Page 29 of Pucking Good Girl

My ass hits the bottom step of my deck as I hit the green button. If I don’t take this, she’s going to call me and text me until I do. “Gen, what’s up?”

“How is my favorite Cove Knight?” Her tone is sweet. Way too sweet. She wants something. “Isn’t it crazy that we go to the same school and we’ve barely seen each other?”

I’ve seen enough of Gen to remind me why my juvenile crush on her was short-lived. “Yeah, you know how it is. Between hockey and classes, my schedule is packed tight.”

“I know. But that doesn’t mean that we should be strangers.” She giggles.

I’m tired, and the sun is warming up, making me sweat now that my skin is drying after my impromptu swim. “We just saw each other two nights ago at the Gamma party.”

My hope that reminding her about it would make her go away is immediately slashed. “That hardly counts,” she protests. “We didn’t get to hang out at all. You disappeared pretty early.”

Yeah. The second I knocked on my brother’s door, that turned into the wildest night of my life. Of course, I don’t say that to Genevieve. “I was tired. You know…”

“Yeah, the tight schedule. You said that already.” I can’t see the eye roll because this isn’t a video call, but I can practically hear it. “Listen, I miss you. You’re one of my oldest friends, Becks. And I think things between us started on the wrong foot.”

Yeah, when she shoved her tongue down my throat without my consent. I don’t say that either, and Gen continues.

“You can make it up to me by taking me out to dinner on Wednesday night. There’s a new restaurant in town I’ve been dying to try, and what better way than to go on a date with you?”

I’d rather go on a date with Satan and let him—or her—have his wicked way with me.

“Gen, I thought I was clear after we went to the first party of the year together. I don’t⁠—”

“You’ve always had a crush on me.” She cuts me off. “And after much soul searching, I realized that I had one on you too. All these years, I’ve been wasting my time with the wrong Shayba brother.”

I blink, more shocked than anything else. “We’ve had this conversation before, Gen. Remember when you offered me that deal? I don’t care about being the ‘it couple’ on campus or on social media or whatever your plan for your rise to fame is. I’m not going to take you on a date, ok? Not Wednesday night and not ever. My crush on you is a thing of the past and it was inappropriate even back then.”

“But Becks⁠—”

It’s my turn to cut her off. “I mean it, Gen. And besides, you’re my brother’s ex. Dating you would go against every bro-code in existence. Mack and I have to play together all year, and I’m trying to get along with him. I’m sorry if this is disappointing, but I’m not going to change my mind. Now I gotta go or I’ll be late for morning skate. Goodbye, Gen.”

I exhale, wishing I could tell her to never call me again and block her. But despite everything, Genevieve is still Dad’s best friend’s daughter. That’s the only reason I tried to be firm and let her down as gently as I could. Besides, I don’t know what’s going to happen with the cheating situation. I don’t want to say or do something that could wind Gen up and somehow make her hurt Talia even more.

My phone pings with the reminder that practice is in forty-five minutes. I need to hurry if I don’t want to be late. So I step onto the deck to head inside the house.

My hand freezes on the handle of the patio door that leads into my living room. There is someone in my house.

I grab my phone from the holder strapped to my biceps, ready to call 911, but then I stop.

There are a few boxes stacked behind the couch and a few trash bags. Typically home invaders break in to steal from you, not bring stuff into your house.

Unless this is a new type of home invasion where the perp is dumping their trash on their unsuspecting victims.

“Talia?” She’s carrying a box through the front door with Mack right behind her. He has a Star Cove Knights duffel bag hanging from one shoulder and one trash bag in each hand. “What’s going on?”

Mack explains that they’ve had to move out of the Gamma House and that he’s moving in with me for the foreseeable future.

I don’t know how to feel about this.

Obviously, there’s nothing I can do either way. Dad rented a two-bedroom place for us. And there’s even a part of me that’s happy to live with my brother again after five years apart. But between the situation with Talia and the possible deal with Seattle, I also know that living together isn’t going to be a walk in the park.

This condo had become my sanctuary in the weeks since school started. I could come here to decompress, to get away from the constant noise and pressure of campus and the team.

Now not only is Mack going to live with me, but the entire team is going to be right next door.

“Morning skate is canceled for today,” my brother informs me. “I was gonna order some breakfast for me and Talia. Have you eaten, or would you like to join us?”

I was starving one minute ago, but now all of a sudden there’s a lead balloon in the pit of my stomach.