“Who are we mad at? Do I need to throw hands?”
“Hutch went through my phone.”
“He did what?” she screeched. Both Collin and Hutch wince at her tone. Yeah, they both know they screwed up.
“Text me the address and you can scream at him in person.” I’m bouncing I’m so excited and happy to have Lucy here. She’s the one person who really understands what I went through because she was right there with me through all of it. She almost lost her scholarship because she refused to go back to school until I was home and able to at least walk to the bathroom without passing out.
“Get here soon. I’m starving.”
“I found someone who can out eat you.”
“Who?”
“You’re gonna meet him when we pull up.”
“Cool. I’m gonna go take a quick shower and find some decent clothes. Hurry.”
She hangs up and I laugh. I have missed Lucy so much.
Hutch yells at me when I turn and run up the stairs.
“Where are you going?”
“To change! We are going out to have fun. No more talk of Joe or anything else tonight. Let’s just have fun for a change.”
“We can do that.”
Ignoring whatever else he said, I fly up the stairs and rip through my closet until I find my nice jeans and a gorgeous emerald green top I’ve been saving for a night out. It only takes me ten minutes to do my hair and makeup and I’m back downstairs rushing the guys outside. Collin decided to drive his own car in case he finds other accommodations for the night.
The hotel is in the heart of downtown Minneapolis. It’s not fancy, but its decent. Which means its clean and the staff are nice. I text Lucy to let her know we’re here and wait impatiently in the lobby for her to come down. Hutch is standing a little to the side on his phone and Collin has wondered into the snack shop off to the left of the front desk. Why is he even in there? His diet is not going to allow him to eat any kind of sugary sweetness like candy bars and other delicious things.
Hutch has the same thoughts because when Collin comes out carrying a bag, he says, “You can’t eat that shit.”
“It’s not for me.” He puts a hand on his heart. “I bought it for the ladies.”
Uh huh. I hold out my hand for the bag. “Then give it over.”
Collin frowns and looks at his bag. After a minute, he hands it to me with a painful expression.
Inside there are half a dozen candy bars. Things that I know Lucy won’t eat because of the strict diet her team has, but that just means more for me.
I spot her before she sees me. Lucy isn’t mammoth tall. She’s six foot one, but even if she were five-five, she’d still be the star player she is. She gets her skill not from her father, but her mother who played high school basketball before she entered the military. Her dad is a mechanic.
She and I are completely different. She’s tall, blonde, and her rich chocolate eyes, the only physical attribute she inherited from her father, is perpetually devilish. Me? I’m not short, but I’m not six foot either. My red hair is always flying away andneeds taming on the daily, but I think my green eyes are just as nice as her dark ones.
Hutch looks over to where I’m staring and he smiles, realizing this must be Lucy. He doesn’t check her out as most guys do, but simply waits for me to make the first move. Collin on the other hand has stopped everything and is staring like he’s dumbstruck. Lucy has that effect on men. She’s beautiful.
“Lucy!”
Her head snaps to where I am and she grins, running over to hug me. God, I missed her.
“Alright, bitches, where are we going?” she asks. “And introduce your man. I’ve been waiting days to meet him.”
Hutch nudges Collin and he seems to come out of his stupor and waltzes over to introduce himself.
“Hola, chica. I’m Collin Mendoza.”
“Good for you,” she says and turns her attention to Hutch. “You must be the potential new boyfriend that has to pass the best friend test.”
