He smiles, nods again, and turns for the locker room. There are a few of his teammates hanging out, waiting for him, and I smile as I watch them surround Cody and give him affectionate bro hugs and shit. But this is RDU, so our version of a bro hug is definitely more affectionate and longer. There’s less stigma and healthier expectations here.
“Lehhhh… monnnnn!”
A wide smile splits my face as I turn to find my sister walking toward me. She’s smiling as she steps down from the bleachers. I meet her halfway between us and wrap her in a hug.
“I didn’t know you were coming,” I say.
“Thought you needed a surprise visit from your favorite sister,” Sugar answers.
Once, Mom used to give us a hard time about having favorite siblings.It makes Saffron feel left out.Uh… that’s the point, Mom. We did a better job of making sure Steak felt loved, though. Since Saffron demanded our parents’ attention all the fucking time, we made sure Steak wasn’t neglected.
I squeeze her tightly and then take a step back. “Seriously, you just came for the game? Where’s Fish?”
“Fish is home with her father and yes, I came for your game, and you best be taking me for dinner after this. I’m starving.”
I rarely do anything to help clean up after the games anyway, so I wave at Norman before linking my arm through my sister’s. We have a large work-study crew for games. That’s why I hire them—so I don’t have to do the work.
We stop by my office, and I change out of my game clothes. Grabbing my bag, I try to ignore all the places Hansley’s fucked me in my office. Thankfully, Sugar chooses a chair that we haven’t touched. I’m going to make sure we don’t.
“Where did you park?” I ask on our way out of the building.
Sugar shakes her head. “Patrick dropped me off. I told him you’d bring me home after.”
“Or I’ll just make you sleep over and we can stay up all night painting nails and…” I trail off with a frown. “What did we used to do when you spent the night? It seems so long ago.”
“It was long ago,” she says, sighing. “Patrick and I have been together for almost twelve years. Can you believe that?”
“Has it really been that long since we’ve had a sleepover?”
“Yeah. So we’ll have to plan one! Fish isn’t nursing anymore, so Patrick will have it under control.”
I grin. “Awesome. Let’s definitely do that.”
“What’re you in the mood to eat? I’m not kidding when I say I’m starving. Fish has been super clingy, so I don’t think I’ve had anything since breakfast.”
“I’m starving too. Watching my kids expend so many calories is exhausting.” Sugar laughs. “The Italian place on Wyseck Street has super big portions and it’s delish.”
“Great.”
We talk about Fish on the way to the restaurant and I realize just how long it’s been since I’ve seen my niece. Once we settle into our booth and have ordered, Sugar turns to me and I realize this isn’t just a friendly visit.
It’s an ambush.
“So…” Sugar starts, and I sag in defeat. “Time to talk about what’s been up with you.”
“If I tell you I don’t know what you’re talking about, can we go back to talking about Fish?”
“Not a chance.”
“How about if I ask after?—”
“Nope,” Sugar says, popping the P. “Tell me what has you acting all weird lately.”
There are no less than half a dozen more distractions I’m prepared to throw at her, but a heavy sigh leaves me and I know I’m not going to fight it.
“There’s this guy I hate,” I say, and she settles in with a smirk. I’m pretty sure she thinks ‘hate’ is a code word. “Since the moment we met, it’s been… really hot on campus.”
Sugar snorts. “Has it now?”
