Page 87 of Grumpy Darling

“Sure. You have time to talk, you get nice scenery, and you can see if the girl has stamina. If she starts complaining two miles in, you’ve got an idea of what she might be like in a relationship.”

“Or maybe she just doesn’t like hiking?”

“Then maybe she’s not the girl for me.”

I laughed again and shook my head, surprised by how much thought he’d put into his dating strategy. “Last one: tell me the story of your first kiss.”

“Oh, man.” He rubbed a hand across his jaw as he considered it. “It was at one of my first house parties. Turns out girls love a party host...”

“We do?”

“Oh yeah. Why else do you think I’ve thrown so many since freshman year?”

“And here I was thinking you just wanted to celebrate with your teammates after each victory.”

“Sure, that too.” He grinned.

Like the other guys on the team, Matt had answered the question easily. It left me wondering again why Grayson had been so secretive. I guess he’d had years to talk to me about his kissing exploits and never had, so I shouldn’t have been surprised he didn’t start today.

“Okay, well, that’s everything,” I said. “You’re free.”

“Great. Thanks, Paige. I actually enjoyed that,” he said as he jumped up off the bench. “I can’t tell you how dull the last interview we did for the paper was.”

I was smiling as I watched Matt skate back to the team, but I felt a lump form in my throat when my gaze landed on Grayson chasing the puck across the rink.

Once again, my thoughts kept creeping back to the way I’d woken up in his arms this morning. He didn’t notice me watching him, as he was completely focused on his practice. The way he skated was a little mesmerizing. He was so strong and powerful as he moved on the ice; it was hard to believe his arms could have cradled me so gently.

We hadn’t properly spoken about it, aside from a hurried apology from me at breakfast, and then Grayson’s comment about soulmates—though that could just have been a coincidence. And even if it wasn’t, he was probably joking, like with his other answers. I certainly wasn’t in a place where I could joke about it yet. Could Grayson really have been so unfazed by the whole thing? I guess he’d just been doing his job as my best friend and calming me during a storm. I was an idiot for running in there in the first place. I needed to become as unbothered as him.

“Hey, P.”

I jumped at the sound of a deep voice next to me and pulled my eyes from Grayson. Damien had arrived at the bench for his interview.

“Hey, Damien.” I gave him a smile, which he warmly returned.

“It’s good to see you,” he said, sitting down. “You look great tonight.”

I glanced down. “Oh, uh, thanks.” I should have been pleased my new outfit had caught his eye, but I couldn’t stop myself from wondering why Grayson hadn’t noticed it. This was one of the outfits that had nearly knocked him off his feet at the mall, but he hadn’t said a word during our interview.

While the shock Damien had given me when he arrived had quickened my pulse, I was surprised by how quickly it calmed. It was only a few days ago that I’d stumbled over my words and spilled a drink on myself because of him, but as he took a seat by my side, I was remarkably in control. I kept waiting for my cheeks to warm and my speech to become muddled, but it didn’t happen. Perhaps all this practicing with Gray was finally producing results.

My eyes were drawn back to Grayson, and my heartbeat picked up a gear again when I saw him frowning our way. He looked like he wanted to decapitate Damien. It probably should have concerned me, but instead I felt a spark of excitement in my chest. Was that jealousy in his eyes? Or was he just scowling like he always did? It was impossible to know.

“Okay,” I said, turning back to Damien. “Ready for the interrogation?”

He laughed nervously. “Interrogation?”

“Interview! I mean interview, obviously.” Perhaps I wasn’t quite as calm and in control as I thought. Though I didn’t think Damien was to blame this time.

“That’s a relief,” he replied. “I didn’t know you worked on the school newspaper.”

“I don’t normally. I’m helping my friend.”

“Ah, well, lucky for me, I guess. I’ve been wanting to catch up with you ever since I got back.”

“You have?”

“Of course.” He laughed lightly. “We were friends before I left Ransom, and I know I’ve been busy settling back in, but it’s been weird, being here and not hanging out with you.”

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