Free Redemption: A British Stepbrother Romance by Jessica Ashe Page B

out with him another evening. It’s about time you let your hair down.”
    “What will you do?”
    “Well… I suppose if Olly is out with you, then Shaun will be bored. Maybe I’ll hang out with him.”
    “I suppose I walked into that one,” I admitted. “We’ll have to see what Oliver says. And Shaun may not want to; he seems like quite a shy kid.”
    “I’m sure I can bring him out of his shell.”
    “I’m just going to pretend I didn’t hear that and carry on watching the game.”
    “Good idea.”
    I bit my tongue to stop myself from laughing at Maisie’s confidence and sheer joy for life. I could do with taking a leaf out of her book. Maybe tonight I would let my hair down and have fun for once? I was due a good night out and I had a feeling Oliver was more than capable of showing me a good time.

Chapter Twelve
Michelle
    S o much for being brave . I couldn’t even find the courage to ask Oliver if he wanted to go for a drink. Fortunately, Maisie did it for me by saying she wanted to hang out with Shaun and that Oliver and I should do our own thing. Neither of us took much encouragement.
    “We could do dinner if you like?” Oliver asked. “You wouldn’t believe how hungry I am after that game.”
    “Let’s just go to a dive bar and grab some wings or something,” I suggested. “I’m not dressed for anywhere fancy.”
    “You’re in England now, remember. I doubt we’ll find a bar that specializes in wings and American beer. And if we do, I’m not going anywhere near it. I know there are jokes about rugby players drinking piss for dares, but we don’t go as far as drinking American beer. We’re not animals.”
    “Alright ‘smartarse,’” I said, emphasizing the ‘arse’ in my best English accent. “You choose where we eat.”
    I genuinely didn’t care where we ended up; I just wanted to spend the evening looking at Oliver. He had that glow of someone who had worked up a sweat and then showered, but was still hot and a little sweaty. He’d crammed himself into a suit to do a quick post-match interview, but had removed the tie and had a button undone to reveal a tantalizing glimpse of his chest.
    “So shall I go to your house and hang out with Shaun?” Maisie asked. She tried to sound more casual about it in front of Oliver, but she still came across as obvious. That girl did not know how to do subtle.
    “Yes,” Oliver said, “but it won’t be just the two of you.”
    “Thank God,” I muttered.
    “I told Shaun to invite some friends of his round. He may be shy, but he does have a few close friends.”
    “Oh, okay, that’s fine,” Maisie said casually. “A party’s cool with me.”
    “It won’t be much of a party,” Oliver said. “Not if I know Shaun’s friends.”
    “Great,” Maisie said, less enthusiastically.
    I smiled at her. “I’m sure you’ll have a great time with Shaun and his friends.”
    I would have a much better time knowing Maisie was not on her own with a boy she liked. Shaun seemed perfectly nice, but I was responsible for Maisie this summer and I didn’t want to encourage her to have too much fun.
    With Maisie sorted, I was truly ready to let my hair down. “Come on then, let’s drop Maisie off at your place and head out. I’m in the mood for a cocktail.”

    W hen we dropped Maisie off at Oliver’s, Shaun already had a few friends round, and they were just hanging out playing video games. With any luck, Maisie’s evening would be less exciting than she was hoping for.
    Oliver and I jumped in a cab and went to a pub not far from the stadium. There were a few fans in the pub drinking to celebrate the victory earlier today, but most of them left Oliver alone after a pat on the back and kind words for his performance.
    Oliver ordered a huge plate of chicken, bacon, fries, and two fried eggs, and added a side of vegetables for good measure. I stuck to a baked potato—called a jacket potato here apparently—with a portion of beans and cheese.