Page 30 of Almost Ours
Harper gave a soft, uncertain smile. “That’s one word for it.”
Connor took that as his cue. “Come on, Coach Ryan! You gotta see where the water exploded!”
He sprinted off toward the kitchen.
Harper sighed, a note of amusement threading through her voice. “It really wasn’t that dramatic.”
“I don’t know,” I said, following her. “Connor seems pretty committed to the story.”
As we passed the living room, Harper nodded toward the stairs with a faint smile. “Nina told me this place used to be where everyone came for Halloween parties.”
I let out a quiet laugh, shaking my head. “Shane just told me the same thing. Said half the town still hasn’t forgiven him for all the jump scares he caused at those parties.”
She looked at me. “Did you grow up here too?”
I hesitated, adjusting my grip on the toolbox. “Nah. Shane and I go way back though. Played college hockey together… ended up on the same NHL roster for a while before I got traded.” I gave a small shrug. “He was always the loud one. Big personality. Never backed down from anything. Drove me nuts sometimes.”
Her mouth quirked up, like she could picture it. “Sounds about right.”
The memory pulled a smile from me, though something heavier stirred underneath, a weight pressing just out of reach.
What I didn’t say was that Shane was the reason I was still standing. When things had started to spiral for me a couple years ago, after everything with my mom, and Kyle… Shane didn’t let me disappear. Didn’t let me shut everyone out, even when I tried. He’d shown up, called every damn day, kicked down a door or two when I refused to answer. Sat with me insilence when I couldn’t talk. Dragged me back onto the ice, even when the thought made me sick.
I owed him more than I’d ever admit out loud.
But I kept all that to myself, just giving another half-shrug. “Anyway, I ended up here with him after… after I left the NHL.”Forced out more like it…
Harper nodded slowly, her gaze lingering on me for a second too long, like she could sense there was more I wasn’t saying.
“Nina–”
“I try to stay out of whatever it is between him and Nina,” I added with a small grin, shifting the mood. “Those two could turn a bake sale into a blood sport.”
That drew a laugh out of her–light and surprised–and she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Yeah. I’ve only been here a few weeks and I can already feel the tension.”
“Best to just stay out of the crossfire.”
She nodded, still smiling.
Then Connor’s voice rang out from the kitchen. “MOM! It’s still kinda squishy in here!”
“It’s a complete disaster in there,” she admitted as she led me into the kitchen.
The moment I stepped in, I saw what she meant. Towels were scattered across the floor, soaking up whatever water they could. A bucket sat nearby, filled to the brim, and there was still a faint dampness in the air.
I couldn’t help it–I started laughing. The scene painted itself in my mind: Harper and Connor running around in a frenzy, water spraying everywhere like some slapstick comedy routine.
Harper stopped in her tracks, turning to look at me with a mock-offended glare. “What’s so funny?”
I tried to stifle the laughter, but it came out anyway. “I’m just picturing it. You and Connor running around like headlesschickens, water shooting everywhere… sounds like something out of a sitcom.”
Her lips twitched, and then she was laughing, too, leaning against the counter as the sound bubbled out of her. “Oh, it was worse than you think,” she admitted. “I was soaking wet. Connor was screaming about ‘saving the LEGOs.’ It was absolute chaos.”
Connor’s head popped around the corner, his grin as wide as ever. “Mom got sprayed right in the face!”
Harper groaned, though the laughter still clung to her voice. She covered her face with one hand. “Thanks, Connor. I don’t think your hockey coach needed that visual.”
“At least it wasn’t boring,” I teased, leaning against the doorway with a grin.
