Page 94 of Like A Daydream
“Listen, talk to your brother, not me,” Andrew says, stopping in her door. “Do you want to come with us? I could use the assist.”
Harper huffs, pulling on a UNC Hockey hoodie. She’s in her sophomore year at Chapel Hill, full ride, as a Center on their Women’s Hockey team. “Do you think Cole will actually let me shoot this time?”
“Debatable, but you could always get in the goal. Make him work for it.”
Harper grabs her own gloves and stick from her closet.
“And ruin my face? No thanks,” Harper says, shaking her head, “I like having all of my teeth.”
“I can’t believe you turned both of my children into hockey players,” Danielle says, sliding her arms around his waist from behind him. He feels her press a kiss between his shoulder blades, and he covers her hands with his.
“It’s a dynasty, baby,” he says, grinning, “you better get used to it.”
“Stop being icky,” Harper says, and for a moment, she’s six years old with blue-goo ice cream all over her face instead of the nineteen-year-old standing in front of him.
“You’re icky,” he shoots back, grinning. Danielle releases him, letting him step away from the door so Harper can pass them.
“Can you drive your brother?” Andrew asks, tossing her his truck keys. “I’ll meet you guys at the rink.”
“I’ll drive him if we can bring Roscoe,” Harper counters, raising a brow.
“If you can get him in my truck, do what you want,” Andrew says. As if the dog knew they were talking about him, he limps around the corner, old age starting to get the better of him even though he’s not slowing down. He’s outlived the average lifespan of a German Shepherd, but he’s still healthy.
He’s a little extra gray around the face, and his job has gone from emotional support to sleeping by the fire place, but Andrew still loves him.
“Come on, Roscoe,” Harper says, “let’s go play hockey.”
Roscoe barks once, picking up his pace to get to Harper before they both disappear down the hallway and down the stairs.
“Cole isn’t going to be impressed when you aren’t the one driving him,” Danielle says, hugging Andrew’s waist again. He grins, leaning down to kiss her quick.
“I’m allowed to want more time with my wife,” he says, “and besides, riding with his sister is character building.”
“Oh, that’s what you’re calling it, these days?”
“Making him listen to K-pop canonlybe described as that,” Andrew says. “Grab a hoodie and come to the rink with us.”
“I heard that!” Harper yells from the foot of the stairs. “Don’t pretend you aren’t an Ahgase, dad!”
“You will never hear me speak against Got7!” he calls back, turning back to Danielle with a pouty face on. “Please?”
“I should go to the store,” Danielle says, sliding her arms around his neck, “just in case the place is burning to the ground.”
Danielle had opened up a bookstore similar to Spine Crackers in North Raleigh a year after she’d moved with Harper. Page Turners was a neighborhood staple, with regulars stopping in for coffee in the morning, and college students looking for a place to hang out and do school work.
“Your employees can handle it,” he says, kissing her again, “come to the rink with us.”
“You won’t make met get on the ice, right?”
“I learned my lesson the first time.”
“You still fell in love with me, though.”
“I fell in love with you the first time I saw you,” he says, “you literally knocked me off my feet, remember?”
“That was the ladder, Andy,” she rolls her eyes affectionately.
“The point still stands,” he says, “go get changed.”
