Page 79 of Double Pucked

“Seriously? How many times are you going toGrandmame? You’ve spent this entire card game making eyes at her.”

My stomach swoops. I dip my face, trying to hide my laughter, or maybe it’s my hope. This silly hope that’ll never see the light of day that I could be both their girlfriends. But that’s crazy. That’s not the real world.

“I already told you,” he says, but it’s a pointless argument.

She’s decided. “I don’t care what you told me. I can see with my eyes. I can feel it,” she says, tapping her chest. “Now, let’s play another round.”

She deals and when I take out my phone and snap another shot for his social media feed, I don’t feel like his friend either.

I feel like I belong to both of these guys. The trouble is I don’t know what to do about all these new feelings that don’t have a home in the real world.

* * *

Ryker drives me back to Chase’s place a little later. “Thanks again for coming. And the pics. And…being so cool with Grandma,” he says as he crests Divisadero.

“Of course. I love her already.”

“Pretty sure she feels the same about you,” he says.

As he drives, I glance over at his hands on the wheel, then my eyes travel up his arm, checking out his ink once more.

He told me to ask him about them in bed, and I never did. But now seems as good a time as any. “So, why compasses? Is it for travel? Adventure? Something else?”

At the light at the top of the hill, he shoots me a smile that says my question was inevitable. “It’s a reminder that if I get lost, I can find my way back.”

“To what?”

“To wherever I’m supposed to be,” he says, then holds my gaze for a long, weighty beat.

My heart flips for him, like it did for his best friend earlier today. And since we’re in his car with tinted windows and the light is still red, I say to him what Chase said to me at the store. “Dying to kiss you.”

Ryker curls a hand around my head and kisses me for a hot, heady second. That’s all, and I want so much more.

* * *

Later, I’m alone at the dog park, urging Nacho through the triple hoops, then cheering him on when he nails all his skills.

“Who’s the best boy in the world?” I call out, and he jumps—okay, it’s more like pogo sticks—up and down.

I pick him up and give him a kiss on his snout, then glance around. Is someone going to take my picture? Ha. I’m not interesting without a famous athlete by my side.

Fine by me. I never wanted the spotlight, but as I leash up Nacho, and leave, I feel a pang in my chest. A wistfulness.

Next week, I won’t come to this park. I’ll be in my own tiny studio in the Outer Sunset, taking a bus to work across the city, and using any little extra dough on doggie daycare for this little love bomb.

I’ll be back to my regular life.

Though I can’t help wondering what it’d be like to come here to this park, not just with Chase but Ryker too? To laugh and play, like I did with Chase at Target, and Ryker with his grandmother? Then to kiss?

My heart squeezes. I want that but know I can’t have it.

When my phone rings a minute later, I answer it right away. It’s my mom, and it’ll be good for me to focus on my regular life.

“Hi, Mom,” I say, trying to sound upbeat.

“Hi, sweetie. Just wanted to say hi,” she says, and we make small talk as I circle the outskirts of the park. But soon the conversation comes around to her favorite topic. Romance and matchmaking.

“So how’s everything with your new beau? When can we meet him? He seems so nice. I read all his press coverage. What a good family man. Did you know he pays for his brother’s college? Oh, and he donates to cancer research and animal rescues, and he’s such a good one.”

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