Page 74 of Playmaker

Thirty

Cameron

“I’m never going to make it,” Ethan says, approaching my side at the bar. He signals for the bartender, his shoulders tense. Sweat stains his white button-down dress shirt, and he glances over his shoulder to where Maya and Maddie wait for us at our table, releasing a heavy sigh.

“Come on, man.” I clap him on the shoulder and give him a reassuring smile. “It’s not that bad.”

“Do you evenseeher dress tonight?” Unable to help himself, he casts another look over his shoulder at her, but Maya isn’t the girl holding my attention. Maddie is wearing a tight red minidress with a sweetheart-shaped neckline bedazzled with tiny crystals. With her curly hair in a slicked-back ponytail, my eyes are drawn to the elegant slope of her neck—a moth to a flame, a magnet to steel, the list of attraction is endless, but each one applies to us.

While their parents are having their picnic, the rest of us went with Ethan’s plan and decided to dine at a fancy restaurant downtown. The food was spectacular, but the view was even better, and I’m not talking about the deep-red undertones of the plush leather booths or the low lighting creating a sultry ambiance. I was able to admire Maddie for an entire sixty minutes without being bothered, so I’m taking that as a win in my book.

“Scotch please,” Ethan says to the bartender. I order the same, and while we wait, he seems deep in thought before he adds, “I want to talk to Maddie soon about making a move on Maya. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and this trip has proven to me that Maya is more than just a crush. I’m serious about starting something with her, but I don’t know how to get that across to my sister without her kicking my ass into next week.”

“You think she’d be upset?” I take a long sip of my drink when it lands in front of me.

“I know she would be. What reassurance have I given to make her trust me with Maya’s heart? I was a dick in high school, and even though I’ve matured now, all she’s going to care about is who I portrayed myself to be.”

I tilt my head to the side. “Portrayed yourself to be? Correct me if I’m wrong, but we were straight up assholes. There was no portraying going on, we justwere.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he mutters. “I’ve been wanting to have some alone time with Maya to try to get some sort of confirmation that we both want this before I talk to my sister, but being on a family trip makes it impossible.”

I attempt to hide my grin after another sip of scotch. Ethan just placed a gift in my lap without realizing it.

Alone time with Maddie?

“Why don’t I steal Maddie away from you for the night? I’ll make up an excuse for us to get out of here, that way you and Maya can have the alone time you need to make your decision.”

Ethan’s eyes light up with hope. “Seriously?”

Guilt crawls through my body but I shove it to the side and offer him a tight smile instead. He has no idea what’s going on between Maddie and me, and he’s oblivious to the fact that he’s so worried about what Maddie will think about him liking Maya when Maddie crossed that boundary with me without a second thought about his opinion.

“Yeah. Take the car and take her somewhere. I’ll call an Uber for us.”

After some contemplation, Ethan nods and drains the last of his scotch, wincing from the burn. “Thanks, man. I owe you one.”

No, you really don’t.

When we head back over to the table, I tap Maddie on the shoulder and jerk my head at the doors leading out to the deck. Floor-to-ceiling windows reveal the beginning of the sunset, casting the restaurant in pinks and oranges, but nothing compares to the blue of her eyes.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” I ask.

Her eyes dart to my brother, then to me. “Why would I want to go on a walk with you?”

Ethan reaches his max level of patience when he blurts, “Can you just go on the damn walk?”

Everyone is stunned into silence, especially Maya, who fidgets in her seat, fingers white-knuckled around the edge of the chair.

“Um, okay?” Maddie cautiously rises from her seat, and after exchanging a glance with Maya, she follows me through the maze of tables. It bothers me that I can’t place my hand on the small of her back. Every second spent not touching her is pure agony, especially when a few waiters turn their heads to catch a second look after she passes them.

It’s getting close to closing time, so there aren’t too many people left in the restaurant, and one of the waiters looks like he’s going to shoot his shot until I pick up my stride to follow close behind her, casting a looming shadow over her and him.

I dare him to try to flirt with her. I almost wish he would so I can tell him to fuck off because she’s mine.

She’salwaysbeen mine.

The guy takes one look at me and spins on his heel to head in the other direction. Maddie looks back at me expectantly, oblivious to what’s going on around her.

Does she really not understand the amount of attention she draws just by beingher?

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