Page 77 of Rules Of Our Own

“Like they want to eat you,” Misty adds while wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

My cheeks flame hot because I definitely remember all the ways they did just that. I clear my throat and take a sip from my glass as they all giggle.

The waiter drops off our drinks, and Piper lifts hers in the air. “Alright, Misty. Leave her alone. We’re here to celebrate!”

She explains how her boss loved me and how she knew she would and how there’s a really good chance her boss will be able to get me an internship.

“Don’t go that far.”

“It’s okay to get your hopes up. I know things have been hard, but good things are coming your way.”

“How’s Prosthetics For Kids? Did you figure anything out?” Sidney asks.

I groan and drop my head on the table. “No. Gerard called this morning. He’s in town and wants tomeetto go over my plans. Everything I think of relies on pure luck to take off. Why did I think I could create viral content?”

Misty sits forward, a gleam in her eyes. “Tell me your ideas.”

She sounds so genuinely excited that I spill everything I’ve been thinking about.

“So I’m like ninety-nine percent certain the only way this is going to work is if I start a trend. Which is like catching lightning in a bottle, so I’ve spent the last few months looking up every successful trend that raised money and how they did it,” I say, and all three girls nod encouragingly. I swallow. “It looks like there’s a few very key elements. It has to be cheap, easy to duplicate, give them a sense of pride, and freaking funny. Oh! And there’s got to be a way that they’ll keep going, or it’ll be done in a day, even if it does catch on.”

“Holy shit. I’m assuming you have something in mind,” Sidney says, taking a bite of her nachos, and just manages to catch the gooey cheese melting off the side.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you always have something. Let’s hear them. Maybe you can even let me help for once.”

I laugh. “I let you help.”

“When?” she deadpans.

I scrunch up my nose. “Fine. Okay, I was thinking of a challenge. Something uncomfortable that you can dare your buddies to do. Something that’s funny enough that you’ll want to be dared to do it too.” I bite my lip, then let it out and wince. “I was thinking people could challenge each other to dump a bucket of ice water on their head. So they say I will donate this amount of money and dump the water. Then they challenge their friends.” I close my eyes. “Stupid, right?”

Misty smirks. “No, Mia, that is anything but stupid. That’s freaking gold, and I know exactly how we’re going to make that happen.”

* * *

Lucas drops me off in front of my apartment, and I hurry inside to get away from the crisp wind. It dropped several degrees in the hours I’d spent with the girls, and the outfit I’d worn out is no longer enough to cut the chill.

I stumble over my feet as I step onto the polished marble floors and sway to the side, only to be caught by strong hands. A scream builds in my throat, but it’s cut off.

“Easy there, Kitten. Didn’t mean to scare you,” Alex says, wrapping his arms around me from behind and dropping his forehead on my shoulder.

“Were you waiting for me?”

“Lucas called before you guys left, thought it was best to walk you up from now on.”

“From now on?” I ask incredulously.

He chuckles, and his warm breath tickles my neck, sending shivers running down my back. “Just let us be overprotective for a little while, before you ruin all our fun.”

I roll my eyes, and the motion makes the world tilt a little. Maybe I’m a little more tipsy than I thought. “Fine, but only until it’s not cute anymore.”

Alex runs his nose up my neck, and his lips brush the back of my ears. “Oh, it’s cute now, is it? You like having two hockey players thinking about you day and night? ’Cause, Kitten, we fucking are.”

I melt back into him, loving the sound of that and trying my best to ignore the way my thoughts swirl in my head, making the room fuzzy. I spin in his arms and grin at him. “I got a job today.”

He smiles right back. “I heard. Proud of you. Although, it looks like you celebrated without me.”

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