Page 51 of Rewind It Back

I’ve always had this innate need to protect him. Growing up, he was an easy target because he made himself the butt of the joke most of the time, but I didn’t play into that. He could be a joke to everyone else, but he was never a joke to me.

“So, what’s up?” Rio asks again. “What are you all doing here?”

“Just swinging by before the game,” Stevie says. “We wanted to say hi.”

He eyes them suspiciously. “Youswungby? Twenty minutes out of your way.”

“Yep!” Indy chimes in. “There’s a babysitter watching all the kids at our place, we’re meeting up with the guys at the arena, and we knew you two were meeting here so we came to see if Hallie wants to join us in our box at your game tonight.”

“Indy,” Rio scolds quietly.

“What?”

“She can’t come. She’s busy.”

Ouch.

That doesn’t feel good to hear, but at the same time, it acts as an instant reminder to not let myself get too comfortable here. With him. In his house. With his friends. We’re simply working together right now. I’m not part of his everyday life anymore.

“Okay, rude,” Miller cuts in. “Love you so much, but we were asking her.”

“He’s right. I can’t make it,” I tell them. “But thank you for the invite.”

Rio could not look more guilty. “Or if you’re not busy, you could go,” he amends, tentatively looking in my direction. “If you wanted to.”

“Yes!” Kennedy encourages.

It sounds fun. Sitting in a box suite. Going to his game, just like I used to. Hanging out with these girls, who seem to genuinely enjoy each other’s company and who care for Rio. But unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury of affording a Friday night off work, even if there was any part of him that actually wanted me to go to his game and wasn’t offering out of guilt.

I keep my focus on the girls. “I can’t tonight. I have plans.”

“You have plans?” Rio repeats in a question.

A shift at the job he doesn’t know about, but yes.Plans.

“You should cancel those plans and come hang out with us,” Stevie suggests.

“Great idea, Vee,” Indy cuts in. “This is why you’re my favorite sister-in-law.”

“Yeah,” Rio agrees. “You should cancel those plans and hang with the girls.”

If we weren’t in front of his friends, I’d call him out for not wanting me around when he thought I didn’t have something better to do, but now that he knows I already made plans, he’s telling me to bail.

“I wish I could, but I can’t cancel.” Heading to the dining table, I gather my design books. “But thank you for the invite. Maybe next time.” I check my phone for the time. “I should get going. It’s almost the end of the workday, but it was so nice to meet you all.”

I give them all my best smile before bolting for the door.

I can hear Rio’s bare feet chase after me. “The end of the workday, huh?”

“Yes, and I need to be downtown by five.”

He meets me at the front door. “For your plans. On a Friday night.”

There’s a tic in his jaw that tells me he believes I’m going on a date.

I don’t correct him.

“Yep. I’ll email you with notes from today and let you know the next steps in the design process.”

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