Page 100

“So it probably won’t happen during the Super Bowl?”

“Nah, not likely.”

“Okay.” We stay silent next to each other. After a minute, she whispers, “I do want to go. Cheer you on.”

“I hope you do. I understand if you don’t, though.” We are silent, my eyes staring at her, enjoying my time with her.

“I’m not sure if I’m brave enough.” Her voice cracks on the words, and on instinct I scoot closer and wrap her up in my arms.

“Hey. You are my brave girl. You can do anything. Look how much you’ve grown.”

“I’ve had help,” she chokes out.

“There is nothing wrong with using your team. That’s the whole point of one. When you were struggling, you broke free and relied on your team to protect you. That’s what good teammates do: protect and look out for each other. I love protecting my team. Use your team. They want to help. Trust me on that one.”

I feel her nod into my chest, and I hope she knows how true my words are.

Chapter Forty-Eight

Scarlett

Itake a deep breath as Calvin’s previous words whisper in my ear.

Use your team. They want to help.

I enter through the doors of a small bistro in the South End, and order a coffee for myself and then an iced coffee—yes, it’s January—for Annie. Don’t ask me why. Apparently, it’s common in New England to endure coldness year-round?

I’m fidgeting with my fingers under the table when a “hey!” greets me. I stand up and give Annie an awkward side hug.

“Thanks for meeting me here,” I say as we both sit down across from each other at a table. “I already got you a coffee.” I pass her the iced coffee, and Annie’s eyes light up.

“Thank you,” she says between sips. After a beat or two, she adds, “Thanks for asking me here! We should do this more often.”

“I agree.” I take a sip of coffee, mainly to keep my hands busy and rack my brain for small talk before we dive into a heavy topic.

“Sebastian still have the playoff beard going?”

Annie coughs, some coffee splattering out of her mouth. She grabs a napkin and dabs it to her face, then cleans the drops on the table.

“Yes.” She rolls her eyes because my brother’s beard is quite ridiculous at the moment. Calvin has one too, but he can’t grow hair as much as most guys, so it is still fairly normal.

Maybe I should have gone with the direct question instead of small talk because I still don’t know how to approach this question.

I smile at Annie, but I’m not sure it shows my intentions. My heart pounds, and my hands tremble. I pull my hands under the table and rest them on my shaky knees.

I inhale. “I’m not sure what I should do about the Super Bowl.” I take another breath. “I know Sebastian has told you some of it. He asked me if he could, and I agreed.” She nods in agreement, and I continue. “I haven’t been back to the West Coast in five years.”

“Does he still live in the city?”

I nod. “I know the city is big, and the odds of seeing him are slim, but the memories…” I stop, needing a moment. “The memories are hard. I swore I would never return to the state. Those were the worst ten years of my life. I left the girl I used to be on the West Coast. I have no desire to go back.”

Annie places her warm hands over mine and squeezes. “Sebastian understands. You have been such a big supporter of him, and he appreciates it. You’ve already been to so many games this season. Don’t feel like you have to go.”

“I want to go, though! Sebastian could only get two tickets for the last two, and my mom and sister went to them both together. I was in a bad place for both, and never even considered it. I want to cheer him on in person. I also want to go to the Super Bowl for me, to experience that, you know.”

“You should.” Her voice is firm. “You deserve that, Scarlett, you do. If you want to go, I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

My heart swells at that. Is she serious?