Page 105 of What Are The Odds?
Levi grinned. I did too. Neither of us acknowledging thebutthat followed. Just as he bent down to kiss me, Lana skated over. She had her phone fixated on us.
“Grace, what’s your Instagram handle so I can tag you and my brother in this Insta Story which shows how pathetically whipped he is.”
*
Thanksgiving was full on. It was almost as eccentric as Christmas. I’d offered to help multiple times, but Deb assured me she had it under control.
“What would you like to drink, Grace?” she checked.
“I’m fine with water.”
“Nonsense. We stocked up on McLaren Vale wine so you would feel at home. Head down to the cellar and pick a bottle.”
I swallowed. “Cellar?”
“There’s a staircase in the butler’s pantry,” Lana explained from where she was preparing a salad. “Make it an expensive bottle.”
Of course there was a cellar. While Levi’s parents were incredibly humble as they’d worked hard for the nice things they had, it was hard not to compare our families. I was trying to imagine Levi in my childhood home, sleeping in my childhood bed, and showering in the bathroom I’d shared growing up. I wanted to see it. I really did. And I loved that he wanted to be a part of that world. But I was still at a loss trying to see how the world’s combined. How my life in Australia mixed with the future he had here. The underground cellar was overwhelming. There were rows and rows of wines. I couldn’t even imagine the money a collection like this was worth. I selected the first one with a familiar sounding winery and returned to the kitchen.
“Excellent choice,” Deb smiled. “Would you pour us all a glass? They’re already on the table.”
Deb had been setting the table in the formal dining area when we returned from ice skating, decorating it with tapered candles, expensive dinnerware and what had looked like real-life leaves. It looked amazing. I could only imagine what Christmas was like. I stilled at the sound of voices coming from the adjoining sitting room. Not because they were voices I was afraid of, but because they were talking in a hushed whisper that implied they didn’t want to be overheard. Morally, I knew I shouldn’t listen. But curiosity won out.
“I don’t want to talk about it, dad,” Levi said.
“Too bad,” Rick returned. “This isn’t going to end well, son.”
“It doesn’t have to end.”
“It does. She lives in another country.”
“I’m aware, dad.”
Well, shit. This was about me.
“You’ve worked towards this future your entire life, Levi. The early practices. The late nights. The cold starts. Please tell me you’re not considering walking away from that dream.”
“I’m not,” Levi firmly said.
“Then what? Grace moves here? Away from the only family she has left?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“You do know. You just aren’t ready to admit it.” Rick sighed. “It must end, and when it does you can’t let it distract you from your game. You can’t let this girl ruin your future.”
Levi’s voice raised and anger seeped into his tone. “Don’t talk about her like that. Grace isn’t just some girl to me, and she isn’t ruining anything.”
Rick exhaled heavily. “I’m sorry, son. I’m not trying to pick a fight. I just need to know that you aren’t second guessing what happens after graduation. There’s no scenario where you don’t play for the Colorado Eagles.”
Levi was silent for a moment. “I know.”
I knew that too. It’s what made this so hard. Levi’s future was within reach, and it’s all he’d ever wanted. Never would I want him to consider giving that up.
“Grace doesn’t strike me as the type of girl to upend her life and her family to be an NHL girlfriend. You know it’d be a lonely life for her. All the trainings and the away games.”
“You don’t know her like I do, dad.”
“Tell me then. Can you see her moving here for you?”
