Page 8 of One Shot

We all devour our food—Mom the fastest, of course. I swear I could hear her making little noises of joy as she bit into her burger. Once we finish eating, Mom and Dominic hug Bren and I goodbye. They are going to stay at what Dominic refers to as his “old college buddy’s brother’s quaint lake house” for the weekend as a getaway. I’ve met the guy, Cody Stone, whose brother owns the place. I’ve also seen pictures of this supposedly quaint lake house. I don’t consider something with soaring rooflines and more than eight bedrooms quaint. The mansion makes the massive lake look like a puddle, taking up more than half of the shoreline. I’m slightly jealous I can’t tag along. Cody’s brother must be insanely loaded.

Mom and Dominic both remind me to call anytime and that they will come up to visit. I can tell Mom is worried about me by the look in her eyes.

“I promise I will call. Plus, Mom, you and I both know Bren will be texting you my life story if I don’t,” I say as I hug her for the second time.

“You know she’s right, Auntie Annabeth! She is in good hands with me and Jaylin though! Plus if we ever need it, Liam is a built-in bodyguard, especially with any guys,” Bren chimes in. LIAM! How could I forget Bren’s hockey playing hunk of a boyfriend? I haven’t seen him since well before the accident.

“I have sworn off love and dating, so no need to worry about that! Coming here for Nick and Dad.” Mom gives me an apprehensive look. “And for my future. Plus, it will help Mom to stop worrying that I won’t have one if I stay an inexperienced, depressed homebody at their house the rest of my life. Jokes on you, Mom. Now Dominic is going to know how lush you are without me there drinking your wine!” I hug Dominic, while he quietly chuckles at Mom’s annoyed expression.

“Be safe, kiddo. We love you. Find that happiness,” Dominic whispers. He slips an envelope into my purse and says, “Here’s something to help fund that search for happiness. Don’t waste it all on alcohol, please.” I look at him shocked. This envelope is full of bills—and she’s thiccc as can be with threec’s.

“What?!” I say as my jaw almost hits the floor.

Dominic just shrugs. “Remember Cody Stone, my old college buddy?”

I roll my eyes.That is the only college buddy you ever talk about, Dominic.

“Well, his brother Ezra is a really great money guy and has made some great investments for me over the years. Now I’m investing in you.” I hug him again for good measure.

“Do you want to stick around and hangout?” Bren asks, “I know Liam is on his way so the rest of the team might be too. But Jaylin might head this way too!” I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I’m ready for this. I have to be.

“Yes, I’m in. But first, Mom and Dominic, can you take me back to the house so I can drop this big guy off?” I ask, dramatically pointing to the envelope.

Dominic laughs. “It was maybe not the best decision to give that to you instead of just putting it in your bank account, but it made me feel kind of like a badass to give you a wad of cash in an envelope. We can put some of it in the bank for you.”

Mom rolls her eyes at his “badass” comment and mutters, “Yeah. Such a badass, working in accounting and playing video games with his brother and friends when they are over forty-five years old.”

Mom puts her arm around me. I let Bren know I’ll text her on my way back. On the car ride back to the house—my house now I guess—I take a few more deep breaths and close my eyes. I’m ready to be around people and hockey again. Aren’t I?

Coming to West might be one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. The hardest thing in the last year, but it will be worth it to find myself again. To try to feel like myself again. To be me. It’s already starting to feel like something that could actually be possible.

Chapter four

Laur

“I’ve got this,” I whisper to myself as I open the door to the sports bar. Bren is pulling me into a hug the second I step in. Thank goodness. I’m lucky to have someone who is watching out for me but will push me outside my comfort zone. I am so thankful for her.

“CHIP!” A deep manly voice that for some reason always makes me think of a brooding, grizzly bear bellows from behind me. I turn to see Liam leaning against a pool table, sipping a nearly empty drink. I practically sprint over to him and wrap him in a tight embrace.

“It’s so good to see you! I swear you’ve gotten even more . . . grizzly somehow?”

I can’t help but think of all the memories of watching Liam and Nick messing around playing hockey in our backyard together. They never played on the same team growing up, but college came around and they got to play together here at West.

“Why, thank you,” he says with a not-so-subtle hair flip. He has curly locks most girls would be jealous of. “I’ve been working on it. After all, I am known as Grizzly around here.”

“Oh really? Since when?!” I tease him.

Bren chimes in, “Yeah, Grizzly. No one around here is calling you that. If anything, you're a cub.”

A cub?! Did she just call her 6-foot, 230-pound boyfriend of six years a cub?I laugh harder than I expected.

“You’re so feisty, Bren! I’ve missed you so much. And you too, Liam!”

“My, my, Miss Lauren, is that a real, genuine, famous Bellinger smile?!” Bren teases using a fake southern drawl for emphasis, “I don’tbelieve I’ve seen one of those in quite some time. This calls for a celebratory drink!”

I bump into her playfully as we walk to the bar. I’m surprised at the easy feel of the smile despite the memories of Nick circulating in my head from seeing Liam. Maybe, we will both need to get used to me having a genuine smile more often.

Hopefully.

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