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“He’s twenty-two, Mom.”
She swats my sister away and opens her arms. I go into them, rocking her. Her head hits my shoulder, and I rub her back. “I’ll see you again tomorrow,” I remind her.
“I know.” She peers up, tears clinging to the corners of her eyes. “Have a good game. Blow me a kiss after you score.”
I chuckle. “Mom, I think that’s bad luck now.”
She steps back, craning her neck. “It is not. Nothing involving your mother could ever be bad luck. You go out there and put that puck in that net tomorrow. You hear me?”
I lean over to kiss the top of her forehead. “You got it, Coach.”
“Alright, let’s go, then,” my father says abruptly, already reaching into his pocket for the keys.
I squeeze Mom one more time and turn to follow him, waving at Lenore to do the same. “He’ll drive us back in the car.”
She nods, eyes lighting up. When she saw the Mini Cooper my parents were towing, she freaked out.
Another one of my father’s toys.
“It was so nice to see you all,” Lenore says, her voice genuine.
My mom pulls her into a hug too. “You too, sweetheart. Come any time.”
“Feel free to leave the big dope behind,” my sister offers.
I flip her off, and even though my back is to her, I’d be willing to bet she’s doing the same.
I wave Len in front of me and then walk down the stairs, leaving Mom and Iz behind. “See you at the game!”
“Go Bulldogs!” Mom yells.
My dad pulls the car up to the door of the RV at the same time. “You’re going to have to sit in the back,” I tell Len. “I’m too tall.”
“Like I’d sit in front,” she chastises. “It’s your family.”
I blink, déjà vu hitting me. The outcome, though, is much different.
Trish told me I was being rude for asking her to sit in the back around my family and making her feel like a second-class citizen. From then on, I was always cramped in the back seat with my knees in my face while my father gave me disapproving looks in the rearview mirror.
Taking a breath, I close my eyes, letting the uneasiness go. I open the door for Len and grab her hand to help her intothe car. I don’t know why I do it. It’s automatic, a gesture of appreciation. “Thank you.”
She gives me a strange look. “It’s a car ride…you big dope.” Her lips turn up, morphing into a wide grin.
The tension sluices off me in an instant seeing her blue eyes shine with mischief. I lean into the back seat. “That’s not going to make it into the article, right?”
She taps her chin like she has to think about it.
While she’s distracted, I grab the seat belt and pass it around her waist. My fingers graze her hip, and she stills. The seat belt clicks into place, breaking the shocked look on her face, and it’s my turn to smile at her. “You good?”
She nods, swallowing. “Mm-hmm. Yeah. Fantastic. All hooked in. As snug as a bug in a rug.”
“Did you…eat too much of my mom’s dessert?” I tease. “You seem kind of jittery.”
My phone pings, distracting me. My father, however, launches into a conversation about Mom’s cooking, which Len graciously listens and responds to while I take out my cell.
Iz: Mr. I’m Not Interested, that looked pretty damn cozy.
Peering up, I spot my mom’s and my sister’s faces plastered in the RV window. Iz smirks, and Mom is looking on like she’s watching a romantic movie.