Page 53 of Playing for Keeps

“Hey, Em,” Max said, in that warm voice of his that travelled across the lines. “How was your day?”

“Nice. It’s beautiful here.”

“I could tell from the pictures. You looked happy. And cold. Your nose was really red.”

“Rude,” I said, a smile coming on. “What did you do today?”

“Well, basically practice all day. Video analysis. The usual.”

“Tell me about it,” I said, lying back so I was stretched across the duvet, finally able to relax.

I could tell he was smiling before he said anything. “Sure, baby.”

28

MAX

The knock came in the middle of the afternoon, loud and deliberate. It didn’t sound like Will’s tap-tap-rap or Lucas’s fast staccato when my nephew came by. This one carried some weight to it. When I opened the door, Grace was standing there, with her arms crossed and a tight face. She looked like she had bad news written all over her.

“Hey,” I said, stepping aside. “What’s up?”

She walked by me without saying anything and went straight to the couch, sitting down as if trying to steady herself, which made me nervous.

“Okay…” I closed the door and joined her. “What’s wrong?”

She didn’t say anything right away, just fiddled with the strap of her purse, while doing her best not to look at me. “Max, I need to talk to you about something. And I don’t know if you’ll thank me for it.”

My stomach dropped. “Just tell me, Grace.”

She hesitated, then asked, “Have you seen Emma since Sunday? At Will’s place?”

The mention of Emma’s name lit up something in my chest. “No. We’ve been texting and talking on the phone while she was in Quebec, but I haven’t seen her yet.” I frowned. “Why?”

I knew it was serious when Grace let out a slow breath. She doesn’t do that unless something’s really wrong.

“Max… I don’t know for sure, okay? I need to start with that. But yesterday, I had a free afternoon and decided to stop by one of Emma’s classes. She’d invited me once, but I hadn’t gotten around to it yet. She didn’t know I was going to be there.”

My heart started to race. “Okay…”

“When I got to the lecture hall, she was up front and this guy went straight to her. And Max, it looked… intimate. It looked like they were kissing.”

“What?” The word came out too harsh.

“I’m not saying they did for sure. I was coming in from the side, so I only saw her back. But the way she leaned in and the way they were standing made it look like a kiss. And then he mumbled something about their time together in Quebec.”

Quebec. The word hit me like a body check.

“So I thought…” Grace stopped talking and watched me closely. “I thought she might have been there with him. That maybe they’re together.”

My first instinct was to laugh it off. “Grace, come on. Emma wouldn’t…”

“I know. That’s why I wasn’t sure if I should even tell you. I almost went right up to her and ask her myself. But you’re my brother. If there’s even a small chance she’s not being honest with you, I thought you should know. Max, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

I stared at her and tried to make sense of it. Emma, kissing some guy? With him in Quebec? No. She had been texting me. She had sent me pictures of the snow outside her hotel window, the books on her nightstand, and even a pastry she’d tried because it looked ridiculous. Those hadn’t been lies. Right?

But Grace wouldn’t make this up. She doesn’t embellish. And if she said she saw something…

I rubbed my jaw, and the tension in my chest grew stronger.