Page 30 of Chips & Checks
Except it kind of feels like a big deal.
Violet doesn’t say another word until we reach her car. I wait until she closes the door before jogging over to my vehicle.I follow her back to Serenity Shores—despite her threat, she drives slow enough for me to follow her easily, and she’s careful not to lose me at lights or stop signs. One might almost think that shewantsme to keep up with her. The route is familiar, and I laugh when we finally pull into a parking lot only streets away from the hotel where I’m staying. She must have walked to The Puck Drop the other night.
Ash is waiting in her car. She pops out at the sight of Violet’s car but stops short when she sees me.
“Hey,Murph,” she says. Looks like Violet already told her about our little mix-up. “I hope for your sake that you didn’t follow her home.”
“She invited me,” I say.
Violet rolls her eyes. “Technically, no, you invited yourself.”
“I’m not in the middle of a hookup, am I?” Ash asks. “Because I can leave if I’m cockblocking you, Vi.”
“No!” Violet shakes her head emphatically. “We’re, uh, making a plan.”
“A plan that could use your input,” I add. “Did you know about Chad? The player on the Venom?”
Ash shakes her head. “Should I?”
Violet grabs my arm in a death grip. “Can you at least wait until Cam shows up before you start blabbing all my secrets?”
Her hands may be small, but she’s strong as hell. Her fingers clamp down like she’s trying to anchor herself. It’s not flirty. It’s not playful. It’s reflex. And that hits me harder than anything Chad’s ever said or done.
Ash lifts a hand to her chest and gasps. “You have secrets? Fromme?”
“You are such a pain in the ass.” Violet stomps away from us toward the front door of her apartment.
I scratch my chin. “Which one of us was she talking to?”
“You,” Ash says. “Obviously.”
“And yet you were the last one who spoke.”
Ash stares at me with unamused, half-lidded eyes. Those are most definitely “I don’t give a fuck” eyes. “I supported her decision to sleep with you. Don’t make me regret it.” She pivots to follow Violet up the walkway.
Violet certainly has interesting friends. I’m enjoying the fact that I might end up becoming one of them. I trail after the ladies and type out a quick text to Camden.
BigStickEnergy:You free? Need your help with a situation involving a teammate. Meet us at Violet’s.
CamIAm:She already messaged me. I’m on my way.
On the inside, Violet’s condo is a lot homier than I’d expect from the exterior. Her style is mostly minimalist, but she has a collection of small oil paintings that look like they were done by the same person, and there areso many houseplants.A lot of her furniture and decor is some shade of blue. I’m not a design genius or anything, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that blue is her favorite color.
Violet and Ash head to the kitchen, where I can hear them debating whether they want to open a bottle of wine or mix cocktails. While I wait, I take a look around, admiring the variety of plants and exploring the layout of the apartment. There’s a staircase to a second floor, though I don’t go up. Instead, I check out the downstairs bathroom.
I’m sizing up the bathroom when Violet asks, “What are you doing?”
“Hm?” I step back into the hall. Both Violet and Ash are blocking my way, each with a stemless glass of pale pink wine clutched in their hands.
“You’re scoping out her domicile,” Ash clarifies. “It’s weird.”
“And using the word domicile isn’t?” I wave a hand toward the staircase. “I was just curious about the floorplan. I can’t live in a hotel forever, you know?”
Ash smirks at me. “Well, well, well. Look at Mr. Commitment here. Thinking about moving in already?”
“No!” Violet and I blurt in unison.
“I made an offer on a condo before I got here. I’d only seen photos, but I hear a lot of the guys live around here.” I rub the back of my neck. “I wanted to see how the design measured up to the photos. That’s all.”
