Page 80 of If You Claim Me

“I don’t think I’ve ever loved anything as much as Connor loves hockey,” Isabelle says thoughtfully.

“Do you remember his recital piece?” Portia asks.

I’m wildly fascinated by them—perfect hair, perfect skin, perfect everything. Poised, proper, and almost extensions of each other. It’s clear that they rely heavily on each other for everything. And why wouldn’t they, when it’s them against everyone else?

“Unforgettable.” Isabelle nods.

“What did he play?” Callie asks.

“‘Nothing Else Matters’,” Portia says.

“By Metallica?” I grin. Of course he would pick something like that.

“It’s so pretty at first—” Isabelle starts.

“Father was so angry after his performance—” Portia continues.

“But he was so good.” Isabelle shakes her head.

“I bet he still is—” Portia agrees.

“—but he won’t play anymore. Though maybe for you he would,” Isabelle muses.

“Maybe.” But I don’t know that I’ll ask him to. He’s been punished enough in his lifetime.

We shift our conversation away from Connor to talk about the lessonswetook as kids. Rix enrolled in every free cooking class under the sun, Hemi was a master debater and took scrapbooking, Lexi (no surprise) lived and breathed hockey—just like Callie and Flip, and Hammer loved working on graphics and graphic design. Tally and Fee both loved dance, but Fee’s passion lies in art. Portia and Isabelle have a laundry list of things they’ve dabbled in, from golf to dance to piano. I joined clubs in school, but I didn’t have many foster homes willing to part with the money to put me in lessons. Everly echoes this, but jumps in to say that she joined the drama club at school thissemester and likes to work on the sets. Some of the parents also provide snacks, like pizza and subs, which she clearly enjoys.

Everly and Cordelia have to leave to retrieve Victor and we send them off with takeout for him and dessert. Roman picks up Callie at the end of dinner, and any disappointment at being left out of what’s next disappears when he reminds her Connor is meeting them at the local rink to shoot the puck around for an hour.

As soon as she’s gone, Lexi’s eyes light up. She looks to Hemi. “Is it time?”

Hemi nods. “Oh, it’s time.”

Hammer shimmies in her seat, and Tally claps excitedly.

“No shots,” I declare.

“How about fun shots, with fifty percent juice?” Essie suggests.

“No shots,” I repeat.

“You say that now,” Flip says.

“The bachelorette scavenger hunt begins!” Lexi pulls a set of typed cards out of her bag and passes them around the table.

I scan the list. Almost every clue is a literary reference.

“The only person who isn’t allowed to look up these quotes is the bride-to-be.” Lexi winks at me.

Shortly thereafter, we leave the restaurant and head for what we’ve determined is our first stop.

“This was you, wasn’t it?” I prop my fist on my hip and give Rix a knowing look when we arrive. We’re standing outside an adult store that was designed with vaginas in mind.

“What makes you think that?” she asks, eyes wide.

“The clue says,Rix has a full crisper, so she doesn’t need to visit this spot on Wooley Street.”

Hammer elbows Tally in the side, while Hemi covers her mouth with her hand.