30. Weston

Bro Dinner ends with a whimper. Hunter is passed out on the couch and I’m sitting in my apartment with the terrace door open. There’s a light wind, warm but not hot, and the moon is full and high.

And all I can think about is her.

About Hunter’s suggestion for her, rather. Fucking Renee to get her out of my head and purge her from my system.

Even though I had the thought on my own, I’m blaming Hunter for dragging it back to the forefront.

It’s not so crazy, though, right? I mean, it could work. Maybe I can ask her for a one-night stand, something no-strings, a true one-and-done. I’m good at putting the period at the end of the sentence. I could do it with her. Even if she moves in with Sutton for the unlimited future.

I try to think about any possible downside. I suppose, if she gets too clingy, I’ll have to deal with it, but I don’t see it going south that way.

I think we can make it work. And the more I think about it, the more convinced I am. It’s a good idea. Maybe even a great one.

And by a stroke of luck, I hear the elevator. Jackass is still in Hawaii, which means it has to be her. Before I can even make the conscious decision to act, I’m walking into the hallway.

“Hey.”

I lean against the wall, smirking, tugging my shirt into place and waiting for her response…

Which doesn’t come.

“Renee?” I raise my voice a decibel. The game crowds have been intense and louder than normal. Maybe it’s affected her hearing.

Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

She opens her door, slips inside, and slams it closed. It’s like she never even registered my existence.

“Uh… Okay.” Face burning, I slink back into my apartment.

Strike one.

The next morning at the arena, I try again.

She’s holding her camera behind the boards, taking some action shots, when I skate over. “Renee.”

She looks at me for about a half-second. Then she turns and walks away in a hurry. I have skates on, so there’s no way I can catch her.

Strike two.

It isn’t until later—after practice, after I’ve changed—when I find her in her office. “Renee.”

“You’ve mastered my name. Now, can you master fucking off?”

I swallow and stand my ground. “We need to talk.”

She nods. “You know what? We sure do. I’m glad you said so.” I haven’t seen it in a while, so I’ve forgotten how much I enjoy her smile. She really is a beautiful creature. “Can I go first?”

“Uh, yeah. Sure.”

She motions to the chair across from her desk. “Take a seat.”

Frowning dubiously, I do. I feel like a kid who just got called into the principal’s office.

Renee tents her hands on the desk. “Look, I don’t want this to come out in any way other than the spirit to which I intend it. But I have made some decisions about you and I.”

I suppress my smile. Same here, Princess. “Do tell.”

She meets my gaze without flinching. “Your attitude toward me is absolute horseshit. And I’m over it. I’m finished wondering what I did, caring about what I did. Because I know for a fact I didn’t do anything. Literally not one thing wrong. So?—”

My jaw tenses. “Renee, I?—”

She holds up a hand and continues as if I hadn’t spoken. “So, from now on, I’m done trying to be a friend or friendly or anything of the sort. At work, I’ll talk to you about the things that involve my job or your part in it. At the apartments, you can just pretend I don’t exist. Don’t even bother holding the elevator for me. I don’t need it. I don’t want it.”

What. The. Actual. Fuck?

But she isn’t finished. “I didn’t figure you would care one way or the other since you…” She shrugs and leaves that sentence unfinished. “You made it exceedingly clear that this was your preference from the beginning. So I’m honoring it.”

I don’t need to hear it a second time. Throat and chest tight as a drum, I stand. “Alright then. Thanks for your… honesty, I guess.”

She raises her eyebrows. “I thought you had something to say?”

I clear my throat. “I was going to say basically the same thing. Let’s keep it professional. And if we run into each other at the pool again, one of us walks.”

This is what I wanted. I wanted to be professional only. So here it is. A win.

I have no fucking clue why it feels like I lost so badly.