Page 23 of One Pucking Chance

Love, your friend

I take the apple out of the box and place it in my basket atop the table that contains the rest of the apples from our date. In my quest to avoid my father, maybe tomorrow is a good day to attend my first hockey game.

My phone buzzes, and I snatch it off the bed to see a text from Miranda.

Walter states you’re not here and that he can’t let me up.

Oops…I’ll be right down.

Walter is the best.

CHAPTER

TEN

JADEN

Ishut the locker as my phone buzzes in my back pocket. Pulling it out, I see Anna’s name, and an immediate smile crosses my face. Maybe my date didn’t end the way I thought it would. But I’m regularly texting Annalise Sterling, and that is a major flex. Hell, just the fact that I have her phone number is pretty badass in any world and more than most can say. It puts me in the company of very few.

Our texts over the past few days haven’t been groundbreaking, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. I was naive to think I wouldn’t have to work hard for a girl like Anna. I have no problem putting in the time because I know she’s meant to be mine. If any of my friends were in this situation, I’d be making fun of them. I’ve lusted over this woman for years—only knowing her characters. I’ve been on one date, and somehow,I just know. Ludacris. Maybe I don’t know shit. Perhaps this is all still the lust talking. Regardless, I need more. I’m compelled to see this through, and maybe I’m wrong, but I feel like we’re meant to be more than texting pen pals. I’ve been given this chance, and whatever the outcome may be, I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t try everything within my power.

Anna’s texting to tell me that she received the confirmation from the limo company, and she’ll be ready and waiting for its arrival. I reply with a thumbs-up and then immediately hate myself. Anna deserves more than an impersonal thumbs-up. I quickly type out a response.

Great! Can’t wait to see you. I’ll meet you in the box after the game.

She replies with a thumbs-up, causing me to laugh.

Bash looks over my shoulder. “Texting your pen pal?” he teases.

Cade laughs and tosses his bag over his shoulder. “I never thought I’d see the day where J-man would put so much effort into a woman who friend zoned him.”

I narrow my eyes and zero in on Max standing across the locker room. “What the hell, man? You telling everyone my business?”

Max’s eyes dart from me to the guys and back. He shrugs. “I’m sorry, J, but we’re a family. There are no secrets among family.”

“The hell there isn’t,” Gunner grunts.

Any anger I felt toward Max dissipates quickly. The truth is, I don’t really care if the guys know about my situation with Anna. None of them are texting a hot movie star. “You all only wish you had a woman as perfect as Annalise texting you,” I say.

“Please… I have a perfect woman, and she lets me do a lot more than text her.” Beckett grins.

“Same,” Cade agrees.

I roll my eyes. “Yeah. Yeah. I’m obviously speaking to the non-married guys.”

Beckett ignores me and punches Cade in the arm. “Gross, dude. That’s my sister you’re talking about.”

Bash joins the conversation. “Yeah, well… that’s my mother-in-law you’re talking about, Beck.”

Finn, our recent transfer from Boston, shakes his head. He wrinkles his nose, and with a curl of his lip, he states, “What kind of hillbilly hell did I transfer into?”

His bewildered expression causes a round of laughter to break out.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds.” Beckett chuckles.

Finn raises a brow. “You sure about that?”

“I mean”—Max shrugs—“it probably wouldn’t hurt us to venture outside of our gene pool a little more.”

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