Page 26 of Romancing the Grump
I guess it’s good one of us isn’t scared—because she scares the hell out of me.
“Hey, listen,” I say as the elevator doors ding open and we step inside. “Do you think the two of us could talk later? In private?”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “Is everything okay?”
“Not really,” I answer, opting for honesty. “There’s a thing happening with my little brother, and I could use some legal advice.”
“Oh,” she says, her shoulders dropping in a way that makes me wonder if she’s disappointed that my reason is sopractical. “Like…a criminal thing? Is it urgent? We can always skip going out and just talk now.”
The elevator opens into the lobby, revealing Alec, Van, Tucker, and Dumbo already standing near the door.
“It’s not urgent. After is good. Or whenever it’s convenient.”
She nods as we walk toward my teammates. “Okay. I’m happy to help. And we’ve already established that you knowexactlywhere to find me.” She gives me that same flirty smile, and my heart turns over in my chest.
Alec raises his eyebrows as he steps beside me while Summer moves off to talk to Van. “What was that about?” He tilts his head toward Summer.
“What was what about? I ran into her on the elevator.”
“Right,” Alec says dryly. “And sitting with her on the bus today wasonlyabout keeping Dominik away.”
“Stop. It’s nothing. I already told you it’s nothing. Are we going? I’m hungry.”
Alec chuckles and slaps me on the back. “Relax, Bruiser. We’re going.”
A few feet away, Summer laughs at something Van says, and an uncomfortable envy takes up residence in my chest.
Yeah.Relax.I have a feeling that’s going to be easier said than done.
CHAPTER 7
SUMMER
“What do you think?”I nudge Nathan, who is sitting next to me in the back booth of the pizza place Felix recommended. I point toward a table of women sitting a few yards away. “Are they staring because they’re hockey fans and they recognize you, or are they staring because there are five of you and one of me, and they think this is an episode ofThe Bachelorette?”
“The what?” Nathan asks.
“You’ve never heard ofThe Bachelorette?” Dumbo asks from across the table. “Twenty guys all vying for the same woman?”
Nathan’s eyes widen. “That sounds horrible.”
The look of utter horror crossing his face is so blatant, I have to lift my hand to my mouth to keep from laughing.
Dumbo shrugs. “Makes for good TV though. She dates them all at once, slowly eliminating the ones she isn’t interested in.”
“So, like, you actuallywatchit?” Tucker asks. “I know what it is because I don’t live under a rock likesomepeople we know”—he tilts his head in a sideways nod toward Nathan—“but I don’t watch it.”
“So what if I do? I’m not ashamed.” Dumbo takes another slice of pizza from the center of the table. “I’ve learned a lot about dating from that show.”
“Like what?” Nathan asks around a mouthful of salad. “How to date multiple people at once? You could just ask Van for advice about that.”
“I heard that,” Van says from Nathan’s other side. “And I don’t deserve it. I might date a lot, but I follow the rules.”
The rest of the guys don’t respond to this comment at all, which makes me think Van is talking about something specific—actual rules—and not some vague sense of right and wrong.
“What rules?” I ask. “Like, personal ones you have for yourself?”
The guys exchange looks, almost like they’re debating how much they want to tell me. Finally, Alec nods and leans forward, propping his elbows on the table. His dark brown eyes are serious, his presence commanding, and I suddenly understand why he makes such a good team captain.
