“You wouldn’t care what I called her if you weren’t still hoping to see her again,” he replies, pausing to finish the whiskey in his glass.
“What I want and what’s going to happen are two different things.” I rub a hand over my chin as I think about how she turned down my offer of friendship. “Her dad is really sick, and she works twelve-hour shifts. She has a lot on her plate too. It’s not just me that thinks this isn’t the right time.”
“Fuck. That’s hard.”
“Exactly,” I say, feeling like he’s finally getting it and siding with me. I pause and steady myself for his reaction because I know he’s not going to like my last confession. He swirls the whiskey left in his glass for a moment before downing the rest of it.
“You know what I think?” he says, standing up and putting his empty glass on the table beside me. He waits a second for me to respond, but I don’t because he’s going to tell me what he thinks, whether I want him to or not. “I think you’re looking for excuses. I think you’re too much of a pussy to go after…well, pussy.”
I cringe. “Hey, frat boy, rein it in. You kiss your wife with that mouth?”
His grin is almost blinding. “I do a hell of a lot more than just kiss her with it.”
I do not need the visuals he’s putting in my head. I shake them out. “If you think this doesn’t suck for me, trust me, you’re wrong. She’s the first woman I’ve been interested in since Lauren. Hell, I’m more than interested. But seriously, Hunter, I couldn’t even handle an attempt at a first date without it blowing up.”
He seems to seriously consider my words. I had already explained to him how I fucked up with the cell phone and didn’t call her to cancel the date until she was already there. Even he winced at that when I told him. He sighs. “Okay, man. I get it. I’ll stop bugging you for now. But as soon as we settle the Lauren drama once and for all, you’re seeing this Sadie girl again…even if the only way I can get you to do it is break your nose and send you to her hospital.”
I laugh at that. “You should have been a comedian. The career goes better with your wardrobe too.”
“Zing!” Hunter calls as he walks back into the houseboat. “I’m heading home to my amazing woman. You should get one. You’d like it.”
I don’t respond. I just laugh. My kid brother is a jackass, but he’s my jackass. He appears on the first level a few minutes later, and as he heads down the dock he calls out. “Tell Charlie I said hi!”
After watching his car disappear, I head back inside and start to prep dinner. I promised Charlie we could make mini pizzas. It’s her favorite thing, and I don’t mind it because I make a cauliflower crust and she loves to pile veggies on it. She’s the only six-year-old I’ve ever met willing to eat brussels sprouts. I turn on the big screen in the living room to watch the Thunder game and angle it toward the kitchen, then I pull out the ingredients to start the crust. The Thunder are in Seattle playing the Winterhawks, and it’s just starting.
I’m so glad goalie coaches aren’t required to go on most of the road trips. The travel was my least favorite part of playing, especially after Charlie was born. My cell phone buzzes as I’m chopping veggies. It’s Jennica’s mom. “Hi, Anne. Is it time to…”
Anne starts talking fast, and as I absorb what she’s saying, my blood runs cold. “I’ll be there in a minute. Don’t panic. Don’t let Charlie panic.”
I hang up, grab my keys, and rush out of the boat.
10
Griffin
I’m trying not to freak out, but it’s not easy. When Anne told me that Charlie had stuffed raisins up her nose and there was one stuck, I was horrified and honestly a little pissed. She’s a smart kid, and this was stupid. I’m fairly certain a raisin up her nostril won’t kill her, but I can’t help considering all the worst-case scenarios. Maybe she could aspirate it into her lungs or something? Was that even possible? I get to Anne’s place in record time, and she opens the door, looking even more distraught than me.
“I am so sorry. Jennica’s brother dared them to do it,” she confesses. “Trust me, he’s in trouble. Big trouble!”
Charlie is standing in the hall behind her, big hazel eyes wide and scared. I’m not sure if it’s the thing trapped in her nostril that has her freaked out or if she’s scared of the trouble she might be in. I give Anne a small, reassuring smile and motion for Charlie to join me. “Kids are kids. Thanks for calling me. I’ll take her home and fix her right up.”
“I think you’re going to need professional help,” Anne recommended. “I tried to snag it with tweezers but I couldn’t.”
Fuck.
I smile again. “Okay. It’s not a big deal. Don’t beat yourself up.” I look down at Charlie and her little lip trembles. “Thank Mrs. Kesler for having you over.”
“Thank you. And I’m sorry,” Charlie says in a shaking voice.
Anne bends and pats her head. “It’s okay, Charlie. I hope you get it out.”
We head down the front path to the car. As soon as I have her buckled into her booster seat in the back, she bursts into tears. Now I’m worried the snot will loosen the thing and send it shooting down her throat, choking her. I hug her. “It’s okay, sweetie.”
“Is it going to be in there forever?” she asks, panicked. “Is it going to get all gross and stinky? Is it going to make my nose rot?”
“No, honey.” I try not to laugh at her questions. “Does it hurt?”
She shakes her head no. I kiss her forehead. “I’m going to take you to a doctor, and they’re going to remove it. It’s going to be fine.”
