I frowned as I walked over to him at the prep counter. “A currant is the same thing as a raisin, isn’t it?”
He shook his head. “Completely different fruit. Raisins come from grapes. They grow on vines. Currants, those are grown on little bushes.” He leaned over and took a handful of small black, wrinkled things out of a plastic container and held them out for me.
I took one and carefully ate it. “It’s different.” It was more floral. Sweeter. “I like them.”
“Good.” He went back to scooping the dough. He seemed closed off—like he didn’t want me to know how he was feeling.
“Owen heard from your teammates that you had a fight with your uncle,” I said.
Daniel nodded stiffly. There was so much tension in his body. I’d never seen him like this before. “More gossip about me.” He sounded so wooden.
“Your teammates are worried about you. They care.” When he didn’t say anything and kept scooping the cookie dough, I added, “I care, too. I’m worried. You haven’t answered my texts all day.”
“I don’t have a phone anymore.” He took the tray of cookies to the oven. He had to set it down to open the oven, since he still had a cast on one wrist. “It’s technically my uncle’s phone, not mine. Nothing is actually mine.”
I put my arm on his when he came back to the counter. “You could have used Andre’s phone.”
“Maybe I wasn’t feeling like talking to anyone.”
Including me? I let go of his arm. “I can go, if you want.”
He finally looked at me. I couldn’t read his expression. Yes. There was sadness there. And anger. At me? If it was the Earl’s Whispers picture that his uncle saw, then it was my fault. All of it.
I didn’t know how to get him to open up, but I wasn’t going to stop trying. I put my hand over his. His gaze shifted to our connectedhands. “What happened, Daniel?” I asked. “What did you and your uncle fight about?”
Daniel sighed. “He saw the Whispers post.”
“How?”
Daniel gave an angry little snort. “He looked at my phone while I was packing my hockey gear.”
Shit. I’d texted him a screenshot. “He knew your phone password?”
Daniel nodded. “It’s technicallyhis. And he’s paying for the service. But I had no idea he ever looked through my texts.”
“Daniel, I’m so sorry I sent that to you.” I put my hand on his arm, but it didn’t look like he wanted it there, so I took it away.
“I knew he wouldn’t approve of our arrangement,” Daniel said. “But hejustcame into my life. I’ve never had a father. My mother cares about me, but shetrustsme. I’ve never had to tell anyoneeverythingI do. It’s like he’s trying to be a savior or something to a poor disadvantaged youth. Anyway, I got a lecture about my priorities and about lying. And about how hard it would be for me now that everyone knew about my unfortunate past. I told him that you were helping me with calculus, and somehow that made him even madder, because I’d told him I was getting help from a teacher. He said I should have gone to him for calculus help instead of some juvenile delinquent, and I’m not supposed to be playing violent video games anyway.”
I frowned. “Am I the juvenile delinquent?”
He nodded. “Because of the way you dress ... and because you introduced me to the blasphemous video game.”
“That’s ridiculous. I’m an honor student, not a delinquent.”
He shrugged. “He doesn’t want me dating you. And I have to stop working here. If I agree, he’ll let me continue hockey.”
“What does volunteering at the shelter have to do with anything? Is it because I’m here?”
He shrugged. “He said I can volunteer at the youth programs at his church, instead.”
“What does your mom say?”
“She disagrees with him—Mom’s on my side. She said if he kicks me out, she’ll quit and move out, too, and we can rent a place. But I don’t see how we can afford anything decent.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
“Don’t know yet.” He started wiping the flour off the counters with a kitchen rag. He seemed to be pretty good at working with one good hand by now. “My aunt said I could come work in the bakery and live with her. Then Mom could keep her job.”
