Page 32 of The Perfect Steal

“That catch was amazing,” Brynn said, smiling at me. I noticed her brown hair was down and that it reached to her lower back. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt that showed off her curves.

“Oh yeah. I couldn’t believe you got that one,” John said, practically bouncing up and down next to his sister.

“Thanks. That means a lot.” I grinned, and we stood there a few seconds, eyes locked. An electric current passed between us. “I’ll text you later?” I felt bad I wasn’t as happy as I usually was, especially after our win, but right now I just wanted to get home.

Brynn nodded and turned back to her brother, her face full of excitement as she talked to him.

“Are you ready to go?” my dad asked, tucking his phone into his suit coat. He was dressed in a suit, as always, because he was the mayor. I wished he would just take a day off once in a while.

We drove home, silence filling the car for the first few minutes until he had to take a call. I had to endure the one-sided conversation for several minutes.

I tried to get the irritation to ease up. There was always the hope that my dad would be like some of the other parents, cheering on their kids and just excited about how well I was doing. But to the new Chip Everton, as long as I wasn't getting into trouble or ruining a family image, things were good.

Dad ended the call and turned to me. “So, how’s school going?”

“It’s going.” I was putting in more effort, but I didn’t need him to hear that.

“You need to start thinking about your future. In no time, you’ll be ready for college. Have you started thinking about where you’ll apply?”

I glanced over, making sure he was still talking to me. “No, I haven’t thought about it.” Which was the truth. I hadn’t narrowed down the schools that would be good for me, but I’d started participating more, actually doing homework, which I considered a big step for me. Thank you, Ms. Riley.

“You can always attend Cornell.”

That’s where he’d graduated from many moons ago, and he always plugged it into our conversations when we started talking about college. Maybe it was his way to psychologically add it into my brain. But if he saw my grade point average, he’d stop pestering me about college and then be on my case about homework every day.Not that it was that bad, but it wasn’t a 4.0, which he figured I could do with ease. I probably could, but that would mean having a reason to try.

I’d take the Cornell badgering.

18

Brynn

It had been so fun watching that last game of John’s the night before. And I might have been more than a little excited for Nate’s catch. He’d stretched out and grabbed the ball, saving the win by taking away a potential grand slam.

And to say he looked good in his uniform would be an understatement.

I’d waited around for John, so happy he’d gotten to play, but I made sure we delayed long enough so I could say something to Nate. It was just a lame comment, but he’d smiled at it, which was something since his frown while he’d tried to talk to his dad had reminded me of our conversation about our parents. He’d seemed down after the game.

What are you up to?I typed out to Nate in a text but then hesitated.

Seconds ticked by, and I wondered if I should actually send it. He’d won but still looked more disappointed than I would have thought after a catch like that. I didn’t want to bug him if he needed more time to mull over whatever had happened.

I pressed send and waited, watching the screen for the little bubbles to pop up saying he was responding. Nothing. I glanced at the clock. It was still early. Maybe he was still sleeping in after the late night.

I got up, throwing on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Breakfast was needed as my stomach had started to growl. Then maybe I’d go for a run. No need to get complacent now when the season had just begun.

“What are your plans for the day?” my mom asked from the living room. There was a slight tenderness to her tone, and some part of me jumped at the thought that maybe my mom was coming back to me.

“I was thinking about going for a run after breakfast. What are you doing today?” I asked, leaning against the couch. She was dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved blouse. Her hair was in a top knot, but her getting dressed in anything but a robe was a big step in the right direction.

“I haven’t decided yet. I was thinking maybe I’d head to the grocery store, maybe get a pedicure later.” She glanced up from her phone. “Do you want to come? My appointment isn’t until later this evening. I think Gina will have room for another.”

My excitement soared as I tried to keep a casual look. “Yeah, that would be fun. What time?”

“I’ll text her to see and let you know. It’s been a while since we’ve had a girl’s day out.”

“Maybe we can stop by that cafe we like. I’ve been dying for some of their chocolate-dipped strawberries.”

My mom gave me a small smile and nodded. “Yeah, those sound really good. And their soup would be perfect. I don’t know how you’re functioning with shorts on. It’s November and cold outside.”

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