Page 12 of A Little Complicated

“Me too. I’ve been brainstorming with Sanderson, and we thought it would be cool to do a fundraiser or something with the men’s team to hype up the season and hopefully sell some tickets.”

Sanderson is the men’s coach. He’s been mentoring Jaxon on how to handle the girls’ team and start them out on the right foot. Apparently, it includes a fundraiser or some shit I’ll likely be dragged to.

Can’t fucking wait.

“What a great idea!” Ophelia raves. “Let me know what you need from me, and I’m there.”

“Sounds good.”

“So, are you still living here, or…?” She peeks around Jax in the doorway and takes in the family room, the set of stairs, and the garbage littering the floor from last night’s party. When her eyes fall on me, she forces a smile and looks up at Jaxon again like he’s the most interesting person in the world.

Yeah, Opie. I know. It’s good to see you too.

“Nah. I’m still looking for a new place,” Jaxon answers her. “Uncle Henry offered to let me use his penthouse, but we’ll see.”

Technically, my dad isn’t Jaxon’s uncle by blood, but since we were raised together, all of our parents are more like aunts and uncles to us than simply our parents'friends. Not recognizing the difference was fine until we hit middle school and realized we could play Spin the Bottle and Truth or Dare whenever we hung out at family barbecues and shit. Yeah, then the differentiation was something we zeroed in on.

I’m not surprised my dad offered the penthouse to Jaxon, but I’ll be shocked if Jaxon takes him up on it. The guy’s been adamant about paving his own path since he was a kid. Part of me thinks it’s one of the reasons he decided to turn down the NHL offer since my dad’s the owner of the Lions team, but he’d never admit it out loud. No, Jaxon’s too much of a recluse to open up to anyone or tell them what he thinks and wants out of life.

Then again, I guess we have that in common.

“It’s probably a good idea, though,” Ophelia replies, bringing me back to the conversation. “Ya know, stay close so you can keep an eye on these boys. Or maybe not,” she adds dryly. “You’re not their team captain anymore. No need to babysit, right?”

“Yeah, but if I don’t do it, who will?” Jaxon questions with a grin. He opens the door a little wider. “Come in.”

“It’s early,” she starts. “I don’t want to intrude. I saw someone peeking through the blinds, so I figured I’d stop by and say hi.”

“I’m Reeves,” my buddy interjects. He steps toward her with an outstretched hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too. I’m Ophelia, but you can call me Lia.” She takes his hand and shakes it.

“Lia,” Reeves repeats as if he’s tasting it. “Pretty name.”

Her mouth lifts. “Thanks.”

“I gotta get going,” Jaxon announces. “Griffin and Everett are at the rink getting in some skate time, and Archer’s at B-Tech until tonight.”

“I know,” Lia replies. “I was hoping to say hi before he left, but apparently, he had to be at the office at the ass-crack of dawn to prepare for a meeting or something.”

“Yeah, the guy’s got goals,” Jaxon agrees. “But if you need anything, let Maverick know. He’ll be around. Won’t you, Mav?”

Ophelia’s eyes slide to mine, and her tongue peeks out of her mouth, wetting her bottom lip. “Mav.”

I keep my feet planted where they are and fold my arms. “Hey.”

“Hey.” She tucks her thumbs into her back pockets, looking anywhere but at me despite my face matching her boyfriend’s. I doubt she knows her stance accentuates her breasts, but I don’t call her out for it.Yet.If Reeves keeps staring at her, I might have to.

“Do you need any help moving in?” Jaxon prods.

She shakes her head. “I’m good, thanks.”

“Okay,” Jaxon replies. “I’ll see you later. Maybe we can all hang out tonight or something.”

“I’m sure Archer already has plans with Opie,” I interrupt.

Her caramel-colored eyes heat as they meet mine again. “Pretty sure I’ve told you not to call me Opie.”

“Only a thousand times,” I reply, knowing how much it gets under her skin.

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