Page 4 of Secret Pucking Unicorn

My comfy office chair is more like a hot seat. “I saw him a couple of years ago.”

Kendall cocks her head. “When? You didn’t go to Scotland or Ireland while we were in college. Did you go before you went to New Zealand?”

“No.” I shake my head. “He came to the Wickham graduation.”

“Oh.” Kendall at least has the grace to look embarrassed. None of them were at the graduation ceremony because Kendall had run off a couple of weeks earlier to elope with her asshole ex. When she skipped walking at graduation, none of her family went. During college, I had spent holidays at her home when I didn’t go see my parents. I felt included and even loved there. But it was all fake. They were there for me when Kendall was there. They were always kind, of course. They are nice people. But I wasn’t one of them.

I walked across the stage, knowing no one in the crowd was there for me. I thought I had been lonely as a ten-year-old when I got dropped off at my first boarding school in England and watched my parents drive away. That was nothing compared to walking across the stage to accept my diploma from the Dean in silence. My classmates received applause and whoops. They announced my name, and I started my trek in silence. There weren’t even crickets. Then I heard it, a lone “Yay, Miranda,” in a distinctive Irish/Scottish brogue along with a heavy-handed clap. I looked out and there was Declan, standing tall and proud, with a huge smile on his face. Others started clapping too, but his was the applause I heard most clearly. For once, I wasn’t alone.

It’s not a big deal. I’m used to it. Luckily, I like my own company and am self-sufficient. I don’t need anybody. I’m a pro at being friendly and forming relationships, but I know they aren’t genuine. It’s proximity and convenience. I don’t let anyone truly get close. I learned that letting people in means letting them hurt you. No more of that. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me four or five times…well, I finally get a clue. Sure, it took a while, but it was a lesson I learned by the time I was twelve years old. Having busy parents teaches you a lot of things young.

But I’m ready to change that. Kendall, Daphne, and Trevor weren’t at graduation for assorted reasons, but they have been there for me many other times through the years. Daphne is like the older sister I always wished I had, and I think I fill the little sister role for her. Neither of us have siblings. Her parents passed away when she was a teenager and my parents…yeah. The moment I mentioned thinking about coming back to New Jersey, Trev opened his home to me. Daphne and Kendall helped me get this job. I owe them a ton and I’m not going to let these friendships fade. I have to trust more and be more open. I have to try, even if it’s scary and may open old wounds.

And I’m going to try to establish a new relationship with my parents. Maybe now that I’m an adult and independent, we can connect on a different level. I don’t need them. I want to be close with them. Like a normal family. Someday I want to have a family of my own and even if they weren’t present in my life the way I wish they were, I’d love for them to be grandparents to my children.

I realize everyone is waiting for me to answer. What were we talking about? Oh, the last time I saw Declan.

“He was in New York working at a vineyard owned by one of his classmates from Cornell. He was close,” I say. “I went to his graduation, and he was returning the favor.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Mallory is bouncing in her seat. “Mac went to Cornell?” She looks at Daphne and Kendall. “Did we know that?”

“No, Burke and I haven’t been spending our time talking.” Kendall wiggles her eyebrows like we wouldn’t know. I can be dense sometimes with flirty innuendoes, but I’m not completely stupid.

“What did he major in there?” Daphne asks.

“Are you asking out of personal curiosity, or for stuff to use for content?” I ask. “I don’t want to tell tales out of school or share stuff he doesn’t want known.”

“I’m being nosy. I get approval from the athletes before I post stuff.”

“Hospitality management and a viticulture minor,” I say.

Kendall scrunches her face. “Really? He doesn’t seem like the hotel type, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him drink wine.”

“He isn’t.” I sigh, feeling disloyal talking about Declan’s personal business.

“Oh, his family is in the hotel business, right? Somehow connected with the Clardmore hotels?” Daphne exclaims.

“Yeah,” I say.

“That’s nice he was close. Did you guys visit a lot through the years?” Daphne asks. Man, she’s all kinds of nosy today.

“Some—more video calls than in person. We were both busy, and I moved a lot before college. At Wickham, I was busy with cheer, and courses limited me to seeing him a couple of times a year. I went to his graduation mostly because his family was attending, and I hadn’t seen them in years. It was easier for me to go up there. They would have come down to Wickham if I couldn’t have made it, but it wasn’t necessary. I talk with his sister Sophie more.”

I hear a bunch of male voices approaching, and Liam pokes his head in from the locker room.

“There you all are. Randi, did you want to join me while I talk to the team or wait until after they stop stinking?”

Grabbing the legal pad and pen on my desk, I rise. “I’ll go with you. That’s what I’m here for.”

“Do you need a ride to the barn?” Mallory asks. The house she shares with Liam is on the same property as the converted barn I’ll be living in.

With an eye roll and a sigh, Liam says, “We’ll make sure she gets home, Mallory. Half of the team is going to the same place she is. We won’t leave her stranded.”

“I’m good, Mallory,” I say. “Catch up more later.”

Looking over my shoulder and giving a quick grin, I follow Liam into the locker room. I hope no one is naked. I think.

3

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