Chris rescues it. “Don’t worry. I’ve never told Nat.”
“Are you the reason he thinks those poems were about some other guy on the team?”
“Yeah.” Chris snorts. “The poems were really bad, Riles.”
“I was twelve!”
Chris laughs.
“I wondered why you were so quick to accept that Nat is interested in me.”
Chris scrunches his nose. “It’s awkward seeing my best friend all over my sister, but Nat is a good guy. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with you.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
“Plus, having Nat as a brother-in-law would be epic.” Chris shrugs. “It’ll only get weird if you two break up and I have to choose between you and Nat. And I’m choosing Nat, of course.”
I flick Chris with water. “Rude!”
“What? He texts me more than you do.”
I can’t argue with that so I concentrate on rinsing the dishes.
“Speaking of, why’d you go radio silent for three months, Riles? Mom and dad said you stopped calling as much too. They were worried about you. We all were.”
I inhale deeply. “I’m fine. As you can see, I’m doing great here in Lucky Falls.”
“As a… mechanic,” he says hesitantly.
“Yes, I enjoy it, Chris.”
“What about your dream to work your way up to being a specialized AMT? You and Uncle Will spoke about it for years. It’s why you worked so hard at the military hanger to rack up your hours.”
“Dreams change.” I set the dish in the drying rack.
“Are you sure nothing happened to make you walk away from that?”
My eyes divert to the dishes. I think of Betty. Of that awful day in the hanger. Of those harsh words.
‘Because of your stupidity, every woman who comes after you will have to work hard to prove she’s not an idiot!’
“I’m sure,” I tell my brother with a brittle smile. “Nothing happened.”
Chapter Forty-Four
NATHAN
A tense, nervous energy snaps through the air as we prepare for the last scrimmage.
Normally, the locker room is louder than a train track with guys cracking jokes and talking trash. But at this stage in the game, talk is cheap. All that matters is what we leave on the ice.
I keep my headphones in and play Riley’s playlist on repeat while I stretch my legs. These stretches were assigned by my crew of physical therapists and are different than our warm-ups on the ice.
Breathing steadily, I get my mind into gear while I stretch. Everything I’ve been working toward since joining the Lucky Striker’s training camp has led to this moment.
I’m ready.
McLanely, Renthrow, Kinsey and Coach walk into the locker room. I pop my earbuds out of my ears and listen as Coach shares a few inspiring words. Then McLanely leads us in a team cheer.
