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“I have enough friends already, old man,” she says.
“Ade!” Lumi admonishes.
“What I really need is a dad.”
“Adelaine!!!” Lumi sounds somewhere between astonished and mortified.
“But thanks for asking!” she adds with a beaming smile that is too cute to be rude. I’m still mildly offended though. Old? Old man? Who the hell is she calling old?!
“Ade that was really rude!”
“Sorry. I get moody when I need foody,” she calls, racing off to a classic VW Beetle and climbing in.
“I’m so sorry,” Lumi says, cringing. “She’s insanely sassy today.”
“Don’t be. She’s way more polite than I was at her age. And she’s probably hangry.” I laugh and she looks relieved by my reaction.
“So…” she shifts awkwardly from foot to foot. “Not to be rude like my daughter or anything, but what are you doing here, Quil?”
“I like that.” I grin.
“What?”
“You called me Quil, not Quilo. Only the guys call me that.”
“Sorry. It just slipped out.”
“Don’t be sorry. I like it. Nicknames are always a good sign.”
“Okay...but why are you here? I really do have to get moving.”
“I know. Sorry. I won’t keep you. I was just wondering if you’d go out with us tonight?”
“Us?”
“Yeah. Me, Yas and Whit.”
“I thought you wanted me to go out with you?”
“It might be easier if we all just get together to talk first.”
“I guess…”
“So you’ll do it? You’ll come out with us tonight?” I grin at her, excited to have the chance to put things right.
“Whoa. Hold on. Tonight? I don’t know. I’ll need to see if I can get a babysitter.”
“Sacha already said she’s available tonight.”
“I see,” she says flatly. “I guess I don’t need to ask how you found out where I live then.”
“Sorry. Whit tried the studio but it was closed. Yas sort of knows Sacha through work.”
“Fine. If Sacha’s babysitting and it’s all arranged, I guess I can meet with you all. What time and where?”
“How about I pick you up from the studio at say...eight? We’ll have drinks at Après Ski if that’s okay? We all have the night off but don’t like to stray too far from the rink.”
“Sure.” She sighs, not seeming overly happy to be going out with us, and on impulse I reach out and run my hand over her cheek. It’s a natural reaction to want to comfort my mate when I see that she’s unhappy.
I jump when a car horn suddenly blares, and we spin to see Ade leaning into the driver’s side to press the horn again. She makes a pantomime of checking an invisible watch on her bare wrist.
“Okay, okay, I get it. You’re going to be late,” I mutter. Lumi laughs and pulls away from my touch, I think, a little reluctantly.
“I’ll see you later then?” she asks.
“I can’t wait.”
I watch as she walks away and climbs into the beat up old death trap of a car, and I wait until she’s driven off. Pulling out my phone, I text the guys the plan and then pocket it before their replies roll in. I flip the visor down on my helmet and take off, too excited about tonight to spend the day sitting still.
Now all we have to do is apologize for coming on too strong, for fighting over her like the final scrap of meat, and convince her that she’s the girl for us. All three of us. Should be a piece of cake, right?
