“You would want that?” Riley asks with wide eyes.
“Duh,” Emmy says with a grin. “Of course we do.”
“You’re the lead, and Zoe made all the sets. There’s no wayyou’ll keep anyone in this room away.” Caitlin glances over at Rachel, who nods in confirmation.
“January, right? I think I remember seeing it in the Fieldston alumni email.” Sophie winds the last piece of tinsel into Zoe’s hair and sits back on the couch. “We’ll all be there. Better save some seats.”
“Like, how many seats?” Riley’s eyes dart around the circle like she can’t quite believe all of these women want to show up for her. And god, I know that feeling so well. Well enough that I take Riley’s hand and give it a squeeze.
“Maybe Fieldston should consider putting on a separate performance just for us,” Maya says with a laugh. “We’re too chaotic to see a show with the general public.”
Riley laughs. “Zoe can ask Mr. Murphy. After her little performance with Tara yesterday, I bet he’ll want to do her a favor.”
Zoe nods like this is the best idea ever.
“Were we this cool in ninth grade?” Maya wonders, looking between Riley and Zoe and then at me.
I snort out a laugh. “You were. Me? Not so much. Remember the thing where I was a hockey player which means I was immediately labeled a jock by most of the girls in our grade and thus entirely uncool?”
Riley bumps my shoulder with hers. “I totally would have been friends with you in high school. Being a female athlete is so badass.”
“Same.” Zoe nods again, taking a sip of her drink. “And anyway, look at you now. You’re in charge of the mental health of, like, an entire professional football team. You get to travel with the team and stand on the field for games and help the coach with game strategy and everything. I bet all those girls would be so jealous if they could see you now.”
“Right?” Riley says, looking up at me. “You’re so super cool now. My dad said you’re the only female sports psychologist in the entire league and you’re the best.”
“He did, did he?” Liv asks, tossing me a side eye. “What else did he say, Ry? Tell us everything.”
She shrugs. “He said the only reason the Renegades kicker is doing so well now after his injury in the home opener is because Maddy helped him when his brain kept tricking him into thinking he would reinjure himself, and he told me there’s another player who has always had anxiety about getting injured but can manage it now because Maddy helped him.” She looks up at me with a grin. “He talks about you a lot. Your work especially. It’s like he’s proud of you or something.”
“Or something,” Liv says in a voice only I can hear, her tone laced with amusement.
“Stop it,” I hiss. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her grin wide, and when I glance around our little circle, the same grin is plastered on everyone’s face. While my friends know everything, my grandma definitely does not. But Rachel Parker misses nothing, so I’m sure she read this entire situation in two seconds flat.
As for me? Well, I’m just trying to breathe normally.
The thought that Cam has been talking about me to his kids—the things he’s told them—is doing weird things to my chest. I know he thinks what I do is important. He’s told me a million times, and just the way he agreed so easily to keep what’s between us a secret for the time being to protect me and my career tells me exactly how he feels. But something about hearing it from his daughter’s mouth is turning my insides into an ooey gooey mess of feelings. Of hope and want and need and something that goes way, way beyond simplelike.
This is messy and complicated and probably ill-advised, but I don’t care about any of that. I care abouthim, and I’m not sure I would want it any other way.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
MADDY
“It’s sweet, isn’t it?”
“What?” At the sound of my mom’s voice, I turn from my spot at the doorway to the living room where I’m watching Riley and Zoe chat with Sophie’s mom, Molly, and Tyler’s mom, Julie, while on the other side of the room Ethan is engaged in a furiousFortnitebattle with Brian and Sophie’s dad, Gabe.
My mom gives me a soft smile and then holds out a hand to my dad when he strolls up. He takes it, bringing it to his mouth and pressing a kiss to her knuckles before winding their fingers together. “The way Cam’s kids slid right in here. It’s nice to watch.”
I nod, my eyes back on the kids. “It is. I’m sorry Cam’s mom is sick, but I like having them here.”
My dad slides his free arm around my shoulders, dropping a kiss on the top of my head. “So, what are the big thoughts all about?”
I turn and study him. “What makes you think I’m having big thoughts?”
He gives me a look that says, clearly,Please. “I know you,Little Red. I know when there’s something going on in your head.”
“We haven’t wanted to pry,” Mom says in that quiet way of hers. “You’ve always been the kind of person who talks when you’re ready, but we’re here and you’re here and there are so many different conversations going on in this house that no one is going to bother listening to ours, so spill Mads. What’s on your mind?”
