When a hand came crashing down on his shoulder, he looked over to meet Vaughn’s profile.

“She turned me down. Called me an idgit.”

“Idgit?”

“Yeah, she’s an angry one. Stay away from her,” he said, shaking his head, but when he glanced back at Benji, he let his head fall back. “Shit, you like her?”

Benji shrugged. “She’s different.”

“Yeah, mean as a possum!”

“A possum?”

Vaughn’s eyes widened. “Yeah, dude. Mean. Those things are mean. She’s mean.”

Shaking his head, Benji grinned. “No, she just acts mean to keep people away.”

“Yeah, so stay away.”

“Don’t know if I can.”

Letting out a long breath, Vaughn shook his head as Benji watched her untie Angie’s skates. He wasn’t sure if what he was saying was true, but a part of him really believed he wanted to know Lucy. Past the snark. Past the angry persona.

The real Lucy Sinclair.

“It won’t end well,” Vaughn warned.

Benji knew that.

So that meant one thing.

It couldn’t end.

“Benji is so cool, Mom, like, really. He was so funny and kept, like, telling me I’m awesome and everything. Everyone loves him. He challenged all of us. And, come on, he plays in the NHL, Mom. He’s, like, the best. But he let all of us win! He’s so cool. Don’t you think he’s cool?”

“He’s something,” Lucy said under her breath as she pulled out of the parking spot and drove off. Something like hot and supernice. She couldn’t help but watch the guy on the ice. He was huge! And he treated those little girls like they were in tutus with crowns on their heads. He was so attentive. So sweet and she didn’t miss how he kept looking at her. She wasn’t sure why, but it was nice.

When she actually allowed herself to enjoy it.

“That’s wonderful, baby,” she said to Angie and she beamed, continuing on about how wonderful Benji Paxton was.

But as much as Lucy wanted to listen and maybe even agree that Benji was supersweet with the kids, she couldn’t shake the earlier text exchange with Rick.

Rick: Hey, I’m picking up Angie early Friday. I’ll pick her up from school.

Lucy: I told you she has hockey on Fridays, that we’ll be about 30 mins late to meet you at Walmart.

Rick: Okay, well that doesn’t work. Heidi wants to take her to get her hair done.

Lucy: She doesn’t need her hair done. I just had it cut the other day.

Rick: No, I mean like some kind of hairdo for the recital.

Lucy: What recital?

Rick: The one Saturday morning.

Lucy: You told me it was two weeks from now.

Rick: Did I?

Lucy: Yes. Whatever. Where do I get tickets?

Rick: They’re sold out.

Rick: I thought you had already gotten them.

Lucy: Wow. Okay, so you didn’t get me one, obviously. Whatever, Rick, I’ll figure it out.

Rick: Yeah, okay, so I’ll pick her up from school?

Lucy: No, you won’t. You can get her at 7 at Walmart like we planned.

Rick: Are you serious?

Lucy: Yeah, I am.

Rick: You’re so damn childish.

But Lucy ignored him.

She knew he did that on purpose, and she was done talking to him. She was so over him it wasn’t even funny, and like always, he had ruined her whole night. Thankfully, she was able to call Jude’s wife, Claire, who was one of the directors of the dance studio, and she took care of them. Even got tickets for her mom, River, Jayden, and Baylor. It was fucking avoidable, but then with Rick Hart, nothing was avoidable. He was an asshole, but she’d be damned if she was not going to be there for her baby at her fall recital. Angie didn’t even like dance, but whatever.

If Rick wanted his reign as King of the Dicks to continue, that was cool, she’d deal.

As long as Angie was happy, that was all she cared about. The moment Angie wasn’t, though, crazy Lucy was coming out.

“Don’t you think Benji is, like, superawesome, Mom?”

Looking in the mirror, Lucy smiled. Benji probably thought she was thirty shades of crazy. She shouldn’t have been so snarky with him, but she couldn’t help it. Her life was one bad day after another lately, and dealing with Rick really fucked with her. It wasn’t Benji’s fault, though, and she’d apologize.

When she got around to it.

“He was nice.”

“Right? So funny. Did you see him almost die when he got on the ice?”

Lucy snorted. “I did, I laughed.”

“Me too! I laughed so hard and told him it was ice, that it’s slippery. He gave me that look you do.”

That’s my smartass, Lucy thought with a grin as she turned onto the interstate. “I would have said the same thing.”

“Right? I knew you would!”

Smiling, Lucy went into the other lane as silence fell on the car while she drove. As the car went from dark to darker from the street lights, Lucy realized she was dog tired and ready to hit the hay. It had been a long day, and she was still so angry with Jayden. She also didn’t like how she felt about Benji. He was too nice, but then, he didn’t give off that creeper vibe. Just a nice guy, which was odd. She didn’t even think those guys existed. And the ones who did were married.

She almost thought Angie was asleep until she said, “Hey, Mom, I have to go to Dad’s this weekend, don’t I?”