Page 35 of Keeping it Real

No.Yeah.Maybe.

He’d forgotten how invigorating it was to have someone in the stands whose express purpose for being at the game was to cheer for him.Or how much more enjoyable his post-game meal could be having someone else to unwind with.He could imagine that instead of a cold plunge, he and hissomeonewould enjoy a long hot shower together.And everything else that came after.

If only the “someone” he was imagining wasn’t Sheridan.He swore under his breath.

“Are you listening to me?”Valentine was saying.

Alek refocused his attention on his teammate.“Yeah, sure.”

“Uh-huh.I was asking how things are with Finn.”

“Good.Great even,” Alek replied.At least there was one thing he could be honest with himself about.“Sheridan ended up picking up a shift at the hospital tonight.Finn’s school is having a fundraiser at the pizza place downtown.Gus and I are taking the kids there for dinner.”

He was surprised he was looking forward to it.For some time now, Alek felt like he was on the outside looking in at the families around him.He was beginning to realize it was nice to have a reason to be included.

“Maybe Miss Lane will be there.”Valentine wiggled his eyebrows.

Hmm.He hadn’t thought of that.It wouldn’t hurt to get more face time with her.Without Sheridan there tossing out Howitzers, Alek could put some effort into getting to know her.

“You’re brilliant.”He shoved his tablet into his gym bag and stood.“I’m going to hit the showers before I pick up Finn at school.I might even drop back into the classroom.”

“That’s the spirit.”Valentine stood too.“I have a good vibe about this.”

Alek wished he could say the same.He was going to give it his best effort, though.

Ten

“It soundslike you and Finn are settling in,” Aunt Eileen said.

Sheridan juggled the phone with one hand while Hattie tugged her toward a cluster of arborvitaes harboring a squirrel the dog had been tracking.“For the most part.”

A little over three weeks had passed since she and Finn arrived in Milwaukee, and they had developed a routine of sorts.While the Mayhem were on the road, Sheridan took on all the responsibility for Finn, shuttling him to school and his twice-weekly therapy appointments.On the nights when Alek had an off day at home, she worked the 2 p.m.to 2 a.m.shift in the emergency room.

The hospital was a private facility located in one of the wealthier suburbs.The environment was dramatically different from the trauma centers where she was used to being assigned.The pace was much slower, which meant the hours dragged.So far, her most difficult case had been a fractured hip suffered by a grandmother who was dismayed to miss the Sadie Hawkins dance at her retirement community.

The staff was friendly enough, though.Most of the other nurses had families at home, so they welcomed Sheridan’s choice to take the afternoon and evening hours.She’d planned her schedule that way to allow Alek and Finn that precious afterschool time together.They had a “guys” dinner on those evenings that included lots of protein and a heavy dose of SportsCenter.

The best part of her schedule, however, was that it gave her an excuse to be away from the house when Alek was home.Who knew having her brother’s best friend as a roommate would be so enticing.Especially when he was constantly walking around in form-fitting workout clothes.She didn’t have to wonder about what was underneath because the entire world had peeped him when he posed naked in the body issue for a popular sports magazine.The less she tempted herself, the better.

“Don’t forget I want to see pictures of Finn in his Halloween costume,” her aunt demanded.

Sheridan yanked on Hattie’s leash.The dog whined in protest before falling into a perfect heel beside her.“Of course, I won’t forget.Finn hasn’t stopped talking about dressing up as Alek this year.”

Her nephew’s hero worship of Alek still bothered her.Finn’s therapist confirmed Dr.Rose’s theory that having a larger-than-life stand-in for Jamie was likely a coping mechanism that allowed him to delay his grief.

“Isn’t that going to make things worse down the road?”she’d asked him when they met for coffee in the hospital cafeteria the other day.

“Hard to say,” he’d replied with a shrug.“Every kid is different.But this behavior isn’t unusual with boys his age.All we can do is keep the lines of communication open until he’s ready to talk about it.I’m encouraged that he has begun to mention his father during our last couple of sessions.He shuts down when I ask about his mother, though.From what you’ve told me, that’s to be expected.”

She felt a twinge of guilt evading Alek’s question about Finn’s relationship with Madison when she’d spilled all the family tea with the therapist.

But that was done in the name of helping Finn.

Alek was best left thinking whatever he wanted about his former love.

“There’s been a lot of chatter about Alek’s play, even down here in Florida,” her aunt said, interrupting her thoughts.

“Really?I’ll admit that I haven’t been paying much attention to sports talk.They like to blow things out of proportion.”She turned the corner and headed up the street toward Alek’s house.“I know the Mayhem haven’t gotten off to their best start.”

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