Chapter 27 Seven: Stella

• One of the girls in nice. Mindy. She’s the one who offered to keep me company while Gage is practicing. The rest of them scan me like I’m a barcode and decide, apparently, that I need some work. “Oh my God, that skirt,” says one of them—a pretty, raven-haired girl with a dozen hoops in one of her ears. “Are you wearing it that long on purpose?”
• Mindy smacks her in the shoulder. “Shut up, Krissy. Leave her alone.” Her lips tilt up in a smile. “You’re risking the wrath of Gage Weston. He’s extremely protective of her.”
• “How did you manage to reel that one in?” asks Krissy. “He’s got a reputation for being ice cold with women. Barely gives them the time of day. Unless he needs to blow off steam, of course, then he just grabs whoever is available—”