Page 59 of See You at the Finish Line

“What?”

“Don’t play stupid.”

“He’s not a good guy,” I say, forgetting we’re in a public place and our friends are sitting across from us.

“He’s one of your players.”

“Doesn’t mean I like the guy.”

“And why does it matter if you like him or not?”

“You deserve someone who treats you better. Also, he has no sisters.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Shay interjects. “The sex was terrible.”

“What?” Mateo and I both blurt out. She continues eating like she didn’t just spill her friend’s secret.

Paige whips around, glaring at her friend. “Shay!”

“What?” Shay shrugs and Paige gapes back at her.

She shifts around, creating some space between us and turning the full force of her anger on me.

“You know what, Adam, you don’t get to talk about what I deserve.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She huffs. “You know exactly what that means. How do you even know about Nate? Who I date is none of your business.”

Date. She’s dating him.

“He’s a famous hockey player. There are pictures of you all over the internet. Or there were.” I checked this morning and they were long gone, just like I predicted.

Paige shakes her head. “Are you stalking me for real now?”

“You’re the one who moved to my city,” I spit back, feeling the anger—and other emotions—rise in my chest as she leans in, her face full of indignation.

“I did not move here for you.” She says it so plainly that it hurts a little. If she sees it on my face, she doesn’t react.

“I know that. I don’t want to see you get hurt,” I say, unsure where to take it from here.

She stands to leave and I follow suit, but she glares at me. The tension visibly rolls off her shoulders. When she steps so close that I can smell her, the memories hit me like a truck.

Though she’s not covered in a film of dirt and sweat, her scent is the same, like coconut and fresh air. My mouth waters, my lips aching with the need to touch her and taste her.

She smells like home.

She’s still glaring at me, and when my eyes accidentally flick down to her lips, she grins like she won a battle.

Paige leans in and it takes everything in me not to grab her and pin her against the wall. “Maybe you should have thought about that before you were so quick to forget about me,” she hisses.

She throws some money down on the table and storms out with Shay. I stand there like an idiot, stunned.

“Still haven’t cleared that up yet, eh?” Mateo says, enjoying my discomfort.

“I haven’t had the chance.” A lie. He knows it and snorts into his food. “What do I do with this?”

“Do better?”

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