Page 110 of Rebel Bride
She pointed a finger. “Oh my God! He sent you that cheese board. But—how?”
“Could we go somewhere private?”
She grasped my hand and took me behind a door. From the looks of the posters, this was her childhood bedroom. Having slept in my mom’s bed as a kid, and then on the sofa when company called, I was always fascinated by the bedrooms of my peers. Before I could examine it properly or explain how Hatch knew about my cheese addiction, Addy spoke.
“You’re the woman in the photo.” She covered her mouth and shook her head while her eyes danced and her brain joined the dots. “That was weeks ago. Right after … did Hatch help you escape?”
“I swear it wasn’t planned. He happened to be there when I climbed out the window. I would say he caught me, but in truth I flattened him like a World Wrestling Federation champion.”
I had left her speechless, so I filled the stunned silence.
“He knew I needed to get out of town. To reset. He was already heading for Saugatuck, and he took me there. I stayed for about ten days.”
“And you guys …” She waved.
“Ate a lot of cheese?”
She grasped my arms. “Get out! But he doesn’t like you. Unless that’s always been some weird pigtail-pulling in the playground deal and he does like you.”
“No, that’s not it.” Was it? “He was there for me when I needed him, but right now I can’t get involved with him. It’s far too complicated. And I’ve done the date-an-athlete thing. Would not recommend.”
Addy got a crimp between her eyebrows. “Treating them like some monolith sounds like Franky talking. Hatch is not the same as Dash.”
I knew that. But he had similar career goals—go where he was needed and play where he was wanted. I could see myself getting shafted again because my boyfriend’s job was more important than mine.
You don’t even have a job, Summer.
Agh, Shelby Mae. I thought you were asleep in your coffin!
“Adeline!” Lars called up the stairs. “You ready?”
Mabel could be heard yelling “no!” at a high pitch. Addy opened her mouth, but Lars called out again.
“Listen, I need to go and I’m staying over with Lars,” she said. “But maybe we could meet for lunch and talk more tomorrow?”
I nodded because frankly I was ready to share. I needed to. “Definitely. But please don’t tell anyone. It’s not a good look for me—falling for the teammate of the fiancé I jilted.”
Her eyes went wide. “Falling?”
Oh Summer, you’ve gone and done it now.
“Just a figure of speech. You should go before Lars blows a blood vessel.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Hatch
* * *
Addy and Lars had just left with Mabel, Aurora had returned to the coach house, Conor was sweet-talking some girl on his phone, and Landon had returned to his “underground lair,” as Dad called it.
I was waiting at the bottom of the stairs when Summer descended on a gossamer cloud. Christ, I had it bad.
“Nice do.” She reached up and slid from my hair one of Tilly’s clips.
“She’s in a hair stylist phase this week.”
“She’s adorable. You all are.”
