Always Only You by Chloe Liese (z-lib.org).epub

you hate it.”
“You were beardless the first twenty years of your life,” Ax says. “I just
don’t see why people have to change things like that. It bothers me.”
Ryder snorts a laugh. “I’m so sorry to upset your routine by growing facial
hair, but I like it.”
“Guys.” I clear my throat.
Ax starts arguing with Ryder. Viggo and Oliver are playing tug-of-war with
the bag of beef jerky. No one is listening to me.
“Guys!”
Everyone freezes in a tableau titled Guilty.
Ryder and Ax both straighten in their seats on screen. Oliver lets Viggo have
the beef jerky. Viggo rips open the bag and throws a hunk into Oliver’s lap.
They both tug the meat between their teeth, the simultaneous snap as it breaks
the only other sound besides crashing waves along the shore.
“Thank you for joining the emergency meeting.” Clearing my throat again, I
glance inside, making sure Frankie hasn’t come home early. She’s supposedly at
water aerobics and said she’d be home late, muttering something about getting
out of my hair. It was on the tip of my tongue, to tell her just how off the mark
that is.
“Okay, so as everyone here knows, I’m a bit of a klutz when it comes to the
ladies.” A chorus of snorts and suppressed laughter interrupts me but quickly
dies away. They all school their faces.
“Proceed,” Axel says seriously.
“Right. Well, you guys remember Frankie, who I’ve mentioned. She’s our
social media coordinator.”
Ryder wiggles his eyebrows. “Willa was riiiight,” he singsongs. I give him a
look. He only grins wider.
“I’m attracted to her,” I tell them. “I’d love to ask her out. I’ve wanted to
since I met her, but Frankie and I can’t date right now, not while we work
together.”
Ax gives the universal sign for speed it up.
“She’s quitting once we’re out of playoffs or after we win the Cup,” I press
on. “She got into law school, and soon we won’t be coworkers. Which means,
now’s my shot to ask her out. And I…I have no clue how to go about this. What
do I say? And when? ‘Hey, Frankie. I’ve been pining for you for three years,
secretly wishing I could date you, and now I can’? I sound creepy. Stalkerish.” I
scrub my face. “Why is this so complicated?”
Ryder and Axel steeple their fingers in front of their mouths at the exact
same time. Oliver crunches a chip thoughtfully while Viggo swallows his jerky,