Page 76 of The Puckable Playbook

He leans forward. “You have your whole life ahead of you. It’s scary, for sure, but start now. It’s never too early. It’s never too late. It’s all about what’s in here.” He hits his chest.

“Dad, can we get off the Ted Talk, please?”

He peers at Len, then back at me. “She’s heard it all before.”

She glances away, staring out at the panoramic view. Tension rises after that, and confusion flickers through me. I don’t understand where her head is at, and by the time we’re pushing away our desserts, I’m hoping Mr. Robertson will leave for the restroom so I can ask her what’s wrong.

Her dad seems fine—nice, even—but I’m cautiously optimistic. Len isn’t the type to overexaggerate when it comes to people.

“Thanks for dinner, sir.”

“Yeah, this place was good. One thing I love is a good, hearty meal.”

“You’ve had your fair share of McDonald’s, Dad,” Len says.

He lifts his shoulders. “An indulgence from a past life. I can’t give up those cheeseburgers that barely pass for meat. Addicting.”

“I can’t even tell you the last time I had McDonald’s.”

He hits me on the shoulder. “Young guy like you has to stay in shape for the season. I know how it is. Oh.” He stands, waving. I glance behind me and see another gentleman enter the room and make his way toward us. “Jenkins, this is my daughter who I was telling you about. The writer.”

“Ahh, nice to meet you. Lenore, right?”

“Yes,” she says, bluntly. They shake hands, but Len acts anything but cordial.

“I look forward to meeting with you after you graduate.”

I peer between the two, not sure who the guy is.

When Jenkins leaves, Mr. Robertson settles back down again, but Lenore remains standing. Her hard stare focuses on her father.

He looks up. “What?”

“Who’s Jenkins, Dad?”

“He’s the marketing arm for the team.”

“Dad.”

“Oh, it couldn’t hurt to meet him, sunshine. You act like you hate the sport, but we both know you’re only being…difficult. You grew up a fan, and here you bring me a boyfriend who plays hockey. You can’t detest it that much.”

“I don’t want to work for your team.”

“I don’t see any other job offers coming through.”

Her jaw clenches. This is the first time I’ve seen Len mad. Furious, actually. “I haven’t even graduated yet.”

“You have to do something.”

“Obviously,” she grits out, throwing her napkin on the table.

“Lenore…” He peers at me and back at her. “We can discuss this later.”

“There’s nothing to discuss. I’m sick of you not hearing me.”

“Just…calm down.”

Len starts to shake. I’ve been around my sister enough to know that those words are like putting a lit match on dry timber. Tears spring to her eyes, and I can’t anymore. I see what she was saying. He turned from a fun-loving father to someone who doesn’t even see what he’s doing.

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