Page 154 of Hockey Bois
Lucy J J Rhodeshas left a comment on Brady Derek Jensen’s wall:
happy birthday to my fav big bro??????!!!??is in the mail??have a good one??
14??2 comments
Brady Derek Jensen: thanks
Brady Derek Jensen: I’m still your only brother btw
Nick frowned, checked the timestamp—only a few hours ago—and re-readed it a few times. “It’s his birthday,” Nick said dumbly. Why didn’t he know that? He should have known that, right?
“Yeah, I know.” Jenna took her phone back. She bit her lip, and Nick could almost hear her thinking they couldn’t possibly be dating if they hadn’t even discussedbirthdaysdespite having known each other a whole damn year already. “You gonna do anything about this?”
His brain started to run through possible scenarios, romantic gestures, other options, before it skidded to a halt. “Wait, are youfriendswith Brady on Facebook?” Oh God, the potential for embarrassment was too much for him to handle.
“Yes, obviously. He’s dating my cousin. I’m still friends with the guys you went out with in middle school; ofcourseI’m friends with Brady. Focus. What are you doing about the birthday thing?”
Right, right, that was more important. “What am I doing about the birthday I just found out about? Nothing?”
“I meant more along the lines ofget your shit together and plan something.”
It was times like these that he wondered how he and Jenna were related. She was able to function and think and act responsibly, whereas Nick felt like he’d swallowed a brick. “We have a game tonight,” he said weakly. It was true, and he knew if he could give Brady any gift at all, hockey would be pretty high up on his wishlist. Still, it wasn’t likehehad provided the hockey, it was a pre-scheduled event that happened to occur on Brady’s birthday.
Jenna looked like her soul was leaving her body. “What time?” she prompted, her phone back out as her fingers moved across the screen.
“Seven.”
“That’s a reasonably early game for you guys, right? When will it be done?”
“By eight-thirty.”
“How long would it take you guys to shower and be halfway presentable?”
“I mean,howpresentable—?”
“What rink?”
“Rockville.”
“Rockville.Perfect, I can send you guys to Bethesda no problem.”
“Sendus—?”
“I’m going mid-grade fancy, okay? Nothing too over the top in case your game runs long or something. Besides, you guys aren’t official yet even though he’s left a travel bag in the upstairs bathroom. You’re racking in bonus points doing anything, given that he hasn’t told you it’s his birthday. Perfect date scenario to maybe figure out if youaredating. Though admittedly if you’re not, that might put a damper on the mood.”
His instincts wanted to rebel against his cousin’s interference. It was one thing to encourage communication; it was another to actively meddle. He didn’t need help, he could do this, and she should cancel whatever reservation she was making because, out of principle, he wouldn’t use it.
He bit down on those instincts. They were childish; they hadn’t been reasonable when he’d cut off the rope ladder to his own treehouse just to spite Jenna for trying to use it without permission. She was doing him a favor, and he would graciously accept that favor.
And hope there wasn’t some huge hidden cost he’d have to pay later, like doing her taxes or helping move that heavy-ass table in her dining room.
“Forward me the reservation details, please,” he said shamelessly. He went through his wardrobe in his head, wondering if that one gray polo was clean or in the wash and if his khaki shorts needed to be ironed. “Is this a flowers situation? Chocolate?”
“First of all, it’s a birthday, not Valentine’s Day. Second of all, I’ve only interacted with Brady a handful of timesincludingwhen he accepted my friend request on Facebook and liked one single post of my cat, but I don’t get the feeling he’s a flowers-and-chocolate kind of guy.”
True. Brady wasnota flowers-and-chocolate kind of guy. And while Brady might dress up decent for work, he wasnota fancy restaurant kind of guy, either. “Cancel the reservation,” Nick said abruptly. “Thank you,” he added as earnestly as he could when he saw Jenna’s appalled expression. “Really, thank you. Maybe for an anniversary or something, but not for his birthday.”
Jenna eyed him skeptically but put her phone away. “You have a plan, then?”
