Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 100818 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100818 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
CHAPTER 4
UNDERWEAR CHALLENGE
Stevie
After orientation Pattie and Jules invite me out for dinner, but I’m supposed to go to my brother’s for a combined post-birthday-new-job celebration, so I ask for a rain check. I join them for a quick drink, though, since we finished up with the orientation-day activities earlier than anticipated. It’s nice to have friends already, especially with Joey working there and apparently wanting to be my shadow, based on the number of times I ran into him today.
My sister-in-law, Lainey, picks me up from the pub on her way home.
Kody, my nephew, is harnessed into his car seat, babbling away as he bangs two squishy hockey pucks together. “Evie!” he yells when I get into the SUV.
I twist in the passenger seat and tickle his foot, which is missing a shoe. “Hey, little man! I can’t believe how big you’ve gotten!” I give Lainey a side hug. “Thanks for coming all the way out here to get me.”
“It’s no problem. We were already running errands, and this way you don’t have to take the bus.” Lainey’s nose wrinkles. She’s not a fan of public transit—not because she thinks she’s above it but because she has an aversion to large crowds and confined spaces.
Lainey asks me how my first day at work was, and if I ran into the-jerk-who-shall-not-be-named. I skirt the uncomfortable parts of that conversation, mostly because the topic makes me want to cry.
Once we get to my brother’s house, I play with Kody while Lainey prepares his dinner. When it’s ready, I put him in his high chair and watch him shove food in his cute little face.
Lainey starts talking about preseason training, because it’s safe conversation and that’s where RJ is right now. She keeps trying to convince me to come to the arena with her, and while I love my brother and I’m actually a fan of hockey, I tend to shy away from attending his games.
I’ve had issues in the past with people using me to get to my brother. Being part of a brand-new expansion team in a city like Seattle is a big deal, so it’s easier if I’m settled with friends of my own and the excitement of the start of the season has died down before I entertain the idea of going to games. I love my brother, and I don’t begrudge him his success, but it can be hard to handle, and sometimes I succumb to inferior-little-sister syndrome.
Lainey gives me a sly look. “A lot of RJ’s teammates are really nice. I know you’re not ready to jump back into the dating pool yet, but there are a few cute ones who are probably close to your age, and single.”
“Thanks, but I have zero interest in dating any of those guys.”
“Dating what guys?” RJ appears in the kitchen, having just arrived home.
“The ones on your team,” I reply.
RJ arches a brow. “No way in hell any of those guys would date you anyway.”
“RJ!” Lainey smacks her spatula on the counter, an inch from his fingertips.
My brother raises both hands in the air. “Whoa, whoa, I don’t mean because you’re not datable, Stevie. If anything you’re too datable.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I’m not easy and I never have been. I get emotionally attached quickly, which isn’t ideal, so I don’t jump into bed with a guy right away, to avoid making it worse for myself if it doesn’t work out.
RJ wraps his arms around me from behind in a big bear hug. “You’ve got the Bowman dimples, Stevie. They’re lethal to the opposite sex. Isn’t that right, Lainey?”
She nods somberly. “The dimples are hard to resist. I think what your brother is trying to say, however ineloquently, is that you’re stunning and he would pull the big-brother card on any guy from his team who tries to date you.”
Thankfully, no one mentions dating or RJ’s teammates as viable options for the rest of the evening. RJ spoils me with unnecessary and extravagant birthday presents and my favorite cake, but the real highlight of my night is getting to put Kody to bed.
It’s late by the time my brother drives me back to the penthouse. “You need me to help you get your rent money back from Assface?” he asks.
Every time he references Joey, it’s with another creative insult.
“I can handle it.” I smile, but it feels flat.
“I know you can, Stevie, but you shouldn’t have to. I really hate that you’re going through this. You can come stay at the house with us so you’re not alone.”
“Uh, that’s sweet, but probably not something you should suggest without consulting Lainey first.”
“We already talked about it. The pool house could easily be converted into a separate apartment, so you’d have your own space.”
The idea of not being alone is alluring, but RJ’s new house is a good forty-minute drive from the clinic, and I don’t have a car; nor do I want my brother to buy me one.