Page 95 of Penalty Shots

Keelan backs away from me and pretends to be searching his box for something when one of the equipment managers steps in. I'm still seated on the bench and he smiles and waves at me as he heads to the back with a cart full of fresh jerseys.

Keelan gives him a quick nod as he walks by, then glances at me, motioning for me to head out. I do because it's risky for us to be seen alone.

Outside, I bump into Izzy.

"There you are!" I was just asking Toby if he's seen you. He said he thought you might be at lunch.

"Nope, I'm totally free for lunch," I tell her.

"Perfect because I'm starving, and there's a new Indian restaurant with Vegan dishes to die for, so let's go."

She hooks her arm in mine and drags me down the hall.

Keelan pops out from the equipment room, and Izzy turns to and invites him too.

"Nah," he says, rubbing the back of his neck. "You two go ahead. I got some things to get together before we head out tomorrow."

Izzy tosses a hand at him. "Snooze, you lose. Let's go."

"So," Izzy says through bites of her tofu curry. "What are your plans for Christmas? It's coming up fast. You going back to see your parents?"

I push along the contents of my plate. "My parents are going on a Mediterranean cruise for Christmas. So, no, I won't be visiting them again this year."

"A cruise? I swear older couples get to have all the fun. Meanwhile, Ry and I are just getting started in the whole raising a family department."

"Well, luckily, it's not a race because if it were, I'd be miles behind." I'm still pushing my food around when Izzy reaches for the fork in my hand.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," I assure her.

"Oh, please, Rina. You're doing that thing again."

"What thing? I'm not doing a thing," I furrow my brows.

"Yes, you are," she says. "You're doing that thing where you put up a wall after getting vulnerable. You do it every time you let yourself open up. And this one's been up since Puerto Rico."

I scoff. "There's no wall."

"Says the woman wearing sunglasses inside." She reaches across the table and snatches them from my face.

"You're a real brat, you know that."

"So I've been told. Now, let me just give you a little friendly advice. Will you accept that at the very least?" She cocks her head at me.

I roll my eyes, which if she hadn't rudely snatched my YSL Sunnies away, I would've been able to easily hide.

"Don't get snarky with me," she says, using the end of my glasses to point at me.

"Fine, shoot." I interlock my fingers and rest my head on my hands to give her my full attention.

"You need to get laid."

I laugh. A little too sarcastically for her liking because she once again cocks her head to the side.

"I'm serious. You've been so uptight lately. It is my honest opinion that you just need to get supremely railed by a stranger who doesn't want anything serious so you can finally get over Redmond and move on with your life." She reaches for her water and takes a sip as she watches for my reaction.

"Oh, trust me. I amwayoverRedmond."

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