Page 52 of The Odds of Happily Ever After
chapter seventeen
gabe
Max
Did I just see you at the NBA finals?
Gabe
Did you?
After the game,we had dinner in Tala and Jason’s suite. The Santa Mila Barons had lost the championship at three games to four, but you wouldn’t have known by the way Jason beamed.
“It sucks,” he said when Alonzo asked how he was. “But the way I see it, I already won.” He gave Tala a lovestruck smile that told me he wasn’t referring to their win last year.
“And you’re sure about retiring?” Alonzo pressed.
The news wouldn’t go public for another week. Jason had taken a year to rethink the career he’d pursued in his dad’s memory, but his passion for environmental sustainability won out. No doubt the prolonged separation from Tala sealed the deal for him.
Jason placed a kiss on Tala’s temple. “Yeah, it’s time. No regrets.”
“Cheers to that.” Tala raised her glass of wine.
We toasted to his final year with the league. Over the glasses, I caught Luna’s eye. She smirked, tipping her glass the faintest bit to me in a wordless challenge. I knew she was thinking about how I’d kept her from drinking last Christmas, but this was a different scenario. We weren’t alone, and she had her siblings to look after her, though Alonzo was technically underage too.
Sitting beside her, Alonzo squinted at me. He’d been watching me throughout the day, suspicion clear in his eyes. I could have told him he had nothing to worry about, but I doubted he would take me at my word.
Luna noticed her brother’s attention on me. A second later, Alonzo cursed and glared at her. I stifled a chuckle. She must have elbowed him or something. Meanwhile, Tala just sighed.
“So, Luna.” Jason turned to her. “How’s Sterling been treating you?”
“Great. I love it there,” she said. “I’ve finally gotten the hang of doing the work-study thing.”
“Good to hear. Your classes are okay?”
She crinkled her nose. “Eh. They’re okay, I guess, but nothing really exciting.”
“Because you don’t like your major,” Alonzo piped up.
“It’s not that I don’t like it. It’s just . . . not what I like.”
“That’s exactly my words in different order. I told you, you should have gone into fashion.”
“Oh, like Papa was going to let me?” Luna shot back. “You know how he is. He’s still disappointed I didn’t take up nursing.”
“I’m just saying, you can still shift. You’re in a whole other country so he can’t stop you from doing what you want.”
She shook her head. “My major is tied to my scholarship.”
“Shit. I forgot that.”
“You could add a minor in fashion,” I said. Everyone’s eyes landed on me but I kept mine on Luna. “It means more schoolwork, but you’d be able to study something you enjoy.”
Her eyes lit up. “I can do that this far along?”
“Sure. Your student advisor should be able to advise you about the process and requirements.”
For the first time since we arrived in the hotel this morning, Luna gave me a genuine smile. It felt like I’d won the jackpot, and I got so distracted that I almost missed Alonzo’s question.
