Page 49 of Lucky Shot
“Do you want to…?” I let the question hang because I’m not sure what one does in this situation. When I’m frustrated over a bad writing day, I usually don’t want to talk about it. I know that isn’t everyone’s preference though. While I prefer to stew and mull over my plot issues, I’ve sat on calls with Lily for hours helping her get unstuck.
“Yeah, maybe I should check on him. I’ll be quick.”
“It’s okay.” I check the time on my phone. The time has gone fast, as usual, and the campers will be arriving soon.
“You’re leaving?”
“I think I have enough for now.”
“What will you do with the rest of your day?”
If I didn’t know better, I’d think he cared how I was going to spend my day.
“Write.” Hopefully. “I have to turn in the new first chapter on Friday.”
He skates slowly backward, still staring at me.
“Thanks for your time.” I lift my cup. “And the coffee.”
“You’re welcome.”
I lift a hand in a wave before turning to leave. I swear I feel his eyes on me, but when I turn around, he’s on the other side of the rink with Aidan. Pausing at the door, I watch him. Aidan’s head is bowed and stare downcast as his dad talks to him. Eventually, he nods, and Nick places a reassuring hand on his son’s shoulder.
I’m still watching when Nick looks up. His gaze goes to the bench where I was sitting, then scans the rink, almost as if looking for someone. Maybe me. I slip out of the door before he spots me.
13
NICK
“Why is that chick staying in the cabin?” Aidan asks after dinner. He’s rinsing off his plate next to me, staring out the window. I follow his gaze to Ruby walking down by the lake. She’s in a blue sleeveless top and jean shorts. Her red hair whipping around her face.
“She needed a place to stay for the summer.”
“Is it true she’s writing a book about you?” He glances over at me, spaghetti sauce on his face.
“No.” I wipe his mouth with a rag. “Where did you hear that?”
He shrugs. “Uncle Trav.”
“What’d I tell you about believing Uncle Trav?”
He ducks away from the rag, grinning as he says, “That he’s full of bull crap and I should think of everything he says as mostly exaggerated.”
A chuckle scrapes up my throat. “Exactly.”
The doorbell rings.
“Speaking of Uncle Trav.”
Aidan’s grin widens. He looks up to Travis and listens to him, much to my dismay, more than just about anyone else. Of allpeople it had to be Travis. Surprisingly, he’s good with kids. All the reasons I worry about his influence on Aidan are the exact reasons kids adore him. He has no filter, he doesn’t talk down to them, and he’s got this funny, charismatic way about him that makes people want to be his friend, even kids.
“You get the door, I’ll finish up in here,” I tell him. He’s taken off at a sprint before I finish the sentence.
I glance once more out the window at Ruby as I toss the rag onto the counter. Outside of our morning interviews at the rink, I’ve barely seen her. She’s shown up every day this week, staying until the kids arrive for camp to ask me questions. So many questions and things no one has asked me before like, “Which team jersey was my favorite?” and “What color tape would you use for your stick if you had your choice?” and “What does it feel like to step onto the ice each time?”
She’s…interesting. Perhaps it’s because I’m used to the people asking me questions having a deep love, or at least a baseline knowledge of the sport, but I find myself trying to anticipate what she’ll ask me next, and I almost never get it right. But maybe most perplexing of all is that I’ve found myself dreading our time together a little less each day.
Outside of our time each morning, she’s kept to herself. She’s often walking down by the water or sitting out on the porch of the cabin (not that I’m looking) but otherwise, I could almost pretend she isn’t here. Almost.
