Page 35 of Catch
“Yeah. Of course.”
I nod quickly.
No, no I am not alright. I’m completely out of my depth.
“You looked awesome out there. I mean, I don’t know much about rowing, but what I saw today was impressive.”
“Even though we were slow?”
“You know I like to tease.”
Jett’s green eyes darken, and I swallow hard.
“Ever try it?” he asks.
What are we talking about?
“No,” I squeak and clear my throat. “No, but I’d really like to. How about a private lesson?”
I donotmean rowing.
Jett pauses and cocks his head. “With some of your teammates?”
I shake my head.
“Only me.”
“I don’t think so?—”
“Come on. And then I’ll give you a hockey lesson. Quid pro quo.”
Jett lets out a sigh, and I want to pump my fist in the air. He didn’t say no.
We start to walk, and I can’t help but sidle up to him as close as I can get. Jett doesn’t seem to notice or he doesn’t care. What’s more shocking is that I have the urge to reach for his hand. Instead, I place mine over my forehead and wonder where these ideas are coming from.
“Alright, but one lesson and that’s it,” Jett replies. “And only because if I say no, you’ll hound me for ages.”
“Sugar, you know me so well already.”
“Will you knock it off?”
I laugh at his put-out tone and nudge his shoulder with mine. It’s as close as I can get for now, and I’ll take it.
“Why rowing?” I ask, changing the subject.
Jett stops short, and I turn to face him. His darkened expression that tells me I’ve hit a sore point.
“Jett?”
“I guess you could say it was one of my favorite forms of therapy.”
The statement weighs heavy between us, all my joking set aside.
“I understand,” I reply quietly. “That’s what hockey was to me when my parents divorced.”
“That bad?”
I nod. Normally I hate talking about this stuff, even with my friends. But oddly enough, I don’t mind sharing it with Jett.
