Page 68 of Mr. Charming

Tedi

“Easton!” Conor shouts across the bar.

Decker told me he was bringing reinforcements today, but I didn’t think it would be a teammate. Last I’d heard, Easton Bailey was in Alaska.

All the guys shake hands and do that man-hug thing.

“I thought you were back home with the moose,” Tweetie says to Easton, sitting down next to him.

“Hey, babe,” I say to Decker, and he actually bends down and kisses my cheek before sitting next to me.

“How are the hips? Holding up, old man?” Easton jokes with Tweetie, and everyone laughs.

“His hips will be the last thing to go. Too much conditioning,” Kyleigh says.

The guys all huddle together on one side of the table, and the women do the same on our end.

“You’ve been busy, huh?” Eloise asks me.

“I’m trying to get this campaign to be successful with all the roadblocks the GM has put in my way. And the traveling takes more out of me than I thought it would.” I sip my wine.

I somehow got on a group text with the girls, and they do a lot of things together. With and without the guys. I declined the last three meet-ups, not wanting to put Decker through the paces and not wanting to be around Tweetie by myself. But I figured a quick meal would be okay. I told Decker to meet me so he can leave early if he wants, but it just keeps it in Tweetie’s head that I’m off-limits. Although he’s not trying to win me, so maybe this is all for nothing. Maybe this is all for me and not him.

I don’t want to examine that thought too hard.

“Well, I loved what you did the other day at his endorsement deal, and you did that whole ‘how do you make a hockey player go from rough and tough to handsome and polished’ thing. Who would’ve thought Tweetie cleaned up so well?” Kyleigh, the one who seems to be the hardest on Tweetie’s lifestyle, says.

“Yeah, the women loved it too.” Reading the comments on the posts reminded me of the nutcase I had been back in the day, and it only made me want to accept their invitation tonight just to make sure I never see that pathetic version of myself again.

“I hate those comments, right?” Eloise rolls her eyes.

“Hey,” Jade says and looks at Decker then back at me. “I’m really sorry about the whole puck-in-the-face thing. Bodhi just?—”

“It’s fine.” I wave off her concern and look at Decker.

There was a light fracture. He has to go back for a few scans in the coming weeks, but you’d never guess it by looking at him.

“I felt horrible. Like the worst mother when he admitted what he’d planned.” Jade blows out a breath and shakes her head.

I place my hand on her arm. “It’s kind of cute.” Which it was. All three women peer over at me, so I’m quick to correct myself. “That he tried to get you and Henry together.”

“The verdict is still out on which one of us got them back together.” Kyleigh elbows Jade.

Eloise holds up her hands. “I wasn’t in the picture for that. So I’m as much in the dark as you.”

“I thought it was cute how he tried to get Decker out of the picture,” Jade whispers, and I sigh.

“Just so you guys all know, there is no chance of anything happening between me and you know who.”

They all kind of look at one another and raise their eyebrows.

“I’m serious.” I double down.

“Okay,” Eloise says in a singsong voice.

She and Kyleigh talk about something else, and Jade places her hand on my arm. “I get it. The past can be really hard to overcome. If you ever want to meet for a coffee or anything, I’m here.”

She’s so sweet. Just like Saige. It would be easy to drag Jade to a corner and tell her all of our shit, but what good would that do?

---