Page 43 of Her Goal
“Huh?”
“We thought the dog was a girl so Valentina and I named her Tinkerbell, then quickly realized the gender, so now he’s just Tinker.”
“And getting a little gray around the muzzle.”
“He’s almost fifteen.”
“And as lively as ever.”
“Dad said he needs to take him on more walks.”
“I’d offer if I had more time.”
“You could just get a dog.”
“Not with my schedule.”
Even though I’m well aware that away games regularly take hockey players out of town, I hadn’t thought much about it as a reality for Cara, Margo, Ella, and all of my other WAG friends. Then something else Hudson said catches up with me.
“Why would Hunter pretend to have dog allergies?”
I get one more searching look from Hudson as if he’s trying to figure something out. I’m usually fine with silence in a conversation, but the music, multitude of simultaneous conversations, and laughter surrounding us seem to somehow make it louder.
“How is Hunter doing, anyway?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Don’t know.”
“He won’t talk to you?”
Hudson turns his attention to the party before saying, “I prefer it that way.”
“But he’s your brother.”
“He’s not like your siblings, Leah.” It’s my turn to stare because aside from the fact that I don’t think anyone is asahem … uniqueas my family is, I adore them all the more for it.
Dani and Chuck are rolling out the slip-and-slide and directing it into the pool. Meanwhile, my little brother is wearing a blowup pineapple on his head and Dani’s husband has on a snorkel and goggles. I don’t see Valentina, but I hear her voice echoing from the kitchen about snacks, her husband, and being thirsty. The guy can’t be discharged from the army soon enough.
As annoying as they can be, I cannot imagine life without them. In fact, I’m sleeping on a bunk bed in the basement tonight only so I don’t have to go back to Omaha.Alone. The rest of the extra rooms are occupied by aunts, uncles, and other family members. Abuela, who came all the way from Colombia, gets the master suite.
“Have you heard from Hunter?” Hudson’s voice is tight.
“Not at all. He froze me out. It’s like he wants to forget about us—I mean, Cobbiton—completely.” I thought we were best friends, so I never understood why he stopped answering my calls and messages. The summer after graduation, he went dark.
“Wipe this place off the map,” Hudson says as if offended.
“What did this town ever do to you?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer but does say, “I’m a public figure. If Hunter wanted to pretend we’re a family, he could find me easily enough.”
“But he hasn’t.” For some reason, I speak the answer so he doesn’t have to.
Hudson shakes his head slowly and with disdain, as if he’s bypassed the pain that his brother may have caused and is stuck in anger … or is it disgust? Disappointment?
A shiver ripples through me because I’ve never wanted to admit it, but Hunter hurt me, too. Broke my heart, even after I told him he had it. But the distance between the brothers isn’t right. Hunter said they never knew their father, and I remember when their mom left town the day the twins turned eighteen—and frequently for week-long stretches before that.
I want to do something to reunite the siblings. But what … how?
Abuela taps my ankle with her cane and in Spanish, says, “I see you found your young man.”
