Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 97767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
It’s the first time she’s really laughed all morning, and it’s enough to make me grin.
“Can I ask you a question?” Nova asks once she’s done giggling. “Why haven’t you ever set me up with one of your teammates on like…a date?”
I raise an eyebrow. Never not once has my sister mentioned wanting to be set up with one of the guys on my team.
Never.
Not that I would do it.
"Uh. You mean the guys who think Taco Bell is an appropriate pre-game meal and that socks are optional in public?"
No offense to Taco Bell, but you get what I’m saying. Most dudes our age aren’t exactly taking women to fancy restaurants and sweeping them off their feet. They take them for coffee.
Or: to the bar then back to their place for a quick fuck.
She smirks, crossing her arms. "But at least one of them has to be decent, right? Like, statistically?"
"Statistically, sure," I say, rubbing my chin to make it seem as if I’m seriously mulling the idea over. "But then you realize they’re overgrown toddlers with too much testosterone. Jank once missed practice because he “lost track of time” watching videos of cats riding Roombas. Ivan can’t remember to pay his phone bill, so he uses everyone else’s to order UberEats."
I frown at the idea of her dating either of them.
My sister tilts her head. “Knock it off. Be serious, I’ve met a bunch of them, they’re not terrible. Maybe you’re overprotective and it wouldn’t kill you to do me the same favor I did you.” She hesitates. “Things are going well with Austin, maybe you could…you know. Hook me up.”
Hook her up?
Over my dead body.
“What about the new assistant coach?”
“Tyler?”
Nova rolls her eyes at the ceiling. “Yes, Tyler. What is he, like—thirty-five?”
I rear back, hating the idea. “How the hell would I know how old Tyler is? The answer is no. He’s a fuck boy.”
My sister is undeterred. “How do you know he’s a fuck boy?”
“He looks like one.”
Duh.
Nova snorts, crossing her arms. “He looks like one? That’s your entire basis for judgment? You can’t just slap a label on someone because they have good hair and a decent jawline.”
She thinks he has a decent jawline?
The man has a beard. “He has a weak upper lip.”
“Fine,” she says with a dramatic sigh, throwing her hands up in defeat. “Forget Tyler. Forget your teammates. Forget everything. I’ll just join a nunnery or something.”
“Good call,” I say, nodding. “You’d look great in a habit.”
“You are such a jackass.” Nova’s laughter finally fades as she wipes at her eyes, still grinning. “Seriously, though. What’s your problem with setting me up? You’re acting like I’m asking you to marry me off to one of your idiot teammates.”
I cross my arms, leaning against the counter. “It’s not that. I just know these guys, Nova. They’re my friends, sure, but I’ve seen what they’re like off the field. Half of them don’t even know how to do their own laundry.”
“So?” she says, arching an eyebrow. “That’s why I wouldn’t date half of them. I just need you to point me to the one with a working brain cell.”
“You’re assuming one of them has a working brain cell.” I realize I’m losing my patience and take a deep breath. Let it out. “Look. I’m not saying you can’t handle them, but why would you want to? Do you know how many times I’ve had to explain to Jank that you can’t put metal in the microwave? Twice, Nova. Twice.”
“He is not from America!” my sister shouts in his defense. “He’s from Ukraine, of course he doesn’t know you can’t put metal in the microwave!”
“I’m trying to protect you. You deserve someone who isn’t going to make you question all your life choices every time he opens his mouth and a loose tooth falls out.”
Nova shakes her head, laughing. “You’re such a pain in the ass, but thanks, I guess.”
“You’re welcome, I guess.”
Nova tilts her head, a mischievous glint in her eye. “Maybe Austin knows some single guys.”
“No,” I say flatly, already regretting where this is going.
She frowns. “Why not?”
“Because. The guys Austin knows are college students and too young for you.” I am delighted to enlighten her. “She’s a professor. You want me to set you up with one of her students?”
“Pause.” Nova blinks, jaw dropping. “Wait—what? Back up. She’s a professor? You’re dating a professor?”
My chest swells with pride.
“Yeah,” I say, smirking at her stunned expression. “What did you think her job was when you played matchmaker?”
“I wasn’t thinking about jobs at all!” Nova admits, throwing her hands up. “You didn’t exactly say, ‘Hey, I’m dating a genius.’”
“She’s not a genius,” I say, rolling my eyes. “I mean, maybe she is—I’m still getting to know her. Hard to tell under that sassy mouth.”
“Wait. Back up. What does she teach? I’m literally so stunned by this news,” Nova presses, still trying to process. “English? Rocket science? Marketing?”