Page 187 of Rookie Attraction

“Are you and Finn going to distance yourselves in public?” Atticus asks. “I mean, except for the ice time.”

“Not anymore. Our teammates know that Finn and I are best friends, and the fans can assume the same. We’re not hiding. People can infer what they want.”

“I’ll talk to Finn,” Mom states with a determined gaze. “As soon as possible.”

“Mom—”

“You’re my baby, Sel. I want to talk to him and make sure he’s good to you. Arrange it.”

“Can we be on the call too?” Karson grins. “I won’t believe this until Finn confirms it.”

“Yeah,” Atticus chuckles. “We need to ask the rookie why he’s dating this old guy.”

I offer my brothers my middle fingers and ignore their snickering.

“This was supposed to be a serious conversation,” I remind them.

“You’re capable of that?” Karson quips.

“It’s me, Sel,” Atticus snorts. “I can’t do it. Sorry.”

I groan in frustration. “Are you guys done?”

“Hey,” Atticus replies. “You started it by yelling, out of nowhere, that you’re in love with Finn.”

“Can we talk about something else?” I plead. “Atticus, what are you doing for Christmas?”

I know there are a shitload of questions my brothers want to ask, because we’re nosy like that, but thankfully, they take the hint and move on. The rest of the call is Atticus catching us up on his life in Sweden and his plans to spend the holiday with some of the single expats on the team. After half an hour, we say our goodbyes.

When the call ends, Mom is surprisingly subdued.

“Forgive me, I’m tired,” she announces and pats my hand and then Karson’s. “I’m heading to bed. Sleep well.”

Coco and Bean pop up and follow her down the hallway. As soon as they’re out of sight, Karson nudges me in the ribs with his sharp elbow.

“Hey, so⁠—”

“Sorry, Kar, we can continue to talk about my love life tomorrow,” I yawn. “And I’m too tired for any more swimming competitions. I’m gonna hit the sack.”

“I wasn’t going to ask about any of that. It’s not about you. It’s about me.”

The drop in his tone of voice is telling, and when I look over, his eyes are troubled. My brotherly instincts launch into high alert.

“What’s wrong?”

“I need to tell you something and I need to do it now,” he continues, his foot tapping a nervous rhythm. “You’ve got to keep this between us.”

Karson swallows hard and places a hand over his mouth, like he’s not sure if he should say anything.

“What is it?”

“I feel like crap,” he mumbles, looking down.

“Why?”

“You’re not the only one carrying a secret.”

“What do you mean?”