Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

A Girl Is Not Supposed to Make Me Smile

Finn

I’m driving home from school when I get a call from my sister in New York.

“What’s up?” I answer.

“Not much, just dropped Maylee off in kindergarten. I can’t believe how big she is already,” she gushes about my four-and-half-year-old niece.

“Give her hugs for me,” I say.

“How are things going?” she asks. She usually acts more like my mom than my older sister.

“You mean with my ass of an older brother?” I ask.

Laughter spills through the line. “What did Jacob do now?”

“He’s riding my ass, I showed up late for practice and he knows I’m never late for anything, but he had to show who’s boss, stupid jerk,” I complain.

“You two are in for one interesting year,” she states.

“Couldn’t he have waited until I graduated to accept the job?” I ask.

“He wanted out of Sugar Meadow, just like you did,” she reminds. “Wait, why were you late for practice? That is very unlike you.”

“I don’t want to get into it,” I reply.

“Now we need to get into it,” she insists.

“Stop being annoying.”

“What happened, Finn, spill it. I’m not going to leave you alone,” she urges.

I grunt. “I spent the last three hours in a lab.”

“By choice,” she reminds. It’s true, I am working on a thesis in the lab as part of my senior year requirements. “Now what, or should I say who, had you late for practice?”

“It wasn’t a big deal. I crashed on the beach and didn’t set an alarm,” I explain.

“There was a party on the beach?” she asks, not letting up.

“No party, Willow. You don’t really want to hear about my hookups, do you?” I ask.

“Hell no,” she grumbles. “Unless you really like her.”

“I don’t like her, but the situation is a complete mess. If I tell you, promise me you won’t tell Jacob because I could get into trouble.”

“My lips are sealed,” she assures.

“Turns out, the girl I hooked up with is now working for the team as our social media coordinator, and if that isn’t enough, she is also now living in my house,” I blurt, feeling frustrated by the whole situation.

“Excuse me? Why is she in your house?” Willow asks, clearly shocked.

“Hayden’s sister is her best friend. Their dorm was evacuated because of some pipes bursting in the building and they had nowhere else to go. No one can know we hooked up, and on top of it, I need to see her every day,” I complain.

“Why are you so irritated?” Willow asks like it isn’t obvious.

“You know I don’t like seeing my hookups after the fact,” I state.

“Yeah, well, it’s time you get over your fuckboy ways. This isn’t you, Finn,” she scolds. Since I broke up with Chelsea, my family is having a hard time accepting that this is the new me, although, it isn’t so new anymore since we broke up over three years ago.

“Nah, I’m happy. I just need to get Charlie out of my house and life.”

“Sounds pretty harsh. Her name is Charlie? That’s cute,” Willow says.

“Her name isn’t the point,” I continue, still feeling irritated about Charlie. As if it wasn’t enough that she took off on me after our night, I now need to see her in my house half naked and wrapped in a towel, or in short booty shorts. The girl is gorgeous, and my dick is itching to get inside her because we didn’t go there. I know she isn’t the type to have sex and walk away. I just wish I could stop thinking of her breasts and her amazing legs or her beautiful green eyes.

“Finn?” Willow asks.

“Sorry, I spaced,” I admit as I pull into the driveway. “I’m home now. Can we talk another time?”

“Yeah, sure, but don’t make a big deal about this Charlie thing. How long is she staying with you? It’s probably just a few days. No big deal,” Willow says.

I huff out a breath. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess it isn’t. I just wish she hadn’t made the team dance the macarena for the social media account. It was so cheesy.”

“Finn, I saw that video an hour ago. It has five hundred thousand views. Sounds like Charlie knows what she’s doing,” Willow informs me.

WTF? 500K views? That is good.

“Yeah, whatever, I don’t want to think about her anymore. We’ll talk soon. I’m hungry I’ma go cook something,” I say.

“Ooh, what are you going to make? I could use a new idea for dinner,” Willow questions.

“Bibimbap.”

“Bee what?” Willow asks. “Is it something Cade taught you to make?”

I laugh. “Yeah, it’s a Korean comfort food and has a mix of proteins and vegetables.”

“Send me pics. I don’t know if I’ll make it though. Maylee has become super picky with her eating.”

“Give my niece kisses fromme. I really have to go get some food in me,” I say.

“Go, we’ll talk soon. Love you, little brother.”

“Love you too,” I reply.

I shut off the engine and grab my backpack. My stomach is on serious empty. A normal person would just walk inside and stuff their face with whatever is ready, even if that is junky food. I prefer to take my time and cook the perfect meal, sampling the ingredients as I make the dish.

I walk into the house and drop my bag by the door. I kick off my running shoes and stretch my arms over my head, letting out a big yawn. Then I rub my hands together, excited to get started on cooking, but the closer I get to the kitchen, I realize someone is already cooking.

I’m expecting it to be Cade, only it isn’t. Charlie turns around. “Oh, hey,” she says, stirring a pot of pasta. Her dark hair is in a bun and she’s wearing a pair of mint-colored bike shorts and a black cropped tank top. This girl is trying to kill me. Her ass looks fine in those shorts.

“Hi,” I say, walking past her to the fridge.

“How was your day?” she asks.

“Fine,” I reply as I pull out the beef, eggs, a mix of vegetables, and minced garlic. I place them on the kitchen island. Then I go to the cupboard where I keep all the spices and take out the sesame oil, brown sugar, and soy sauce.

“Aren’t you going to ask me about my day?” she asks.

I wasn’t but now that she is asking. “How was your day?”

Her lip twists. “Busy, I had classes, and I just came from practice.”

“Aren’t you making a protein with your pasta?” I ask.

“Nah, just a sauce. More economical,” I say.

“With the amount of time you must be running and working out, carbs aren’t enough,” I tell her.

“Tell that to my bank account,” she chortles.

I get to work cutting the spinach and slicing the carrots. I also rinse off some shitake mushrooms. Before I touch the meat, I pour rice into the rice cooker and add some water and salt.

“What are you making?” she asks, watching me curiously.

“Bibimbap. It’s a Korean dish. Cade’s mom is Korean,” I explain. “He taught me how to make all kinds of dishes, and I like to experiment with different foods.”

“Cool, Dad and I used to do a lot of cooking together too. Korean barbecue was one of my favorite nights, and Bulgogiis one of my favorite dishes. One of my best friends from back home is Korean and, well, I spent a lot of meals with them growing up.”

My lips pinch together as I watch her. I don’t know what to make of this girl, but what I am seeing is she is more than just a pretty face.

I nod and turn back to slicing up vegetables. The less I know about her the better.

Cade waltzes into the kitchen. “Bro, did you see the video we did this morning went viral?”

I nod.

Luc and Aaron pour into the kitchen next.

“Charlie,” Luc says, and he puts his fist out to bump her. She’s confused at first but then she bumps his fist. Aaron gives her a fist bump too.

“You’re good, I had women picking me up all day. They think I am a good dancer and it’s hot,” Aaron says, waggling his brows.

“Glad to be of service,” Charlie deadpans as she stirs her sauce in one pan and the noodles in another pot.

When her noodles are ready, she drains them and then places them in a bowl on the counter.

“Aren’t you going to eat with us?” Cade asks her.

“Oh, I wanted to wait for Ruby to come home to eat the pasta,” she says.

“Charlie, you’re an athlete, you can’t be eating just carbs for dinner. You can have some of the bibimbap Finn is making. There’s tons of meat and egg. Finn seems like a grump but he’s a damn good cook.” Cade chuckles.

Charlie looks over at me like she is assessing me. I don’t know what she is thinking. “I’m not grumpy.”

“Sure you are, you’re the serious one out of all of us. Look at your major. You spend hours a day in a lab and you keep all of us in check,” Aaron states.

“You make me sound like an old man, and I’m not,” I assure, although they may have a point. I have always been very driven. Coming from a house where we never had enough money and parents that were too busy bickering to ensure we did our homework meant that I would either fail at life or take matters into my own hands. Having brother’s that were involved in hockey helped me to perfect the sport, but I’ve always wanted more than a hockey career. I see it as a means to an end.

“Right,” Luc says. “Here, I’ll help you chop the carrots.” He picks up a knife and gets to work while I marinate the minced beef.

“I’m fun,” I mutter.

“If you’re fun, then we should definitely throw a party tonight. We only started our classes so there isn’t that much work, and we don’t have to worry about games for a couple of weeks,” Luc suggests, testing me.

“I’m in.” Cade nods.

“Me too,” Aaron says.

Luc watches me expectantly.

“I’m in, I don’t have a problem with a party,” I say hesitantly because clearly the guys have left me no choice.

The guys begin to cheer and chant, “Party! Party!”

“Let’s try to keep it small,” I tell them, even though I am sure it’s a lost cause.

“Yeah, definitely,” Cade agrees, rolling his eyes. “I’ll tell Scar to bring some friends.”

I watch Aaron roll his eyes but Cade doesn’t notice. All of us are too polite to tell him we don’t like Scarlett and her friends.

“I’ll probably just head out to the library,” Charlie says.

Ruby walks through the kitchen door with Hayden.

“Bro, we’re having a party,” Cade announces.

Hayden looks my way and I shrug. “We’re having a party.”

“Fuck, yeah,” Hayden cheers.

“I told them we’d go to the library,” Charlie says quietly to Ruby.

“No way, you girls should hang with us. We’re roommates now,” Luc says.

“It’s very temporary,” Charlie replies, looking awkward.

I heat the wok with oil and then I place the marinated beef to simmer. In another wok I get the vegetables cooking.

“I don’t think so, Char,” Ruby says. “I was speaking with Hayden and it just makes sense if we stay here while Campbell is under renovation.”

“I can go to Adler Hall,” Charlie offers.

“You aren’t going anywhere,” Cade says to her. “You’ve got a great room here and we are happy to have you.”

“Thanks, dude,” Hayden says to him, giving his shoulder a squeeze.

“I got you, bro. Family is family,” Cade declares because he comes from super nice parents who support him and he loves.

“I don’t know. I feel like I’m imposing on you guys,” Charlie says. “We have to work together now. Don’t you think it’s awkward to have me living here?” She looks between all the guys.

“Keep coming out of your room wrapped in a towel every morning and we will be just fine,” Luc teases her.

“Not funny,” she retorts, but she’s smiling and she looks really pretty when she is smiling. Fuck, what is wrong with me? I blink and clear my mind. I can’t be thinking this way.

I finish cooking dinner and Charlie pours her spaghetti with the sauce into a large bowl and places it on the table. I combine the ingredients from both woks, making it look pretty with the fried eggs on top.

“Dude, that looks amazing,” Cade praises. “The student outdoes the teacher. I’m calling my mom she is going to be so proud.”

“Is he really calling her?” Ruby asks Hayden.

Hayden nods. “We all love Mrs. Price.”

Cade FaceTimes his mom. She picks up after a few seconds.

“Hi, honey,” are her first words.

“Hi,” Cade replies. “Finn made bibimbap and you have to see how good it looks.” Cade turns his phone on the table.

“Hi, guys,” Mrs. Price greets them.

“Hey,” I say. “I didn’t do that great a job.” And I am starving so I want to get this meal started.

“He did,” Cade confirms. He runs the camera over the table.

“Wow, that is impressive. Halmoni would be impressed,” she says of Cade’s grandma. “Nice to see you’re enjoying the cooking.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Price, I appreciate the lessons you gave me,” I say. Once my sister left for college in New York, it was up to me and my brothers to cook. That meant we basically ate meat that we added salt and pepper to, with a side of potatoes we’d pop in the oven or a loaf of bread. If we’d waited for Mom or Dad to cook, we would have been waiting forever. When I moved out here, I went home with teammates for holidays, luckily, they come from super-nice families and I kind of picked up cooking along the way.

“It was my pleasure, dear,” she replies.

I feel my cheeks heat from having all the attention on me.

“And that pasta looks delicious too,” Mrs. Price notes. “Who made that?”

“That was Charlie,” Cade says.

“Charlie? Is he a new teammate?” Mrs. Price asks.

“No,” Hayden cuts in. “Charlie is short for Charlotte, she’s my sister Ruby’s best friend. They are staying with us since there housing situation got complicated.”

“Oh dear, well, it was nice of you to take the girls in,” Mrs. Price responds.

“Does Scarlett know you have women living in the house?” she asks Cade.

We all burst into laughter but we try to hide it because Mrs. Price is super nice.

“Mom, come on. You’re embarrassing me,” Cade says. He’s a big guy. He plays defense and so he’s used to playing rough and does one heck of a job, but listening to him speaking with his mother, you would never know it.

“Sorry, honey,” she says. “I’m sure everyone wants to dig in to the delicious meal, so I won’t keep you guys.”

“Bye, Mrs. Price,” I say. The guys follow suit saying bye, and then Cade blows his mom a kiss.

He ends the call.

“That was so cute,” Ruby says. “You’re a mama’s boy.”

“Through and through,” Cade confirms proudly.

We all dig into the meal. Charlie puts a heaping serving of pasta on her plate but she doesn’t try the bibimbap. Ruby does though.

“This is delicious, Finn,” she claims.

“Thanks,” I reply dryly. I’ve taken a large serving and I am absolutely ravished after it took so long to cook.

“Charlie, take the bibimbap,” Cade says to her.

“I feel bad. As it is I’m freeloading on you guys. I don’t want to eat your food too,” she .

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Aaron says. “You’re one of us now.”

Charlie blushes and her lower lip quivers. “Thanks.” She takes a small helping of bibimbap. I am smiling inside, which is a really bad thing to do, because a girl is not supposed to make me smile this way. I am not supposed to fall for anyone ever again. When Chelsea cheated on me, I got a long string of I told you sos from my brothers. Willow was the only one who said she wasn’t for me and someone better would come along. However, that was because she got over her relationship phobia when she fell for a famous NHL player after they had a one-night stand and conceived my niece. My brothers and Mom basically drilled it home that college should be about fun and it wasn’t worth settling down with anyone, so that has been my motto ever since arriving to Riverside U. Suddenly the warm feeling in my chest is setting alarm bells off in my mind, which means I know what I need to do tonight. I need to hook up with someone at our party who isn’t Charlie Morgan.