Page 2 of Make Your Shot
“Nope,” she said, shaking her head at me. “You’re just you and that’s what I love about you.” She paused, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “I just think there’s a benefit in relaxing sometimes. In letting yourself feel the silly, goofy parts of life. It’s too short to be so serious all the time, you know?”
A chuckle rumbled in my chest. “Am I not silly enough for you, Amelia?” I reached for her seatbelt, unbuckling it before reaching over to her. I grabbed her hips, hauling her across the center console and onto my lap. Her lips parted but her words were drowned out by her laughter as soon as I began to dig my fingers against her ribs.
“Ohmygod, Caleb, stop!” Amelia exclaimed, her breathing labored as she fought against my hard tickles. “Okay, you win. You’re silly and goofy and not serious at all.”
My own laughter mixed with hers as I slowly removed my fingers from her ribs. Amelia cupped the sides of my head,her chest heaving with shallow breaths, lips parted and cheeks tinted pink. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to my forehead.
“I love you just the way you are, Caleb.” She pulled away, her blue eyes settling on mine. “Just remember to always find the joy in life. Laugh and love, always.”
My hands slid up her arms, along her collarbones and neck before resting on her face. Her eyelids fluttered shut as she leaned into me, the smell of orange blossoms invading my senses. “Always.”
Amelia begins to fade from my mind, the entire memory vanishing into thin air as I find myself sitting in my car alone once more. There’s a conflicting contentment that ripples through me. Grief is such a weird fucking thing. One moment you’re feeling guilty for being here while they’re gone and then next, you’re wanting to keep moving on, knowing they would hate to see you upset.
Amelia wouldn’t want me sitting here alone. She would want me surrounded by love and light.
But how do I achieve that when the only love and the brightest light I’ve ever known ceased to exist?
When I pull up to Rowan’s house, I park in the driveway behind a dark colored sedan and head to the front door. The front porch light shines bright overhead and I lift my hand to knock on the screen door when Rowan’s voice comes from somewhere inside.
“Come in!”
With one final deep breath, I reach for the handle, pulling it open to let myself inside. Muffled voices come from the kitchen. I kick my shoes off in the entryway and follow the sounds.
As I step into the threshold, I find Rowan standing on one side of the counter talking to a woman whose back is to me. My eyebrows pull together in confusion. I immediately know it’s not Hadley. Her hair isn’t dirty blonde and she’s a little taller, a little fuller.
She glances over her shoulder, her long hair swaying as her brown eyes meet mine. Recognition shimmers in her irises, her soft pink lips lifting as she takes me in. She looks away and tucks her hair behind her ears.Is she nervous?“Hey, Caleb.”
I clear my throat awkwardly. “Hey, Mia.”
Mia Landry. Coach Landry’s daughter.
I don’t know her well, but enough to know that she’s been helping some of the families with any babysitting needs. Mia interned with the Aston Archers marketing department last season. I’m not sure what happened, but it doesn’t look like she’s pursuing it as a career, currently.
To be in my early twenties again, without a single care in the world. I’m a bit envious.
“Thanks again for watching Lucy on such short notice,” Rowan says to her, nodding his head. He moves over to the fridge, pulling open the doors. “You’re a lifesaver.”
“Lucy is so sweet and always so good,” she tells him, her soft voice soothing. “I’m just glad I was free and able to help you guys out.” Mia lifts her bag fromthe floor, slinging it over her shoulder. “Have a good night.” She turns, and her gaze collides with mine. Her lips part, as if she’s going to say something, but instead she dips her chin at me and walks past.
“Goodnight, Mia!” Rowan calls after her with two beers in his hand as he pushes the fridge doors shut. He walks across the kitchen to me and hands me one of the bottles. The front door softly closes behind me. “Do you wanna sit or should we just stand here awkwardly?”
I lift my hand, giving him the middle finger before stepping farther into the kitchen. I set my beer down, pulling out a stool at the island and plop onto it. “Better?”
Rowan smiles. “Much.”
“So,” I start as I twist off the top of my beer. “Where’s Hadley?”
“She had to go visit her grandmother. She should be back tomorrow.” He pauses, taking a swig of his drink. “Have you figured out what you’re going to be doing this season?”
My forehead creases. “What do you mean?”
“Have you found a replacement for Gloria?”
Oh, yes, that.
My nanny, Gloria, broke the news to me at the end of last season. She’s friends with my parents and kindly stepped in to help me after my parents decided to go traveling. But Gloria is getting older and decided it’s time for her to retire. Her arthritis has been bad with the humidity here and her doctor recommended she move somewhere drier.
She’s leaving next week for her new chapter in New Mexico.
