Page 23 of Coast to Coast

“It’s crazy how this all works.”

“It’s a miracle, and that miracle is named Monica.”

TOM

Crew picked out his book and left it in the living room, where we went to the bathroom to brush our teeth. Calliope followed behind and listened as Crew showed off his new electric toothbrush, something we had tried to incentivize him to take an interest in dental health. It was one of the small wins.

Once we finished, we settled on the couch and sent a group FaceTime to Kelsey and Sam. When Sam answered, he was still on the bus on the way to the stadium, but he could say good night. I let Crew have time to say goodnight without interrupting. A routine all of us were far too used to and would not end anytime soon.

After they wrapped up the call and hung up the phone, Crew patted the couch next to me, demanding that Kelsey sit with us. We read his story, Crew forcing us to alternate between characters and letting us know when we weren’t animated enough.

“Whew,” Calliope said as Crew walked ahead of us to his bedroom, “I’ve listened to duet audiobooks that were less professional than our performance.” We laughed hysterically bythe end of the book, especially after Calliope finally mastered the whinny of a horse to Crew’s satisfaction.

“He’s a good director.”

“He knows what he wants,” she said.

Calliope watched while I tucked Crew into bed. I was anxious to know if she’d thought more about what I had proposed at lunchtime. The way she looked at me when I’d rushed out of my bedroom shirtless, fake dating wouldn’t be that much of a stretch, but it could be playing with fire. I mean, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t noticed the way her t-shirt stretched across her perfect tits or the shape of her nipples poking through it.

Crew had always been adaptable, but he’d taken to Calliope easily, and she was already following him around and answering his directions. We tucked him in and said goodnight. He performed his typical delay tactics, asking for water, extra hugs, and every stuffed animal he owned before eventually giving up the fight.

“How about a song?” Calliope asked him.

“Des, pweas!”

Calliope sang Beautiful Boy by John Lennon. Holy hell, her voice soothed like honey. Crew’s eyes were starting to close, and as she ended the song, he’d given up the battle. We both tiptoed out of the room, careful not to wake him. I was used to doing this alone, but it had been nice to have someone else to help and even just to talk to. Typically, I would look forward to a night of watching whatever Netflix show I had left off on and doomscrolling on my phone.

“Have you ever thought about music professionally?” I asked.

“Outside of open mic nights and my little TikTok account, I haven’t. My family is supportive, but my dad sees it as a hobby, not a livelihood. But then again, he also thought my mom’s writing was a hobby, and then her income tripled his.”

“It’s the best when you can make money doing something you love.” There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t show gratitude for my life. Every time I laced up my skates, I mentally thanked my mother for making the thousands of sacrifices that provided me with the opportunity to play hockey.

“Well, I had loved putting together that marketing proposal, put everything I had into it, and it was stolen by someone I trusted.”

“My mother always said when something like that happens, it’s a sign you weren’t on the right path,” I said, our eyes locking from across the kitchen island. Was a nanny position with a hockey player who wanted her to fake date him the correct path? Probably not, but it seemed like we were all committed to the arrangement for now.

“Oh, I guess I jumped that track and took the first train in the opposite direction. Only time will tell if that was the right choice,” she sighed heavily.

“What’s your gut telling you?”

“That little boy has my heart. And when I disappointed him by suggesting he wear a diaper? I never want to do that again.” She shook her head and looked down at where her hands clasped on the counter.

“Join the club. He doesn’t throw too many fits, but he can be a lot of work when he does. It’s why Kelsey is flying out with us for his first trip to Denver, so you don’t end up quitting on us if anything goes wrong.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t handle that on my own.”

“You couldn’t know that he had recently started to refuse diapers in favor of pull-ups or where I kept them. But this could be a good lesson for him on patience.”

She laughed, “I’m not wasting my breath waiting for a toddler to develop patience.”

The dishwasher was still running, so I rinsed and stacked the ice cream bowls in the sink. When I turned back around to face her, her gaze quickly darted up toward my face, a flush appearing across her freckled cheeks. Huh, interesting. I was almost positive I’d just caught her checking out my ass.

“Speaking of no patience, have you thought any more about my proposal this afternoon?” I asked.

Her eyes darted away quickly and then back, fully meeting my gaze. “What would it entail? I mean, if we’re dating and living together, there will be certain expectations.”

Yeah. I forgot about that end of the deal. It wouldn’t be hard to pretend that I was attracted to her. Shit, it would be harder to pretend I wasn’t attracted to her. “In public and around my teammates, we could hold hands; I can put my arm around you; it could be casual.”

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