“Yes.”
Tucking the blanket around her, I drop down onto the sand and pull her with me, settling her between my legs.
Even though it’s cooler than normal out tonight, people are scattered across the beach. Families are flying kites, and groups of what look like friends are huddled around bonfire pits.
Our spot near the lifeguard tower is quiet. The rush ofthe tide coming in helps settle the overwhelming thoughts that have been starting to plague me these last few days.
“So why’d you bring me out here to freeze tonight?”
I wrap my arms closer around her, rubbing her arms to keep her warm.
“I needed a quiet place to think. To not be on campus and be talking about hockey or school and what might or might not happen this summer.”
“Have you heard anything from the scouts that came?”
“Not yet. Still impressed with my game, but no hint as to which way they’ll be leaning.”
“I don’t know how you do it. That kind of limbo would make me crazy.”
“I’m trying not to think about it, but it’s hard.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were worried?”
“That’s why I brought you out here with me, didn’t I?”
Over the course of these last few months, Angie has become my go-to person. I don’t know when it happened, exactly, but hers is the one opinion I seek out over anyone else’s.
Probably around the time I fell in love with her.
Because that is exactly what has happened.
I fell in love with the one person I shouldn’t have fallen in love with. Getting to keep her is a completely different story.
“What do you think is going to happen with the draft?” Angie’s voice is quiet, barely heard over the breeze coming in off the water. It pulls me from my errant train of thought. The sun is almost at the horizon. Orange streaks across the ocean.
I blow out a breath. “I just hope to be drafted by any team.”
“Any team?” she asks, shifting in my arms to face me.
“I mean, not Nashville. The Knights are the worst team in the league. Bunch of dirty players.”
“Okay, so not Nashville. Do you have a team you’d want to play for?”
I drop my chin onto her shoulder, contemplating that. “I haven’t given much thought to it.”
“Why not?”
“Because I didn’t want to fail out of college and have these teams realize what a failure I am and then not pick me up.”
Angie spins, dropping onto her knees between my legs. I look up into her big, beautiful, brown eyes. “You listen to me, Troy Hollins.”
“Uh-oh. Full name.”
Her lips quirk up at the corner. “Because I want you to listen to me.”
“Okay.”
“You are not a failure. You would have failed if you didn’t come to me. Most people don’t want to ask for help, but you did.”
