Page 94 of Overtime Goal
Brody shrugged, and Riles said, “We were playingMinecraft.”
Gabe nodded. “Ah,Minecraft.Fun game.”
He and Brody flopped into armchairs, and Gabe looked at me. “We haven’t seen you since before you went to Italy. Have fun?”
“It was an amazing trip,” I said. “Can’t wait to go back. Where did you guys end up this summer?”
Ignoring my question, Brody took aim at Riles. “Did you go to Italy with Logan?”
Ade hesitated too long before answering. “I… saw him there.”
“Did you?” Brody raised his eyebrows. “That’s interesting.”
Gabe twisted his lips into an evil smirk. “I thought I saw some pics of you two shopping.”
Ade shrugged. “Yeah?”
Gabe and Brody exchanged such a loaded glance that I considered throwing the pasta at them. Instead, I decided to move things along. “You mentioned there was something you wanted to talk about?”
“Oh yes.” Gabe furrowed his brow, obviously stumped.
Had he even thought about what he might say?
Brody perked up. “Did you know Packy’s birthday is at the end of next week? He and his wife separated while you were gone, and I’m sure he could use the company. Gabe and I were thinking we’d take him out for dinner Saturday night. I mean, a week from Saturday. You interested?”
If their mission was to arrange a dinner for Packy’s birthday two weeks away, my name was William Shakespeare. I leaned back into the cushions. “Sounds good to me. You’ll need to ask Riley about his schedule, though. He has a history of being busy at night.”
Brody snorted, and Gabe rolled his eyes. “Are you free a week from Saturday night, Riley?”
“I guess.” Riles did a credible job of looking imposed on.
“Great,” Brody said. “Just wanted to make sure you didn’t have a hot date scheduled.”
Gabe coughed into his fist.
“One night won’t kill me,” Riley said. “I can hold out until after dessert.”
Brody covered his mouth but failed to mask the part of his grin spreading to his eyes. Gabe looked like he was biting the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood.
I rubbed my temples. “Guys, I don’t want to be rude, but Riles and I have to get ready for an appointment.”
“What are your plans for the next few weeks?” Brody asked, ignoring me. “Going anywhere separately?”
“We’re both helping with Nick Johnson’s hockey camp,” Ade said. “I’m excited because I’ve never done anything like that.”
“It’s great fun,” I said. “And after that, I’m going to visit my brother and his family.”
“You going along, Riley?” Gabe asked.
We could ignore questions as well as they could, so before Riles could say anything, I started talking. “You should see the nephews. You’ve met them, Gabe. They’ve grown a lot, and now they’re learning to skate. They want to play hockey in the fall.”
Brody opened his mouth to say something, but Riley spoke up first. “Like Logan said, we have an appointment. Sorry to cut this short.”
“We got a double rainfall shower this summer,” Brody said. “Lots of room. You should get one.”
I leaned forward. “Maybe. Thanks for stopping by, and for the pasta.”
We all stood, and Riles and I walked them to the door.
