Jude is thrilled to meet Duke. “Come help me with the grill,” Jude suggests, and Duke nods vigorously.
I head out on the back deck to set the table and grin to myself as I listen to their conversation. “So you played hockey in Maine too?”
“With your uncle, yes, but only in the summers,” Jude explains. “I played in Canada the rest of the year.”
“Do you think you’ll ever skate here again? Like practice or whatever, when you aren’t in San Francisco?” Duke says and his voice dips with disappointment. “It only costs five dollars to go to the free skates on Sunday afternoons. I bet they even let you skate for free.”
“I think I’d love to do that. Or maybe even your uncle Holden will let me come to help coach one of your practices,” Jude replies easily and pats his shoulder with one hand while he flips a chicken breast with tongs with his other hand.
“You’d want to do that? For real?”
“Of course. Maybe tomorrow.”
“My team is going to be so psyched!”
“Duke, go wash your hands before dinner,” Bradie calls from the doorway.
Duke bites his bottom lip, like he’s trying to keep himself from arguing and looks up at Jude. Jude smiles. “I’ll be here when you get back, buddy.”
Duke darts back into the cottage, and Jude gives me a giant grin. “That kid is great for my ego.”
“Don’t make me regret this,” I warn but smile at him.
“You know, I could hire you to run my fan club, since you’re so good at finding people who see me for the true athletic superstar that I am,” Jude says, his grin even deeper.
“Yeah, I can do that,” I reply casually. “But every kid I bring to you from now on will be painted up in full clown makeup. Sound good?”
Jude’s grin slips and his eyes widen fearfully. “That’s not funny. You know as well as I do clowns are terrifying. And child-size clowns?”
Jude actually shivers. I laugh. “You are going to hate the Halloween costume I bought Declan.”
I walk away, leaving him horrified, as Duke comes bouncing back onto the deck and runs to Jude’s side again.
An hour later, we’re all sitting around the dining room table, full from our meal, laughing and having a great time until Jude takes Declan to the bathroom after he shouts “Potty!” Because when he emerges, he says something that turns everything on its ass.
“I’m glad to see you finally stopped putting my Stanley Cup ring over the toilet.”
“What?” I ask, confused at what he’s talking about. Last I saw it, that ring was there.
“The ring isn’t in the bathroom,” Jude pauses. His face starts to fill with worry. “It’s in the bedroom, right? On his night table?”
My heart slowly slides into my flip-flops. “I don’t…” I pause. It has to be. It does. I stand up from the table. “Yeah, it must be.”
We both walk to the bedroom, but it’s not there.
24
Holden
I’m on the back deck turning off the grill and making sure everything is cleaned up when I hear Winnie’s voice—it’s angry. I turn and look through the windows of the dining room. She’s standing there, facing her brother, and they both look tense as hell. I head back inside. Every step feels ominous for some reason.
“I know what you’re thinking and it’s not true!” Winnie says as I open the back door and step inside.
“Then where is it?” Jude wants to know.
“We should go,” Bradie says cautiously as she stands and motions for Duke.
“What’s going on?” I ask and everyone turns and looks at me. Each person has a different expression but none of them is good. Bradie looks uncomfortable. Duke looks confused. Jude looks disillusioned and Zoey looks worried. Winnie’s face is filled with anger.
