“Still busy then?”
“Yeah. Still busy.”
He chuckles softly. “All right. I can take a hint.”
“You can?” I ask, in mock surprise.
“Smart ass.” He bumps his good shoulder against mine.
His mom passes by us and waves. She’s tall, striking like her son, with the same dark blue eyes. She’s dressed in a pantsuit with heels that I’m not sure I could walk in. She is the picture of a power boss.
“What do your parents do?” I ask him.
“My mom owns a storage solutions company.” He glances over in the direction of his mom. “She started designing shelving and storage for sporting goods and athletic equipment when I was in high school. Our garage was first, then she did a few family friends’ closets and spaces, and now she does it for companies and organizations. And she runs a non-profit for youth athletic programs.”
“Wow. Your mom is way cooler than you.”
“Oh, definitely. I’m not even offended, though I know that was the intent.”
We both smile and my stomach dips. God, what is it about him? Bantering with him feels like foreplay.
Everly and Grace move back past us with their cotton candy to the front of the box when the teams are back from intermission. There’s a large TV up here where you can see the game as it’s televised.
“Seriously, though, your family seems great. And your mom really does seem awesome. I have a feeling her shoe collection is impressive.”
“Yeah, it’s a trip. Most of my childhood, she stayed home with me and my sisters. I have this vision of her in jeans and my dad’s baggy T-shirts. She’s the one who’d go outside with us and throw the ball or put on pads and a mask and let me shoot pucks at her.”
“That sounds dangerous.” I still stand by my statement; his mom is way cool.
He laughs quietly, grinning all boyish and filled with mischief. “She only did that once.”
I’m enthralled listening to him talk and seeing the way he smiles like he’s picturing it in his mind.
“What about your dad?”
“He’s an engineer. Or was. When they got divorced, he decided to go back to school to teach high school history.”
“It’s really nice that they’re both here. Are you all still close?”
“I guess so.” Ash shrugs and finally glances down at the ice as the game is about to restart. “He got remarried quickly, so it was weird at first. But then when Harper and Hunter came along, things seemed to be okay. Different, obviously, but I think it forced us all to get over it faster or something.”
“Bridge!” Ev calls my name, snapping me out of the moment.
I look up to see my roommates waving me over to join them.
“I should probably…” I tip my head in that direction but don’t move just yet.
“Yeah. Me too. Gotta make sure everyone has a good time. Hunter’s the hardest sell. He told me earlier that hockey was dumb. Think he’d be more impressed by a visit from Wenzel the Wildcat or signed merch? Probably Wenzel, huh?”
“Go with merch. I mean, a high five from the team mascot is cool, but something signed by Ash Kelly, that’s far rarer. Well, unless you’re a girl in the crowd before a game.”
His lips pull apart, flashing his teeth and a panty-melting smile. “I’ll have you know, I’d never done that before.”
“No?” I ask, my tone full of sarcasm. “I don’t think I believe you.”
“It’s true,” he insists. His blue eyes lose all playfulness. A serious, almost pleading expression takes over his handsome face. Hello, Mr. Kelly. I feel that look everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. “Sure, I’ve signed all kinds of things for fans—women included, but I have never used it as a tactic to ask out someone. I can’t explain it. I don’t even remember deciding to approach you. Then all of a sudden, there I was without a plan or any clue what to say next.”
“I think what you said was ‘Wanna puck?’”
He rubs the back of his neck with one hand. “Yeah, not my best opening line.”
“Do you have good opening lines? Because that’s not the word on the street.”
“I don’t regret it. Even if you thought I was the biggest chump to ever hit on you, it was worth it.” He bumps my shoulder again. I really like when he does that. “Here we are.”
Here we are indeed.
Ash’s family leaves before the game is over. First his dad and stepmom with a snoozing Hunter and heavy-lidded Harper in tow. Then his mom and aunts say their goodbyes. His sisters are the last to go a few minutes before the end of the third period.