Page 64 of Fool Me

“You know Drake . . .” He bows out a breath. “Moody as fuck, that one.”

“Always has been.”

“It’s worse now. I don’t know if it’s the pressure of the spotlight or what, but he’s a royal pain in the ass.”

He’s got a reputation in the media for being difficult, but I thought it was just public perception. “Is he okay?”

“You’ll have to ask him yourself if he shows up. He won’t tell me shit.”

Denver hands out the rubber horseshoes and we play a round robin. It takes me a few throws to get the hang of the lighter horseshoes, but either way, it’s clear these guys play weekly because I’m the farthest off the mark, until Drake shows up. He gives me some competition for last place.

“You’re a professional athlete—an Olympian. Honestly, this is an embarrassment,” Jude baits him mercilessly.

“Keep talking and I’ll go back to being a recluse, old man.”

“Probably better that you do.”

“It’s fucking horseshoes. You all just use it as an excuse to gossip. Don’t pretend that you take it seriously when I’m not here.”

“This is a gentleman’s game. Stop bickering like an old married couple,” James says, stepping in to referee.

“I can’t remember why I hang out with you guys when I’m home,” Drake mutters under his breath.

“Because no one else will put up with your sourpuss.” This time, it’s Denver giving him shit.

“I’m leaving now,” he says, heading toward the hook attached to the barn with his horseshoes.

“No, you’re not. Get back here and play,” I tell him.

“You just want me to stay so you don’t lose.”

“Not true. Fill me in on your life. How’s training going?”

“My coach hates me more than you guys, so that’s fun. I’ll be lucky if I get a spot on the Olympic team next year.”

We talk about his upcoming trip to Chile and the house he built out in the middle of nowhere. The recluse comment wasn’t far off. But every time I push for more, I get a grunt or shrug in answer, keeping me at a distance. In high school we joked thathe was a bit of an asshole, but this is more. He’s deliberate about how he keeps people away. His attitude is a shield—for what I’m not sure.

Sunlight starts fading and everyone calls it a night and we head back around front.

“Walk with me?” James asks, as he pushes himself along the packed dirt path that leads back to the cars.

I fall in step alongside him, rubbing the prickling sensation on the back of my neck.

“This thing with you and my daughter—she’s not going to get hurt by you like she did with your brother, is she?”

“My brother and I don’t share much beyond our last name. And hurting your daughter is not something I want to have in common with him. She’s safe with me.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Jude waits by the car as the lift moves James into the driver’s seat before getting in. When they pull away, I say goodbye to Drake and Denver before I walk home.

CHAPTER

TWENTY

HARLOWE

The invincible feeling I’ve been carrying all day evaporates when I step out of Phantom at Town Hall for my interview and find Canyon leaning against the building like he’s been waiting for me to show up.

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