Ready or Not (The Love Game Book 4) by Elizabeth Hayley (pdf ebook reader .txt) 📕

Aamee, Gina, Macy, and a few of the other girls laughed even more hysterically the second time I told it, probably because I hadn’t mentioned he’d declined her invitation the first time.

“I thought he was from another school,” Sophia said. “What was he even doing at that dance?”

“How would I know? It’s not like I have some sort of insight into Baby Boy Kersey’s Friday night plans almost a decade ago.”

Aamee’d been standing to the side, leaning on the arm of the leather couch with her glass of champagne. I hadn’t even noticed her on her phone, but suddenly she was thrusting it in our faces.

“Well, Baby Boy Kersey is a snack now,” she said, drawing out the last two words in a way that was a tad cringe.

Most of us tried to catch a glimpse of him, but Aamee spun the phone around before we even had a chance to properly gauge the caliber of his looks.

“Bryce Kersey, it’s a good thing I’m not thirsty, because I might have to—”

“How did you even find him that fast?” Sophia asked.

Aamee scoffed as if the question were ridiculous. “Googled Mrs. Kersey and Brighton Elementary. I know the name of the school because Brody went there too obviously.” She was speaking so quickly, I could barely keep up. “I got her first name—Bridget,” she said with a smile and something that resembled a slight bow. “So then I checked Insta for a Bridget Kersey, but they were obviously all way too young to be her. That’s when I remembered Boomers don’t have Instas, so I hopped on my Fakebook account and typed in her full name and the town you guys grew up in.”

“Did you say your ‘Fakebook’ account?” Gina asked.

“Yeah. It’s the Facebook profile I made for moments just like this. I use it to do stalking mostly, and on the rare occasion to enter a contest. You’re making me lose focus. Anyway, I found her easily, clicked on her friends list, but teachers are super private. So I had to go to one of her profile photos because they’re public and find one that had a lot of comments.”

All our mouths were open as we listened, even though none of what she said actually had any importance.

“So I found someone with the last name Kersey who’d commented, went to his profile, and then searched his friends list for people with that last name. I found a few and scrolled through their pictures until I found a family picture that included Bridget, her husband, and their son and daughter. Someone had commented what a beautiful picture it was of them and how grown up Bryce and Ava looked. From there I went to Snap and Insta and found Baby Bryce in like six seconds. Simple.”

“You are, like, way beyond creepy,” I told her. “But as a Criminal Justice major, I’m actually quite impressed with your abilities.”

“Thank you,” Aamee said, sounding genuinely surprised at my compliment before going back to the phone. “Oh my God, he’s a baseball player!”

“In little league?” Sophia asked. “Is he even legal yet?”

“Yes, he’s legal. He has some graduation pictures up from last year.”

“He could still be seventeen.”

“Not when his birthday was in June. He went with some of his friends to Mexico. Currently, he’s playing baseball for Willistown University, which, as you all know, is like twenty minutes away and a D1 school, so if any of you ladies are interested, you might wanna check out a game this spring, because Bryce will be starting. As a freshman. Molly, how about you? You’re a sophomore, and if I recall correctly, the only men you had any contact with last year were the ones in tweed blazers who assigned your grades.”

Before Molly had a chance to answer, Sophia said, “Can we talk about guys who aren’t related to my old teachers and barely old enough to drive?”

“Sure. It’s your party. Or one of them anyway,” I said. “I obviously plan to throw one for you too with everyone back home and your family.” I’d assumed I’d be Sophia’s maid of honor, though she hadn’t technically asked me. She had no sisters, and I was her closest and oldest friend.

Aamee smiled widely, seeming way too excited to say, “I’ll be at that one too.”

“Can’t wait,” I said, my tone high with sarcasm. “But seriously, let’s talk about that fiancé of yours since this is technically a celebration of the two of you.”

“Is it though?” Gina asked. “It’s more of a celebration of her single life. Or the end of it, I guess. But since she doesn’t even know when she’s getting married, it’s mainly just a reason for all of us to hang out and get drunk.”

Macy raised an eyebrow. “We need a reason?” She was coming back from the small kitchen with a tray of JELL-O shots. Two for each of us it turned out.

Once we’d all slurped down the strawberry jiggly deliciousness, Macy’s eyes widened with excitement. “So tell us what he’s like in bed. Did the accident affect his ability to get an erection, or like do you have to be super careful when you’re on top?”

I looked to Sophia, knowing she was probably heating up from the inside out. I bit my bottom lip to keep from laughing. Her face was getting close to the color of the shots we’d just had.

“His…erections”—she said like the word caused her physical discomfort when it left her mouth—“are fine. No complaints in that department.”

“That’s good,” Aamee said, refilling her glass before moving to some of the other girls to top them off. “People don’t realize how important an active sex life is in a marriage.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Sophia said.

“Seriously. I know I don’t know much from my own experience. Well, sexually speaking I do, because Brody—”

“Ew, stop!”

“Anyway, my parents have been married for like”—she looked to the ceiling like she was trying to come up with an answer to