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“This looks like fun.” I chuckled.
June groaned at her phone. “Xavier's stepbrother flaked out of the party! Ugh. And Xavier’s just…” She pouted. “Every time his stepbrother gets involved, he gets like this. He’s only here for the weekend from North Dakota, but it’s just like him to flake—”
“Wait, wait.” I paused. “North Dakota? Who’s Xavier's brother?”
“Stepbrother. Bear Moreau.”
“Holy shit.” I took a look at three blank faces and couldn’t believe it. “Xavier's stepbrother is Bear—fucking—Moreau? One of the best D1 hockey players out there—?!” I stopped myself when Zariah put her hands on her hips. “What?”
“Are you going to fangirl over him?”
“Shut up. He hit sixty-eight points in a season on defense. Who the hell does that?”
“Why don’t you make out with him?” she teased.
Zariah could say whatever she wanted. Nothing could tamper my excitement at possibly meeting Bear fucking Moreau. The guy could give Elijah Contractor a run for his money, which I would’ve gladly paid to see. He was one methodical motherfucker on the ice. The idea that Xavier was any way related to Bear was insanity in itself. Maybe there was a perk to having June’s boyfriend floating through our friend group after all.
“I know Bear!” Piper piped up. “Puck Highlights had an article about him. He’s one of the most eligible hockey bachelors. They wrote a whole profile on him.”
My eyes narrowed, my excitement disappeared.
“Yeah, he’s okay.” I shrugged, typing on my phone. “He fumbles with a loose puck more than he fumbles with the skate sponsorships, but whatever.”
Zariah raised her eyebrows. “I thought you loved him, Adam?”
“He’s a flake,” June cemented, her voice firm. “That’s all he ever does.”
Piper frowned. “You’ve met him?”
“Well—no. But Xavier and I have been together forever, and Bear always seems to put off plans. It’s so annoying.” June sighed. “And I know how much it hurts Xavier. I mean, that’s still his family. They should make time for each other. He should’ve come tonight. Ugh. It’s freezing outside, the party is a bust, I just want to go home.”
For a second, I was going to agree. We tried our hardest to get trashed in Oklahoma, and it didn’t work out. Oh, well. It was a commendable effort. But then I saw the disappointment on Piper’s face that she was trying so hard to hide.
What kind of college experience is this?
I sighed and scrolled through my phone while the three of them discussed possibilities.
“Uh…” I cleared my throat, regretting the choice to speak. “Xavier gave me a list of bars to try out here.”
“What?” June reached for my phone. “He did?”
There was a list of bars and their addresses that Xavier had hurried to type out on my phone, along with his cousin’s address at the very bottom. Where he was keeping his bright red Clemenza, to avoid some asshole keying his car.
Which was insane to imagine.
How could anybody hurt a classic Clemenza?
“We’re going to a bar?” Piper blinked at me with those big, beautiful, innocent gray eyes, shivering in her jacket.
All I wanted to say was nope, just kidding. Let’s go home and flip on a movie. We tried. But if this was really the end of babysitting, I could give Piper a fun time at a bar. And a safe one at that.
Because if any guy wanted to fuck up, I’d be there waiting for him.
“What’s the address?” Zariah asked, already calling a taxi.
Piper held up the trash can juice. “What are we…?”
“Just leave it for them,” I said, taking it from her to place it on the sidewalk. “I think they need it more than we do.”
