Page 114 of Lucky Shot
“Thanks for dinner,” I say when he pulls back.
“You’re welcome.” He stands next to me with his back against the counter. “How’d writing go?”
“Still stuck, but I’ll get there.”
“Any chance you want to take a night off tomorrow?” he asks. “Aidan and my dad are planning aRockymovie night.”
“That’s adorable.”
“It’s my dad’s sly way of getting junk food into the house.” He raises his hands into the air and does air quotes as he says, “for Aidan.”
“That sounds fun, but I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“Oh.” His body stiffens.
“Notleavingleaving. Just for the weekend. My niece is in a softball championship. I’ll be back Sunday or Monday.”
He nods with a thoughtful expression on his face.
I’ve made it weird somehow or maybe it’s only awkward because it’s the first time we’ve talked about me leaving since we started hooking up.
“Maybe we can hang out next week sometime?” I ask.
“Sure. Of course.” He smiles but it feels all wrong. “If you have time. I know you need to finish the book. That’s the whole reason you came, right?”
The pit in my stomach grows. “Right.”
Because it is the reason I came. But it isn’t the only reason I want to be here anymore.
The next morning, I leave early for the airport and stop by the rink. Nick is exactly where I expect to find him. He looks up from the ice, brows pinched together, when he spots me. He skates over to me, a smile forming as he gets close.
“What are you doing here? I thought you were leaving this morning.”
“I am. I’m on the way to the airport now.” I hold up two coffees, one in each hand. “Time for a quick break?”
“Yeah. Of course.” He steps off the ice and we sit on the bench. His leg presses against mine as he asks, “Excited to see your family?”
“I am. I’ve missed them.”
“I’ll bet.”
“What are you going to do this weekend? You know, besides hockey.”
He smirks. “My dad has a doctor appointment in Bozeman this afternoon. I’m going to drive him and make sure he stays out of trouble.”
“For his heart?” I ask, then admit. “Aidan mentioned something about it.”
“Yeah.” Nick’s chin dips as he looks away. “He had a heart attack at the first of the year.”
“I’m sorry. That’s scary.”
He bobs his head again.
“He’s okay now, though. Right?”
“The doctors say everything looks good for now. I guess I’ll know more today.”
I hadn’t meant for this visit to turn into an interrogation, but now that we’re on the topic of parents, there’s one thing that I’ve been wondering about.
