18. Dex

Chapter eighteen

Dex

F or the first time in years, I take a true day off where I have no actual plans—other than throwing some shrimp on the barbie—schedule, or diet restrictions. I sleep in, eat donuts for breakfast, and veg. The only thing I don't skip in my daily routine is some light yoga and meditation, because today is about relaxing and doing whatever I want.

And watching the AFL Grand Final is what I want to do more than anything else. Even though watching the match will be more full-on than relaxing. It's basically the Australian Super Bowl, except Aussies don't wear pads when we knock each other around. We man up and get hurt, even the girls.

Not me, obviously. The only sport worth getting injured for is surfing. But I love watching the AFL. Archie does too. The match is scheduled for two-thirty in Melbourne on Saturday, which makes it nine-thirty on Friday night in LA.

Archie and I have been planning a barbie for weeks. We've got it heated and ready to go as soon as Rhys shows up. The match falls on a week when he's got a break from touring.

That's who I'm expecting a couple hours before match time when someone knocks on our door. So when I open it and see Britta, blonde hair swept up with a few tendrils framing her face, wearing the green dress I picked out for her, I nearly drop my second donut of the day.

"Hi." The word stumbles out of my mouth, tripping over its one syllable.

"Hi." Britta smiles, and it's all I can do to keep my eyes on her mouth and not the thin straps on her shoulders or the deep V of fabric leading to her…

I force my eyes back to hers. "I thought you were leaving."

She shakes her head. "I had a promise to keep. Can I take you to dinner?"

Now my eyes drop to my bare chest—I catch Britta's gaze following mine. The only thing I'm wearing is board shorts. I haven't showered. I haven't combed my hair. I have plans with two of my best mates, including one I haven't seen in ages.

But when I look back at Britta in that dress, I can't say no. I motion her inside. "Give me ten minutes to put on something more…better. Clothes, I mean, so I don't look like a dag next to you."

"I don't know what that is, but don't go to a lot of trouble. We can go somewhere casual." Britta follows me into the sitting room, where Archie's eyes nearly pop out of his head when he sees her.

"Britta's taking me to dinner," I tell him.

He keeps staring at Britta, so I raise my voice. "Archie!" His head swings to me, but his eyes are glazed over. That's how good Britta looks.

More than good.

Absolutely gorge.

She's always been a stunner, but that dress on her looks better than I imagined.

"Can you get Britta a drink or something while I get cleaned up?" I ask him, and he finally comes out of his daze.

"You're not staying for the match? Rhys is coming over."

Britta is about to sit down but stops with Archie's idiotic question. I send him a fiery glare at the same time she says, "You've got plans? Of course you do. It's a Friday night. We can go another time."

She moves so quick for the door, and I get so distracted by the low, strappy back of her dress that I almost can't stop her in time. But I come to and dash in front of the door as she reaches for the knob.

"The match doesn't start for hours. We've got time to grab dinner. After that, why don't you stay and watch with us? Stella, too."

She's about to say no, I can see it in her eyes, so I lay down my ace. "Rhys will be here… Rhys James."

I'm such a dipstick. I never name drop like that.

But it works. The no in her eyes is gone. "Stella will kill me if I don't say yes and she finds out."

"Go tell her. I'll take a quick shower, then pop over."

With the smallest hint of a smile, Britta nods. Crisis averted.

After I close the door behind her, I face Archie, sure he's upset with me.

Instead, he surprises me with a goofy smile. Before he can say anything stupid about Britta being an American and tonight would be the perfect opportunity to propose, I run to the bathroom.

In record time, I'm dressed in trousers and my nicest button up. As I'm about to leave, there's another knock at the door. This time when I open it, Rhys is there in a jumper with the hood pulled up over his baseball cap. Dark sunglasses cover his eyes, and he's holding a six-pack of Balter. I barely have the door open before he rushes in.

"Shut the door," he orders, handing me the Balter, which he's gone to a lot of trouble to get, being an Australian beer, and my favorite. I'll allow myself one today.

I glimpse Stella in the hallway, staring with her mouth open, and wave as I close my door.

"Hello to you, too, mate," I say. "Bit warm for a jumper, isn't it?"

Rhys pulls down the hood and takes off his hat, but keeps the glasses on. "I'm sweating my bum off, and that girl still recognized me. She couldn't stop saying my name and kept getting louder. Paps will be here before the end of the night." He shakes his head with frustration before putting on a smile and swinging his arms around me for a quick hug. "What a ripper, Mr. World Champion! Good on ya!"

"Thanks. Couldn't have done it without Archie." I wag my head toward Archie, who's come in for his own hug.

"I watched it all. Cheering for you the whole time," Rhys goes on while hugging Archie. "We're celebrating tonight. I brought beer." He nods to the Balter I'm holding like we could have missed it.

"We'll have to wait for this one to get back from his date." Archie tips his chin in my direction. "And he invited her and her friend over."

Rhys's whole body sags when he looks at me. "Do they know I'm here? It won't be just the two of them if they do."

I shake my head. "They don't know anyone in LA."

"It'll be all over social media." Rhys looks ready to bolt until Archie claps him on the shoulder.

"No worries. They're cool." Archie gives me a steely look that immediately triggers a warning. "Plus, he's planning to propose to one of them."

Rhys's eyebrows shoot up.

I give Archie the finger, then shake my head. "None of that nonsense in front of the girls." I'll let him explain his bananas plan to Rhys.

I've got a date with a girl—a woman —in a green dress and for the next two hours, that's all that matters.