Page 9

NINE

ETHAN

My living room looked like a box fort construction site. We were gathering what I needed to start living at my new place. Once the festival was over, I’d get everything else moved.

Liam and Mickey had come over after camp, with Tommy and Milo pitching in to speed up the packing.

“Hey, E,” Liam called from the kitchen. “Which mugs besides the Bears one?”

I’d already set aside the Bears hockey mug, my constant companion since age ten.

I’d played for the Cubs, and then the Bears, through school.

I was so proud when I’d bought that mug with my own money at a team fundraiser.

“Pack four extras for now. Actually, four of all the dishes can come with me. I want to leave some kitchen stuff for the streamers.”

Mickey emerged from my bedroom, arms full of clothes. “For a guy who’s not here much, you’ve got a lot of clothes in there.”

“Should we check out your closet next?” I teased.

Laughter drew my attention to Tommy and Milo across the room. Tommy was talking and partially signing to Milo, who responded with an enthusiastic nod and grin. Tommy’s family, no doubt with encouragement from their son, had become Milo’s billet family and that had only added to their connection.

“Those two have become quite the duo,” Liam said as he joined me.

“Yeah. One of the fastest friendships I’ve ever seen. Tommy’s even learning sign, which is so cool.”

“I wonder if there might be something more there.” He’d lowered his voice so they wouldn’t hear.

Tommy playfully bumped Milo’s shoulder before they grabbed up boxes to take to the truck.

“Young love, perhaps?” Mickey dramatically clasped his hands over his heart as he joined us. “Remember when we were that age?”

I rolled my eyes. “And how terrifying declaring feelings was? Yes.”

My current feelings for Andre illustrated that the terror hadn’t faded with age. Asking him out seemed impossible. Why would he even want that?

My phone buzzed, a welcome distraction. Nick Lawson’s name flashed on the screen. Nick played for Boston, and was coming in for Pride and the exhibition game.

“Hey, Nick.” I moved to an empty room. “What’s up?”

“Ethan! Shawn’s here too.”

“Oh, cool. Hey, Shawn.”

“Hey, Ethan,” said Shawn, who was Nick’s boyfriend and wrote romances under the name Kendrick Sanderson. “Nick told me about the book event and I’m in. I was coming for the game and to check out Pride in a small town, so I’d be happy to help.”

This was the news Andre needed. “That’s fantastic! Thanks so much, Shawn. It’ll mean a lot to the organizers, and I appreciate it too.”

We worked out some details and after hanging up, I dictated a text to Andre.

Ethan: Great news! Kendrick Sanderson is confirmed for Friday’s book event.

A grin spread across my face as I watched the three dots of Andre’s response dance across the screen.

I headed back to the living room as my phone finally buzzed.

Andre: That’s amazing! Thank you so much. BTW, I saw a post about the game too. I’m sorry I wasn’t at the press conference. You’ve gone above and beyond with all the players you’ve assembled.

I basked in the praise. I hadn’t expected how much I wanted to do something good for him.

Ethan: Glad I could help arrange it. And thanks. I’m looking forward to the game. It’s going to raise a lot of money for some worthwhile organizations.

Andre: Yes it is! If you need help with final prep for that, let me know, ok?

Ethan: Will do. Thanks. Talk to you later.

“Earth to Ethan.” Liam waved his hand in front of my face. “You planning on finishing up here, or are you just going to grin at your phone?”

Heat rose in my cheeks. “Sorry, I was just texting Andre about the book event. Kendrick Sanderson’s confirmed for Friday.”

Liam cocked his head, his favorite smirk spread across his face. “Uh-huh. And that’s why you’re blushing?”

“I am not.” My face grew warmer, betraying me.

Mickey came in with a box. “Who’s blushing? What did I miss?”

“Nothing,” I said quickly.

“Ethan’s got a crush on Andre,” Liam added.

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. “I do not have a crush.”

Mickey set the box down. “So there’s absolutely nothing going on between you two?”

I hesitated, remembering my coffee with Andre.

The warmth of his hand on mine.

The feeling when his brown eyes locked on me.

“Maybe there’s something. It’s just… nice, you know? Working together, talking. And he’s… well, he’s pretty handsome.”

I couldn’t believe I said all that—I sounded like a love-struck teenager.

Liam clapped me on the back. “It’s about time. How long has it been since you dated anyone seriously?”

Self-consciousness kicked in. “You know exactly how long it’s been. But come on, this is me and Andre. We need to see if we can get along for more than twenty-four hours.”

“Sometimes the best relationships start with people at odds,” Mickey said softly. I wondered if he’d already talked to Andre about this since they were friends too.

I nodded. “We should get through the festival first.” I shifted the conversation. “By the way, I heard Andre wanted to start some kind of youth camp. Do you know anything about that?”

“He’s been wanting to do a queer summer camp with sports and arts,” Mickey said.

“Weekend stuff in the spring and fall too. It’s pretty ambitious.

He’s scouted potential locations for months, but it hasn’t been easy.

I think he even talked to Zeke about trying to use the festival grounds.

It’s been a while since he’s brought it up, though. ”

“It’s a terrific idea.” I closed a box of clothes and put tape across it. “Something that would fit right in around here.”

As we continued packing, the camp idea kept churning in my mind. I’d wrecked one of his possibilities for it. Could we team up and sort out a plan?

A knock interrupted my thoughts. Wade stood at the open front door, fidgeting with the strap of their messenger bag.

“Hi, Mr. Gallagher. I mean Ethan.” They corrected themselves before I could. “Thank you again for letting us use your place. We won’t mess up anything.”

“I’m happy this worked out. And don’t stress. I’m sure it’s in excellent hands with you.”

Wade relaxed, grinning.

I handed over a ring of keys. “There’s nine keys, one for you and each person on the team. I figure everyone will need to come and go at different times.”

“That’s perfect. I’m glad you thought of that. Some people will arrive tomorrow to set up and scout the event locations.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be out of here in a few minutes. If you need anything while your team’s here, don’t hesitate to ask. And if it turns out you need more room, we can make that work too.”

Wade pocketed the keys. “I think we’ll be fine, but I’ll let you know. See you later. Hope the move goes well.”

As Wade left, I looked around at the now box-free living room. Liam, Mickey, Tommy, and Milo came in. “I think that’s everything.”

“It is,” Liam confirmed.

“Fantastic. Let’s get going. The sooner we’re unpacked, the sooner there can be pizza.”

We caravanned over to the new place, with Mickey taking a quick detour to Red’s.

I looked forward to my first morning coffee on the porch.

Liam, Tommy, Milo, and I unloaded the cars, stacking things in the appropriate rooms. I’d deal with unpacking later, getting out essentials as needed.

As Tommy and Milo set down the last of their boxes in the living room, they approached me.

“Is it okay if we go check out the pond?” Milo asked while also signing.

“Of course. Just don’t fall in or anything.” I spoke and signed, always matching Milo’s communication style even when he had his hearing aids on.

They thanked me and headed out. As they walked away, it looked like Milo was teaching Tommy how to sign pond hockey .

“Alright, this is the last of it.” Liam came up the steps holding a box. “What do you say we order that pizza you promised?”

I pulled out my phone and checked the delivery app. “It’s about five minutes away.”

“Advanced ordering for the win,” Mickey said as he came in with two drink holders with five cups. “I’ll set these in the kitchen.”

“Oooh, what’d you bring?” Liam asked, going over to inspect the cups.

“The only drink appropriate to christen Ethan’s new home?”

I had a sharp intake of breath. “You didn’t!”

“Of course I did. Twenty-sevens for everyone. And bourbon’d versions for the adults.”

I’d only had one 27 since I’d been back, and it wasn’t one with bourbon.

I’d developed what became The 27 back in elementary school when I mixed peanut butter and maple syrup into vanilla ice cream.

Mickey had tried it at my place one afternoon and loved it.

He’d gotten his dad, Joe, to add a maple and peanut butter shake to Red’s menu shortly after that.

Joe renamed the shake to The 27, my jersey number, after my first NHL season. It was just one of the things that made Red’s my favorite diner.

It was Mickey who discovered the extra kick bourbon brought to the shake, so that had become an adult alternative. He’d declared its name to be The 27B, though that was not on Red’s official menu.

“You’re the best.” I went to Mickey and carefully gave him a side hug to avoid jostling the shakes. “Thank you and thanks for helping out.”

“Anytime.”

We followed Mickey into the kitchen, and he set the drinks down. He handed us each a shake, the ones marked with a B .

We stepped out on the porch, dropped into the rocking chairs, and took in the view. The late afternoon sun cast a golden glow over the water. Tommy and Milo skipped stones at the edge, sometimes jostling each other to cause a bad throw. Their laughter drifted up to the house.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Liam asked after we’d sat quietly for a moment.

I gestured out at Tommy and Milo. “I wish I could start from square one with Andre like those two are with a new friendship.”

The pizza delivery car came into view, putting a swift end to that discussion.

“Hey, guys,” I called out toward the pond. Tommy turned. “Pizza’s here.”

As they came up to the house, the driver brought up the four pies. The aroma of sauce, melted cheese, pepperoni, and other toppings filled the air.

We laid the pizzas out in the kitchen as Tommy introduced Milo to The 27. Milo had a look of bliss as he took his first pull from the straw.

“That’s amazing,” he said, only signing with one hand as he kept the shake in the other. He immediately drank some more. “Where do these come from?”

“Red’s,” Tommy finger-spelled.

“We need to go there more.” Milo barely had the straw out of his mouth and didn’t bother to sign. He sipped more through the straw.

“Careful or you’re going to freeze your brain,” Mickey said.

“I kinda don’t care.” Milo laughed.

We ate on the porch since it was so nice out. Milo and Tommy sat on the steps, leaving the chairs for the rest of us.

“So, Ethan,” Liam said between bites, “have you thought about what you’re going to say in your speech?”

I groaned because I was worried about saying the right things in front of everyone. I set my plate in my lap so I could sign. “There are a lot of notes on my phone that I’m trying to make into something good.”

“Coach Ethan,” Milo interjected, “don’t worry about signing while we eat. I appreciate that you do it, but I’ve got my hearing aids on, so I can hear everyone fine. If I miss anything, I’ll ask for a repeat.”

“Will do,” I said, and we traded a smile.

“You always give the best pep talks at camp,” Tommy said. “The speech will be like that but with more rainbows.”

We all laughed.

“I’m going to work on it tonight. Who knows. Maybe I’ll try it out on you all tomorrow.”

“Cool. A sneak peek,” Milo said.

“Tommy, Nicolas told me he had you feeding Mabel. Would you be interested in doing that when I’m out of town?”

“For sure. Anytime. Just let me know when.”

“Mabel?” Milo looked confused, drawing smiles from Mickey and Liam.

“She lives in the woods. Sorta like bigfoot, but instead of hairy she’s leafy.”

Milo cocked his head, and looked at each of us. “Seriously?”

“For sure. My dad swears Mabel helped him find his way out of the woods when he ended up lost and had no phone signal.”

“Coach, this is a joke right?”

“Nope. We’re all believers here and have been for years.” Mickey and Liam nodded to back me up.

“Maybe we could go camping sometime this summer and see if she comes to visit. You want to?” Tommy asked.

Milo looked skeptical. “I’m all in for camping, but I’m not so sure about a big leafy beast.”

“She’s harmless. Not a beast at all.” Tommy bumped into Milo’s shoulder. “We’ll figure out when to camp once hockey's over.”

After we’d eaten more pizza than we probably should’ve, Tommy and Milo left with Liam. Mickey hung back to help clean up the kitchen before heading out. The sun was still setting, so I returned to the porch to watch the colors paint the sky.

My phone buzzed with a text.

Andre: Just wanted to say thanks again for everything you’re doing for the festival. It means a lot. Hope the move went well!

A smile tugged at my lips, and a flutter filled my chest at his random text.

Ethan: Happy to help. And the move was smooth. Lots of boxes of course, and still more to come. But things are good, and the other place is ready for Wade and their team.

I hesitated for a moment, then sent another message.

Ethan: Look forward to seeing you tomorrow to go over the judging stuff.

His response came fast.

Andre: Me too. Get some rest. We’ve got a big week ahead of us.

He wasn’t kidding about that. The festival, the speech, the game, not to mention camp—it was a bit overwhelming.

I brought up the notes app on my phone and had it read out what I’d put in so far for the speech. The sooner I had it completed, the sooner I could memorize it. The quiet, pleasant evening was the perfect time to work on it.