Page 22 of Ice Cold Rival

Mom grinned at him. “Oh, I’m so proud of you. I’m sure the team will benefit from your leadership.”

Her warm support, which had been noticeably missing minutes ago when she was talking to me, made me feel like I might throw up the lettuce I’d choked down. Not to mention, I hated the idea of Toby potentially taking the captain spot from Reece.

The slow burn of rage at the whole situation made me clench my teeth to keep the fake smile going. I probably looked half-crazed. “Good thing you didn’t have practice this morning so you could join us.”

Toby tilted his head as if searching for a trap. “Yeah, I thought so too. I’m glad you’re happy to see me.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far,” I muttered while stabbing an innocent tomato.

Toby’s mouth flattened into a thin line, and for a second, I thought I might have finally scored a hit. I didn’t love that I wanted to hurt him, but I couldn’t deny the petty joy I got out of his unhappy expression.

When his eyes moved past me, I deflated a little. It seemed I had some lingering anger issues I needed to work out. Even though I had a good idea what—or who—had pissed Toby off, I twisted in my seat to follow his line of sight.

My heart jumped a beat at the sight of my fake boyfriend coming past the hostess stand. I didn’t know how he’d pulled it off, but Reece walked into the restaurant wearing gym shorts and a t-shirt without a single judgy side-eye. The tennis club had a loose dress code, and he wasn’t even close.

His gaze locked on mine, and he gave me a slow, intimate smile. Warmth rushed up my cheeks at the silent communication.If you need me, I’ll be there.The world around us slowed to a crawl, until my mom cleared her throat behind me.

All at once, reality snapped back into place and left me shuddering in the aftermath.

Reece kissed my temple then took the final seat at our table, eyeing Toby across from him. “Thought you were sick today.”

His eyes narrowed. “I’m feeling a lot better now.”

Reece blew out a breath. “Thank goodness. When you messaged Coach earlier to say you couldn’t make it, we were all really worried. Figured it must’ve been something serious to miss a mandatory conditioning session. Cole wanted to get you a card.”

I pressed my lips together to keep a laugh inside. As I’d suspected, he’d skipped out on hockey when my mom told him I’d be here. “Mom, this is Reece Tanner, my boyfriend. He’s the one I’ll be taking to Brighton’s wedding. Reece, this is Isabella Booth, my mom. You already know Toby.”

Reece shook my mom’s limp hand, did the guy-chin-jerk-thing at Toby, then linked his fingers with mine to kiss my hand. “What did I miss?”

The response was so cool and casual, as if he strolled into pretentious restaurants and played the perfect boyfriend every day. I missed whatever response, if any, my mom offered while I tried to swallow the lump in my throat.

Toby’s though, I heard loud and clear. “You can’t be serious, Kenz. Him? I let you have your little rebellion last night, but this is getting embarrassing.”

“Toby,” my mom warned under her breath. At least I wasn’t the only one she was scolding. “And Kenzie, this is neither the time nor the place for dramatics. If you insist on continuing down this path, bring him to dinner Saturday night for a proper introduction to the family.”

“Sorry, Mom, I can’t. He has a game Saturday night, just like Toby. In fact, they both play on the TU hockey team, and he’s also got a shot at captain.”

Reece sent me a curious look, but I kept my attention on my mom as I set my napkin on my salad plate and pushed my chair back from the table.

“In fact, I also won’t be able to make Saturday dinner since I’ll be at his game cheering him on. We can schedule a different family event for his debut.”

Mom’s pinched face contrasted sharply with her neutral tone. “Where are you going?”

I tugged on Reece’s hand, and he immediately stood with me. “I have some homework Reece said he’d help me with. Thank you for lunch, and I’ll call you with some potential dates.”

Reece wrapped his long arm around me. “It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Booth.”

She nodded at him, then dismissed me with a disappointed sigh and a last shot of guilt. “At least Toby will stay to keep me company.”

He patted her hand, much in the same way she’d done to me earlier, but his stiff body language said he hated my departure with Reece as much as Mom did.

Reece grinned. “See you at practice,Toby.”

Judging by the pained expression on Toby’s face, Reece’s emphasis on the nickname meant trouble, and I could only imagine the shit he’d be getting in the locker room on Monday. Reece, for his part, could barely contain his glee on the way out.

He practically vibrated as we passed through the glass doors into the heat beyond. “Feel free to call me anytime Kane shows up. I’ll gladly play doting boyfriend until his head explodes.”

Once we were out of sight of my mom and Toby, I relaxed, slumping against Reece. “Why does my life have to be so exhausting?” My back hurt from the tension, and I still hadn’t gotten a decent meal, which left me dangerously close to hangry.

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