Page 11 of Sin Bin (BU Hockey Season 2, #1)
I hold back a snicker at the name they’ve chosen for the group. “ Maybe chronologically, but we don’t have much in common .”
“ That’s because you hardly know them, dear. Trust me, you’ll love them all. Thomas is really exploring his adventurous side. Did you know he had two servings of Grandad’s Buffalo chicken dip?”
“Two tortilla chips is not the same as two servings, Carol,” Grandad corrects gently. When she shoots him a look, he clears his throat . “It’s a start, though. And that batch did pack a punch.”
“Good for Thomas ,” I say, meaning every word . “I’m glad he’s branching out. And they do seem like a nice group of people, but since I’m not traveling with them, there’s really no reason for me to socialize with them every week.”
Gran purses her lips and Grandad stares at his cinnamon roll.
Finally, Gran can’t stand it anymore. “Oh, but there is. You haven’t even met Stephen yet.
Or Philip—he teaches geography. Isn’t that just perfect?
You’ll get to know him if you decide to go on the trip.
We do wish you’d reconsider, dear. So many of the destinations are places you’ve talked about seeing. ”
“Yes, but the whole point of traveling is to do it on my own. I don’t want someone else’s itinerary to dictate my every move. I want an adventure, not a vacation.”
“Fine ,” she concedes, though I know for a fact that I haven’t heard the end of it.
She’s only pausing, not stopping altogether .
“We’ll drop the subject on the condition that you stop this silliness about moving back to campus, at least until you’ve found a nice place to rent or some girlfriends to move in with.
Staying at The Chapel is ludicrous. What will your mother say?
She’s trusting us to look after you while she’s with Emersyn, and we take that responsibility seriously. ”
I hold back the eye roll that’s threatening to escape.
Once again, they’re treating me like a child.
“Mom will be fine with it. It was her idea, after all,” I say .
“Back when she gave the place to Booker, she made him promise to keep rooms for Em and me if we ever decided to enroll at Bainbridge. So, my decision already has the Kim Nolan stamp of approval.”
My grandparents exchange a quick glance. I’m laying it on a little thick, and we all know it, but it’s important to me that they see me as a woman who makes sound decisions, and not as the teenage girl who made reckless ones .
For a moment, the air is thick with memories.
Memories of a time when I thought I knew best, when I exercised poor judgment, and when I trusted the wrong people.
I’d always been a bit of a risk taker. I’m not cautious like my brother.
I skirted the line and managed to have a whole lot of fun without getting into too much trouble.
My teenage years were filled with typical rebellion like missing curfew and experimenting with forbidden fruits like sex and alcohol.
It used to drive my father crazy, and that’s probably why I took as many risks as I could.
Every time he tried to control me, I pushed back just as hard, if not harder.
So, when my parents divorced, and I was finally free of him, I should have relaxed or at least started playing by the rules.
I wasn’t wise enough to see things clearly back then, so I took the little taste of freedom that I had, and I ran with it.
Things did not end well.
I’ve been spending every minute since trying to prove to my family—my grandparents especially—that I’m not the same reckless girl I once was. I’ve learned from my mistakes.
Earning their trust again means everything to me, but not if it comes with strings attached.
My grandmother reaches for her phone, and I know she’s about to call her only daughter and confirm what I just explained.
Suddenly, Grandad’s hand covers his wife’s smaller one in a gesture that means more to me than I can say.
He’s trusting me. He may not love what I’m doing, but he understands that in the grand scheme of things, moving into a house full of college students is a relatively harmless thing to do.
Gran takes a sip of coffee before peering at me over the edges of her reading glasses. “ It sounds like you have a plan, then, but just know you always have a room here if you need it .”
Grandad nods, cutting into his cinnamon roll. “ Yes, even if you just need a quiet place to study, or a good meal .” He smiles at me. “ You know our door is always open .”
Three hours later, I’m moving into The Chapel with the help of Annabelle and her boyfriend, Dean.
“These cinnamon rolls are fucking fire,” he says, shoving one into his mouth as he grabs my heaviest suitcase with his other hand. “Is your grandad a hockey fan? ‘Cause we can get him tickets in exchange for baked goods.”
I laugh. “His ancestor founded the college, and Grandad still sits on the Board of Trustees, so I think he can get hockey tickets pretty easily if he wants them. My grandparents attended all of Booker’s games.”
“Damn,” Dean mutters. “Do they need a pool boy? Maybe somebody to mow the grass? I’d sell my spleen for another cinnamon roll. ”
“How about I just ask him to make some more when I visit them for brunch on Sunday?”
“That works,” Dean says, before turning to take my suitcase inside.
I reach for the last box in my trunk and heft it into my arms. At five feet, six inches, I’m not a tiny girl, but this box is just big enough that it obstructs my view until it’s too late. I drop it onto the porch so I can open the door, but when I reach for the handle, there’s just air.
Well, air and a very hot hockey player.
Ollie’s eyes meet mine as his mouth hangs open. There’s a look of utter confusion on his face, like he’s a little kid who can’t figure out why he’s seeing his teacher at the grocery store. Doesn’t she live at school?
“ What are you doing here ?” he asks, signing as he speaks. And no, I’m not his biggest fan, but I have to admit that it’s kind of endearing that he signs and speaks simultaneously, even when he can see that I’m wearing my hearing aids.
I smile brightly, loving the way his brow furrows as I scoop up my box and step forward. “I’m moving in,” I tell him, as I walk past.
I don’t need to glance back to see that he still hasn’t picked his jaw up off the floor.