Page 61 of Secret Puck
Ginny
November
“It’s nice.”My mom steps into my dorm and smiles. Dad hangs in the doorway and gives a tentative glance around.
“Dad, you can come in.”
He moves only an inch farther inside. Since my parents were in Mexico when I left for college, this is the first time they’re seeing my dorm outside of the pictures I’ve sent.
“Where’s Ava?” my mom asks now inspecting her side.The Vampire Diariesposter and the collage of pictures that is basically a shrine to Trent.
“She’s visiting her boyfriend.”
Dad frowns. “You stay here by yourself on the weekends?”
“Not every weekend. Besides I’m not exactly alone.” I motion behind him where people are moving up and down the hallway.
I set the bag of new towels Mom brought me on the floor by my desk. “Should we head over to the arena?”
Riding to the game with my parents feels a little strange like I’m back in high school and reminds me of the times Bryan and I rode down to Valley with them. It’s a fleeting feeling of sadness at the thought of my ex, but as soon as Valley U takes the ice and I see Heath, Bryan is completely forgotten. I sit forward in my seat to get a better look.
He and Adam skate out next to one another. Adam scans until he finds us in the crowd. He smiles and lifts a hand to greet my parents. Heath notices and follows the movement to our family. I wave back as I stare at Heath.
He smiles, drops his gaze, and then does his own scan of the crowd. His mom and her boyfriend are in for the weekend too. And though he didn’t tell me, I know it’s the first time she’s come to a game. I heard Adam and Rhett asking him about it earlier this week when I was hiding in his room.
Grand Canyon is the worst team in the division, and they didn’t bring their A game tonight. Valley leads by two after the first period. On the plus side, Adam is playing great, so my parents don’t care that the game is a snooze fest.
I head to the bathroom during intermission and run into Taryn as I’m going back to my seat.
“Hey.” I pause and move out of the flow of traffic. “I wasn’t sure if you were here tonight.”
“Yeah, of course, I am. Wouldn’t miss it.” Her red hair is pulled back in a high ponytail with blue and yellow ribbons. Adam’s number is painted on her face. I have a flash of jealousy at how proudly and openly she displays her loyalty and fandom for my brother.
“Are you going to meet up with us for dinner after?”
She twists her hands in front of her and nods. “Yeah, Adam asked me to come. I’m a little nervous about meeting your family.”
“Don’t be. They’ll love you. Do you want to come meet them now and get it over with?”
“I don’t know.”
“Come on. Let me introduce you, and by dinner, you’ll be sharing embarrassing Adam stories with my mom.”
A slow smile spreads across her face. “Yeah, okay.”
As I predicted, my parents love Taryn. By the time the game ends and we get to The Hideout, they’re completely enthralled with catching up on Adam and learning more about his girlfriend. I’m able to half-listen and stare across the restaurant to Heath and his table.
Maverick is with him, and they sit across from a woman with light brown hair and small features. I catch her smile as she turns her head to the man sitting beside her. He has a thick head of gray hair and a strong jawline and muscular arms that defy his age. They look happy. Heath looks… well not uncomfortable exactly, but like the outsider. To a bystander, you’d think Maverick was the one related. He looks far more relaxed and like he’s enjoying himself. That’s just Maverick though — he’s always comfortable in his skin.
Rhett’s girlfriend Carrie is here this weekend too. They’re celebrating their five-year anniversary and the two of them sit up at the bar. She’s nothing like I expected. Rhett is so nice and sweet, and Carrie is a little harsh and rough around the edges. When he introduced us, she didn’t even fake a smile. Maybe she has resting bitch face?
I glance back at Heath. He’s got RBF right now too.
“Right, Ginny?” Adam asks, breaking my surveillance of the Payne family.
“Sorry, what?”
My brother smiles like he’s onto me and my cheeks warm. Shit, was that just totally obvious I was staring at Heath?
