Page 55 of Renegade Rift

“Well then,” Paige mutters at the same time I let out a shocked, “oh.”

Franklin shakes his head and laughs under his breath. “Miss Etta is moving in with Mr. McCoy for a short time while she looks for a new apartment.”

“Oh. Shit. You’re his penguin.”

My eyes go wide. “His what?”

“Fuck,” she stammers like she’s said too much and looks away. “Nothing.”

“Oh no.” Paige pushes off the wall of the elevator like a kid who just clocked the aunt that is going to give them candy before dinner. “What does it mean to be Ford’s penguin?”

The elevator slows and lurches to a stop. “Oh look we’re here.”

Franklin holds the door so we can exit, but Paige, my wonderful best friend, blocks the hallway so the woman can’t escape.

Franklin laughs and takes off down the long hallway of apartments. “I’ll just take these down to Ford’s place. I’ll drop your groceries at yours too, Jo.”

“Thanks for abandoning me, Franklin,” she mock hollers after the doorman, laughing. Then she turns her gaze back to us. “I’m Jo, by the way. My husband is on the team, Kiefer James.”

“Etta.” I smile, thankful Lodhi is in my arms making it impossible to shake her hand.

“The fact that there is no recognition in your eyes tells me already I’m going to like you.”

“Baseball isn’t her thing.” Paige confirms. “Now back to the penguin.”

Jo gives me a conspiratorial grin and chuckles. “Ford is going to kill my character for this, but you are practically his family, and I understand the weight of having something to hold over a brother’s head.”

My chest tightens as I chew on her words. She sees Ford as my brother-in-law. My brother. It feels wrong.

If Jo notices my discomfort she doesn’t react.

“The guys call him the penguin because while he was looking for you, he used to collect crystals during each road game. He said it was just a placeholder until he found you.”

Shock zaps through me like lightning.

He remembered.

After all these years, he remembered something that I only ever told him once.

It was during one of our chemistry classes. My usual partner was out sick and the two of us got paired together. I was wary because of everything Tyler had told me about him, but we made it through without any problems. One assignment had us bringing something from our lives that was chemistry related to share with the class. I brought the crystals I collected with my Abuelita and showed how they were formed through the natural process of the atoms and molecules rearranging themselves. Ford brought his surfboard and talked about how surfing created the feel-good chemicals in your brain—dopamine, serotonin and endorphins.

It was a moment so small and insignificant in the grand scheme of our lives and yet, by the sound of it, those crystals kept him looking for me.

They’re what brought us here.

“...so basically, he was like a penguin collecting rocks.” Jo’s voice pulls me back just in time to catch the end of the story. “Although now that I think about it, the whole thing would be more romantic if you weren’t basically his sister.”

“But I’m not,” I say, without thinking. “I’m his friend.”

“Oh.” Jo’s tone draws up and both her and Paige raise a questioning brow.

Heat fills my cheeks as the realization hits me that those thoughts should have remained inside.

“I mean…”

WhatdoI mean?

“We get it.” Paige jumps in, saving me from explaining myself. Though we both know she’s going to question me the moment we are alone. Especially after I so thoroughly shut down the idea of Ford and me with the brother excuse.

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