Chapter 54

Winnie

“Hello, Winnie! Nice to see you!” Rebel

holds up her glass for me with a big cheer. She has switched places with Logan to sit on my left side when I walk up to the table.

Alice, however, isn’t sitting down. She

stands up from her seat and gets this

sparkly look on her face before coming to hug me. “Winnie!”

“Hi!” I hug her back. “How are you?”

“I’m good. How are you?”

Before I can answer, Nathan speaks. “Here she comes, my biggest rival in love: Winnie. I swear there is a romance going on here…” he sighs but hides a smile.

“Happy to see you too, big guy,” I tell him and pat his shoulder. “Have you gotten

thinner?”

He snorts. “Shut up! I’m working out harder than ever!”

I grin. “It shows—I’m just teasing!”

People around the table snicker, including Logan. I feel welcomed sitting by the large

table the Plaza Hotel has assembled for us.

“Oh, and since you wondered, I’m feeling pretty okay,” I inform Alice and beam at her. “Mark won’t be joining us, though. He needed to take care of something urgent.”

“We saw,” Alice sits down beside me, grimacing. “But you’re fine, right? We kind of assumed it was a friendly date anyway.”

“Oh, it was,” my eyes flicker to Jake, whose cold expression turns less icy after hearing

me confirm I’m not into Mark.

Interesting…

“I

It hits me then that Jake was probably mad because I told him, “I don’t date nice guys, and then I went here with Mark. He must

have been so confused, thinking I was a

hypocrite.

I’ve never met before, says in a rather bitchy tone. “I

drinks.”

seemingly confused by the other woman’s attitude, before she finds words. “Uh,

at her-I don’t know why Kelly dislikes me. Unless Jake told her about me or

all negative energy and jealousy and focus

to have fun.

***

later, we aren’t at the hotel anymore, but getting drunk at a bar. The hockey guys I don’t know well aren’t with us. It’s Nathan, Alice, Logan, Rebel, Kelly, Jake,

cuddling

out of her

pregnant and got a babysitter,

has called

dangling

and Logan, they are doing shots. by the bar. And Kelly? She is

seems to have this idea that I can’t hear

ignoring her. He called a cab for her.

perfect for me.

Mark said Jake and Kelly weren’t

wait. I order shots

fun, and once Jake is

smirks at me.

her of my plans, and now even Logan is

know he

thickly. “Okay,

the bar. Jake is talking to some girl, and my heart pounds

has this presence now. It feels like my blood is boiling when he is in the same room or paying me attention. I’m already dizzy, and when he looks up

I almost bail. My stomach does this unwelcome flip, and

forward.

standing in front of him. The girl scowls at

mouth.

are you?”

but Jake beats me to it by

There you are!”

the ground while the girl stares at us. I’m shocked. The girl is shocked. And once I place my hands on Jake’s

wrap my legs around him like a monkey, she

but laugh. “What did you do

voice all soft. “She was rude to you, so I made sure to put

I’m speechless. I didn’t expect Jake to do that

makes a smug face as I stare at him. Eyebrows lifted,

beating

my brain just now realizes that we are practically hugging. My hands are on Jake’s broad shoulders, eyes locked onto

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