All the Sauce (IceCats 4)

“Can I ask you something?”

I look up then, eyeing him. “Only if I can ask you something.”

Our gazes meet in a very challenging way. He nods. “Rock, paper, scissors on who goes first?”

I nod before I hold my hot dog with my mouth, and he laughs as we set up for the game. He throws rock like I knew he would, so I throw paper. “In your face,” I say around the hot dog, and he jeers.

“I let you win.”

“Sure you did, because Owen Adler would never be a sore loser about losing to me,” I tease back, and he grins, his little dimple just downright adorable. I take a huge bite, and once I’m done chewing, I ask, “How are you really doing with Evan being gone?”

He pauses, sucking in a breath. “Coming at me hard, huh?”

“Always. I play to win,” I throw back at him, and he nods.

“Just like I do. I like it.” We share a grin, and he says, “Um, at first, I was devastated. Blamed myself, whole nine yards, but it’s hard to let it bother me when he’s doing so well. He had to start some new meds, but he just sounds better on the phone. Like my brother.” He looks through his lashes at me and grins. “And I’ve had the best distraction for the last two days.”

I eye him. “So, that’s what this is? Something to distract you?”

“Um, excuse me,” he says, holding up two fingers. “That was two questions. It’s my turn before you get to go again.”

“My bad,” I admit, taking a long drink of my Diet Coke. “Please, ask away.”

“Why didn’t you talk to me when we were younger? You basically acted like I wasn’t in the room.”

I move the straw between my lips, thinking through my answer. I know his gaze is on me, but I want to be as transparent as I can. He was honest with me; I want to give him the same effort. “I didn’t want to like you, but I did.”

“Elaborate, please.”

I inhale, letting my breath out in a whoosh before I meet his gaze. “You were so damn cocky!” His laughter runs down my spine. “You thought you were God’s gift to hockey.”

“I am. I’m Shea Adler’s son,” he says with the straightest and most believable face.

“Oh good lord!”

He grins, believing he’s damn right. “What? I am. And you know I am.”

I mean, he is pretty damn good, but I’m not helping stroke that ego any more than necessary. “You spoke in the third person for two years.”

He lets out a loud laugh. “I forgot about that. I was trying to get on Shelli’s and Posey’s nerves.”

“You got on all of our nerves.”

He sticks out his bottom lip at me, and with puppy-dog eyes, he says, “Owen is sorry.”

I let my head fall back, laughing hard, as the sea breeze kisses my face. God, it’s beautiful out here. I look over at him, my head still hanging, and I smile. “I wanted to hate you, and I couldn’t. So, I stayed away.”

“Well, I wish you hadn’t.”

“No?”

“No,” he says with an intense, serious look on his face. “There should have been no reason I had to wait years to kiss you.”

“Eh, we would have hooked up, and then it would have been over.”

He nods. “True. Very true. I’m glad I waited.” He holds his hands out, palms up. “Or that you wouldn’t give me the time of day and had me questioning if I was good-looking or not.”

I roll my eyes. “Yes, I’m sure you struggled so.”

“I did. It was a dark time for me.”

“You’re impossible.”

Owen beams at me, giving me those baby blues as if he’s looking at me for the first time. “Your turn.”

I lean back on the blanket since I’ve inhaled my hot dog and exhale loudly. “How many relationships have you had?”

“Three serious ones.”

“Did you love them?”

“Two of them, I did. The last one I knew would never be anything because she lived in Canada and Mom wouldn’t let me go alone, which really ruined my game.”

“For sure,” I say, though I don’t think I was listening really well. His skin is so shiny in the moonlight, and I’m digging this spot. “You’ve got a badass place.”

“It’s my grandma and grandpa’s. Amelia was living here, but then she moved in with Chandler, and she had to turn it over to me.”

“Lucky.”

“I guess I am lucky—since I live here and I’m sitting on the beach with you.”

“Man, you lay it on thick,” I complain, and he laughs.

“Just speaking my truth.”

“Fine. Ask a question instead.”

He nods. “Same. Relationships?”

“Not since I’ve been here,” I admit. “I dated, but no one is worth a damn, in my opinion.”

“Before here?”

“A few, but I’ve only been in love once.”

“William Pence?”

I laugh as I nod. “Yup. You didn’t like him, did you?”