Page 45 of Rival Summer

I leaned against the door frame, watching her shuffle through some forms. "You're sure doing a lot for them this summer, Will."

"I know," she sighed, a determined glint in her eye. "If I want to get a job on the coaching staff, first step is impressing my dad, which means being an outstanding committee member. So I have to do whatever it takes."

"Alright, pass me a stack," I said, reaching for a chunk of the paperwork that littered the living room floor. Plopping down cross-legged beside her, I began to sort through the binders.

"Okay, details, please!" Willow leaned in, anticipation wafting from her in waves.

"Willow," I chastised gently, but couldn’t hold back a grin, "ladies don't kiss and tell."

"Who says anything about talking?" she shot back playfully. "Can ladies blink? Blink twice if you hooked up."

Suppressing a laugh, I smirked and blinked twice.

Willow squealed, clapping her hands together. "I knew it! But what kind of hookup? You didn't go all the way—I know you would have told me immediately."

"Your confidence in our friendship is touching," I teased before her next words stopped me.

"Wait a minute..." she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Did Caroline's message inspire something? Blink twice if it did."

Rolling my eyes for effect, I blinked twice again with a mix of giddiness and embarrassment.

"OMG! Was she right?" Willow’s voice hit a pitch that could shatter glass.

"Shh!" I hissed, even as I snickered. "She was so right!"

We erupted into laughter, the sound filling the room and bouncing off the walls. Our giggles subsided as we continued flipping through the pages.

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed by the time the last of the binders snapped shut with a definitive thud. Willow pushed back her chair, stretching her arms above her head.

"Alright, girly," she said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Let's get ready. We have a committee meeting to attend."

I groaned theatrically, tossing a binder on top of the pile. "Oh great, that means an hour of Caroline talking, followed by bathroom duty."

Willow giggled. "She's been on one this summer—but don't let her get to you."

"I'll do my best,” I replied, rolling my eyes for emphasis.

We parted, going into our rooms to get ready for the day before making our way to the Blue Devils’ clubhouse.

When we arrived, Caroline was pacing the front of the room, clipboard clutched tight in her grip as she scribbled notes. Theother committee members were seated in a semi-circle, their attention split between idle chatter and Caroline.

"Let’s take a seat in the back," Willow whispered, nodding towards the unclaimed chairs.

"Deal," I agreed, as we settled in.

"Okay," Caroline began, tapping her pen against the clipboard to get the room’s attention. "This week we have a big game against the Comets, and this weekend is the big away tournament. We always bring home the 'W', so I assume we'll do the same this year. We’ll have a dinner prepared for the players before the Comets game. We will also be booking the rooms—two players per room, two committee members per room—and we need to put an itinerary together for the tournament—planning all meals and any work on orders sent from the coaching staff, so let's get on it."

"Sounds thrilling," I drawled, giving Willow a knowing smirk, the sarcasm clear only to her.

"Shh," she chastised playfully. "I say we push for Italian."

"Alright, I think that covers the essentials," Caroline concluded, silencing the whispers of side conversations. There was a pause as she scanned the room, stopping on Willow and me at the back before a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Oh, and before we begin, congratulations to Willow for winning the Devils’ Day Out prize."

A ripple of polite applause that barely counted as clapping fluttered through the room and Willow smiled proudly. "Thank you, thank you," she chimed. "And I must say, I'm especially delighted because I'll be sharing the suite with Chandler."

"Can’t wait," I said, returning her smile with one of my own.

"Let’s get it going, the work won't do itself." Caroline clapped once before making her way to a desk, clipboard still clutched firmly under her arm.

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