Page 86 of The Captain

“No, not temporarily.” Cassie looked at me like I was stupid, maybe I was. Maybe I was stupid for hoping that I could ever win her back, that I could ever make her happy.

“Sunshine, I need you.”

“You should have thought of that before you treated me like I was nothing more than a bystander between you and your sister.”

With that, she turned on her heel and marched off in the direction of her apartment. I stood there, watching her, my heart crushed as she disappeared from view.

I…lost her. I couldn’t believe it, but I lost her.

Crew came out at that moment, throwing an arm over my shoulder. Pulling me back inside, he gave me a sympathetic look, handed me the beer I no longer wanted, and left me alone.

TWENTY-SEVEN

Lincoln

Present

I was lying on my bed in my childhood room, throwing a tennis ball up in the air and contemplating my life choices. And of course, everything came back to one thing.

Her.

For the past few nights, we’ve talked on the phone like we never skipped a beat. She excitedly told me all about the ideas her agent had for her book and how she was going to start shopping it around and getting it published by some company, and I was excited right along with her.

But I’m a greedy bastard, and I want more with her. I don’t just want phone calls, I want sleepovers, I want to get a place of my own that’s not the hockey house and be able to have her there with me.

A knock sounds at my door, and I call for whoever it is to come in.

Surprisingly, my sister enters the room, and not surprisingly, my parents follow her in.

“Hey.” I sit up on the bed, and Mick takes a seat next to me. Grinning at me, my parents use my desk chair and small reading chair to take up their own seats, and I stare at each of them, waiting for whatever it is they want to say.

“What’s going on with school, son?” my dad asks gruffly, his brows furrowing over his green eyes that match my own.

“Um, I’m still working on the makeup paper,” I say, uncomfortable with the family intervention.

In my bedroom.

“Do you think it’ll be enough to let you play?”

I shrug at my sister’s question and shake my head. “We’ll find out next week.”

“Next week? Already?” Mom asks. “Do you need help?”

I roll my eyes and sigh, leaning against the wall. I still had a twin bed in here that was way too small, but with my whole family in the room, it felt even worse. “No, I’m good.”

“Is Cassie helping you?” Mom pries again, and my gaze snaps to her.

“No. Why would you ask me that?”

“We know Cassie tutored you this last winter. We thought she’d be a big help.”

A little smile crosses my sister’s lips, and she ducks her head.

“Mickey,” I state, nudging her with my hand. “Did you have something to do with Cassie tutoring me?”

She looks over at me finally, like she’s holding in a secret. “No, actually. That was all Tanner. I had nothing to do with it.”

“Really?” I ask deadpan. I don’t believe her.

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