Page 5 of Rebel Secrets (Devils Hockey #3)

Rain grinned. “Good. Wouldn’t want you to get a big head from all this newfound glory and forget all about us and go live somewhere and never let us know where you are.”

“Never happen. I know you and Mom would track me down. I swear she installed tracking devices in us when we were babies.”

Rain’s laughter rang out over the quiet restaurant, drawing Ian and Erin’s attention. Erin’s automatic smile faded a little when she realized I was looking at her. Her gaze skipped back to Ian who looked more than happy to have her attention.

“Just a heads up, since Rowdy and I are in relationships, Mom’s been a lot more interested in talking about you and what you’re up to lately.”

Shock gave me a jolt. “Seriously? Can you redirect her toward Rocky for me?”

Rain’s smile got snarky. “Nope. She’s on a mission, dude, and you’re it.”

Our mom on a mission was not something anyone wanted to dismiss.

My mom was sweetness and light and an iron fist. And she loved her children.

Full stop. I know I’d given her more than a few sleepless nights, probably more than my brothers and sister.

And yeah, it’d sucked being the “problem child.” My words, not hers.

My mom would never use those words. And she’d never made me feel less than the others.

But I knew.

“When you get back, just tell her I’m fine. Hell, I’ve told her I’m fine. I’m not sure why she’s so worried.”

“Maybe because you ignore her texts and send her calls to voice mail.”

My nose wrinkled. Guilty as charged. Some of the time.

“I pick up. When I can. My schedule’s a little more…hectic here.”

Rain’s smile softened. “I get it. More games. More commitments. Rowdy said you’re working with one of the local youth centers for at-risk kids. That’s really cool.”

It showed how scarily well my sister knew me that she lowered her voice to say that.

“Anyway, Rowdy and I have been talking about reviving the youth league. We know Dad tried when he first started the team, but he didn’t really have the extra hands to give it a real chance. Rowdy and I think, with the growth in the area, that we can make it work this time.”

“If you guys need help with that, you know I’ll be home over the summer for a few months.”

Unless the Redtails made a deep playoff run. Then I’d only be home for a month and a half at most. Unless my contract didn’t get picked up. And if it did, was I going to take it?

One day at a time, Rebel. Don’t get ahead of yourself.

I heard the voice of my therapist so clearly in my head, it was like he was sitting next to me. Mike, the Navy vet I’d started sessions with about three years ago, had become a fixture in my life. Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without him now.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m going to put you to work this summer. After Rowdy’s wedding.”

I breathed a silent sigh of relief that we’d moved on to topics that weren’t centered on me. “How’s that coming together?”

While Rain proceeded to tell me all about the plans Tressy and Rowdy were making and everything that had to be done before the end of June and the exact moment Tressy walked down the aisle in the backyard of our parents’ home in St. David, my attention wandered.

Straight to the woman sitting next to me. And I didn’t mean my sister.

Erin was still talking to Ian, though she’d been weirdly subdued. It wasn’t like I’d been listening in on their entire conversation. But I’d heard Ian talking more than her. The guy talked a hell of a lot more than I did, yeah, but Erin was usually a five-alarm fire when it came to conversation.

Weird.

“And you know you’re going to need to dance naked along with all the other groomsmen at the reception.”

My head snapped around. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Rain laughed. Cackled was probably the better word.

“So you were listening. Just checking.” She leaned in and her voice lowered. “You seem awfully interested in the conversation on the other side of the table. Something I need to know about Ian?”

My face scrunched in a frown. “What? No. Why?”

“If there’s something wrong with him, I need to warn Erin. Or do you want to tell me why you seem to be so out of it?”

Sighing, I shook my head. “I’m not out of it. I’m just… I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

“You know you can talk to me, right?”

I met her gaze, saw the curiosity and concern.

My sister was almost, but not quite, as good as my mom when it came to reading the men in our family.

And I loved her with all my heart, but she could be worse than my mom when she sensed weakness.

Or pain. Our mom had had our entire lives to figure out how to deal with us.

Rain still didn’t know when to stop pushing sometimes.

She could get away with much more with Rowdy.

He had the patience and the laidback personality to let her get away with it.

I didn’t. But we were in public. Had to give my sister props for picking the time and place.

“I know. But it’s not gonna be here and now.”

Her smile made me shake my head.

“I know. I just want you to know you can call me. If you want. Anytime. I even promise to be quiet and listen.”

I shook my head, but that left my brain unsupervised long enough to hear Erin say,

“—would love to, but I’m so busy right now. I just don’t know when I’d have the time. And you must be busy with the team. And I really don’t get to Reading a lot.”

“How’s the bookstore doing?”

I’d spoken loud enough to catch Erin and Ian’s attention, and they turned back to Rain and me.

“I thought you owned a bakery?” Ian directed the question at Erin, but Rain jumped in, probably because she saw what I did—that Erin seemed to have met her match.

“She does, but Erin and I teamed up to open a bookstore in the same building.”

Ian didn’t see the look Erin gave Rain, but I did. Relief. But she was too nice a person to tell the guy she wasn’t interested in him. Not that I cared. I didn’t. But I didn’t want her to be uncomfortable while she was here.

It’s probably not Ian. It’s you.

Except the look she flashed me wasn’t filled with her usual disdain. She looked…confused.

She shouldn’t be. My mom raised me better, and, contrary to popular opinion, I could be considerate. Most days.

“So you help your granddad run the newspaper and you own your own bakery and you run a bookstore. When do you sleep?”

Rain and Erin shared a look before Rain laughed and Erin just shook her head.

“That’s a good question.” Rain reached across to Erin and poked her in the arm. “I keep telling her she needs more downtime.”

Erin shrugged, her lips twisting and her nose wrinkling.

“I like to keep busy.”

“There’s busy and then there’s working yourself into the ground.”

Our gazes connected and held. And held. I don’t think I ever realized how bright her green eyes were. Or how pretty she was with a blush coloring her cheeks.

Then she blinked, and I shifted my gaze back to my sister. Who stared at me with arched brows. I returned her stare, otherwise she’d think something was up. And she’d be wrong. So very wrong.