens to know Van. We were out having breakfast and Van stopped to say hi. Ridge, Hunter’s brother, also happened to stop by, and we took a selfie with Van because we knew it would drive Hunter crazy.

“I heard he is up for renewal and about to lose his NHL contract,” Brian informs us casually.

“What?” Hunter’s defenses are up, and that’s all she needed to hear. “He is the best defenseman that team has! Have you seen the size of him?”

“They’re saying the surgery on his knee didn’t go so well though,” Brian shrugs and brings his beer bottle to his lips to take a slow sip.

“That’s some bullshit,” Hunter continues pouting, and they go back and forth for a while. She is a devout New York Sliders fan since she lives there. It’s basically her home team.

I lean back in my chair, relaxing as I listen to them. I love my hockey too, the entire family does, but I don’t know that I am as passionate about it as Hunter is. She is ready to rip Brian’s head off for talking shit about her favorite team.

“I think I am going to take off, guys,” I finally say when there’s a break in the conversation. “It’s late and I need my sleep. I don’t want to be late tomorrow for practice.”

“Sheesh, Chlo,” my cousin teases me. “We’re not training for the Olympics, girl,” she starts laughing. “You can be a little late.”

I smirk and give her the finger, then stand up and grab my little handbag off the table.

“I guess I have to go too then,” she sighs and stands up, her eager moves in contradiction with what she’s saying.

There are five other people at the table, all part of our team, and, one by one, they each gather their things, and we all walk out in a single line.

“I’ll walk you to your cars, ladies,” Brian puts a hand at the small of my back and I smile in thanks.

As we walk across the parking lot, I realize that it’s bothering me that Brian’s gentle touch at my back is not getting to me, not even half as much as Van’s holding my hand earlier. What is wrong with me? I eye him sideways. Brian is really handsome in a classic way. His dark hair has a neat haircut, very short, and parted to the side, then slicked back a little. His brown eyes always look so happy and kind.

It would be nice if he was just a tad taller, though. Maybe that’s what it is that’s turning me off him. We are almost the same height, with him maybe an inch or two taller. He is tall for a guy, just not tall enough for me.

Van Boyd is the perfect height for me though. The thought pops into my head and I try to shake it off.

“Ah, finally,” Hunter spots our cars that are parked next to each other, and she starts walking faster. The dark ponytail she’s sporting swings side to side, and she looks adorable.

“Is Brooke coming tomorrow too?” I ask before she has a chance to open her car door.

“She said she’ll try, depending on how good of a night the baby lets her have,” Hunter chuckles. “Although Ridge said he’ll wake up with the baby so she could sleep. He knows she’s struggling with the baby weight.”

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