Page 14 of Wanting the Winger
“Was there Greek food?” he asks.
I nod. “Yeah.”
“Was there cake?”
“Yeah”
“Those are two of my favorite things, so of course I’d want to come.”
“Sorry, Ryder. Next time I’ll keep that in mind.” I won’t really, though. My sister has it bad for him, and I’m not planning to put them in a situation where she could potentially fall for his charms. Not that it would take much for him to win her over. He’d just have to crook his finger and she’d go running.
“Our mom is an amazing cook,” Christos says. “You should have her cook for them sometime,” he tells me.
I shake my head. “That probably won’t happen. As much as I love Mom and Dad, I like to keep my work as separate from them as I can. They come to my home games, but they don’t need to be close with my friends.”
“Being in your twenties is all about adjusting to being an adult. Then in your thirties you try to establish clear-cut boundaries with all your family members, but it doesn’t go well,” Kaiden says.
“Why not?” I ask.
“Because you’ve gone without them for too long. It’s hard to define them in an already existing relationship.”
“That makes sense. So, what you’re saying is try to have strict boundaries as early as possible?” I ask.
“No, I’m saying you’re fucked no matter what because parents won’t allow you to set clear-cut boundaries.” He laughs.
“I think you might be right,” I agree.
He raises his bottle toward his lips and pauses to say, “I am,” before taking a sip.
“Did you tell these guys about what happened to Brutus at the groomer’s?” Orion asks.
“No, I didn’t.”
“Is he okay?” Murphy asks.
“Yeah, he’s great.”
He nods. “Good. I love that dog.”
“I know you do, but nothing bad happened to him.”
“Nothing great happened to him either,” Orion says.
“What’s going on, then?” Kaiden jumps in.
“I dropped him off at this expensive pet salon to have a bath, and when I went by to pick him up he had rainbow-colored leopard spots painted in his fur around his waist. I have a picture of it.” I pull my phone from my pocket and scroll through my album of most recent pics. “Here it is.” I hold up my phone and the guys let out a collective groan.
“What the fuck? Did you want that?” Ryder asks.
“No.” I laugh. “The groomer made a mistake.”
“Did you get your money back?” Murphy asks.
“No. She tried to pay for it herself but I didn’t want her to.”
“Why not? Is she hot?” Ryder asks.
“She’s got beautiful blue eyes,” I say, thinking about just how stunning Evie is.
