“Chase can clean,” Theo announced.
Chase’s head lifted slowly. “Why am I the one cleaning?”
“You’re the most responsible.”
“That’s not a compliment.”
Laughter spread around the table.
I glanced toward Mila while the others debated which of us would survive shared housing the longest.
Her gaze had been on me the whole time. Something softer unraveled behind her eyes. “What?” I asked quietly.
“You look lighter tonight.”
I leaned back slightly against the booth. “Maybe I am.”
Her fingers slipped between mine under the table. The contact felt grounding in a way that had nothing to do with the noise around us. Michigan had always been about hockey. The next step toward the NHL. But sitting here listening to my friends plan a house we might actually share this fall, something shifted.
It wasn’t just hockey anymore. It was the start of a life that belonged to me.
Theo snapped his fingers. “Luke.”
“What?”
“You’re the one the program is bending rules for. You find the house.”
I tossed a fry at Theo. “I’m not your real estate agent.”
Chase leaned forward. “You’re the one getting special treatment.”
“That’s not how recruiting works.” They didn’t know I’d already started looking.
“Sure it isn’t.” Theo snorted. “You’re an elite player. You had colleges pounding down your door. You can get the college to find us a house if you wanted.”
Avery leaned into Jax’s side. “You realize if you all live together, the place will be condemned within a semester.”
“Rude,” Theo muttered.
“Accurate,” Chase replied.
Tori got up and came back a few minutes later with another basket of fries she set in the middle of the table.
Conversation shifted after that—to classes, when hockey practice would start, how early we’d have to be there compared to when the girls would arrive.
The federal investigation hanging over Blackwood for weeks stayed outside the diner walls where it belonged.
My shoulders didn’t feel locked in place the way they had for weeks—waiting for Dunn’s next move or whatever else might come for us.
Eventually, the booth emptied one by one. Theo and Tori left first. Chase lingered long enough to steal the last fries before disappearing behind the door. Avery got out beside Jax, her hand tucked comfortably into his as they headed toward the parking lot.
Mila and I followed last.
The night air outside carried the cool edge of the ocean, eucalyptus drifting faintly on the breeze from somewhere down the street.
The restaurant lights reflected across the rows of parked cars. She stopped beside her door and turned toward me. The neon sign behind us flickered faintly, casting soft pink and amber across her face.
My hands rested lightly on her waist without thinking. Her fingers slipped up the front of my shirt. I studied her, the diner light catching faint strands of copper in her hair.