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CHAPTER 2

GRADY

“ Y ou’re sure you don’t want to come with us?” my mom asked, a twelve pack of seltzers in her hand as she bent over a plastic supply bin.

“I’ll come out for a few weekends when there aren’t any events going on. But I really need to be in town for this reading program.”

She straightened, her hands landing on her hips as she surveyed what she’d packed so far. At this point she had the routine down to a science. Our whole family did. Summers spent at our house on Peak’s Island—off the coast of Portland, Maine—were a family tradition.

A twinge of guilt nipped at me for not wanting to join them this year.

But I wasn’t ready. And I couldn’t tell them that without making them worry.

“It sounds like a great initiative,” she replied enthusiastically, her eyes shining with pride. “I love that your team is putting so much back into the community. More programs like this one would make a huge difference.”

“And talk about a perfect leadership opportunity,” my dad added, slipping into the room with a duffel hanging off his shoulder.

I nodded, but his comment had my palms itching. Missing the last part of the season had set me back more than just physically. I needed to show up for the team, and make a meaningful contribution to the organization again. So, when Coach presented the idea to me, I said yes without taking a breath. Whatever it took to get me back in the running for captain, I was willing to do. Even a silly summer reading program.

“It’ll be good,” I agreed with him, the determination in his eyes propping up my own.

Three months of nightmares and panic attacks had done a number on my nerves, but I couldn’t quit now. We’d worked too hard for this.

“I bet you spend the whole summer napping.” My sister’s voice came from behind me, where I found her leaning in the doorway with a half-eaten apple in her hand.

“Between training and leading this program, I doubt there’ll be much time for that,” my father chuckled, shaking his head.

“Well, he looks like he needs the rest,” Lexi pressed, raising her eyebrow at me when I glared at her. My sister was the only one who’d picked up on my exhaustion. She hadn’t asked me about it, but it felt like it was only a matter of time. And I didn’t want to get into it.

“We can’t all lay around this summer like you, Lex.”

She scoffed. “I’m not going to be laying around. I have an internship three days a week at a physio in Portland. I’m going to spend more time on the ferry going back and forth than you will with a book in your hand.”

My mom went to move past her into the kitchen, but paused. “And you’ll be better off for it. If you want to open your own PT practice someday, you need to put in the work.”

When my parents had told me they were pregnant again, I was almost fourteen. Lexi was the definition of an ‘oops’ baby. At first, I’d thought she would be the perfect gift. Someone else to entertain my parents, share the load of their expectations. But once she’d popped out with those chubby cheeks and curly blonde hair, I’d probably gone overboard trying to shelter her from those very expectations. These days she seemed to be doing just fine on her own.

“I’m just saying. Most college juniors are working at REI.”

With a wide grin my mother nodded. “And you are far from most.”

When she slipped past Lexi and we were alone in the living room my little sister leveled me with an annoyed glare, which made me laugh. She threw her apple core, hitting me hard in the chest, and then disappeared around the corner before I could hit her back. Little punk.

Clearly when Coach had read off the details of the league’s latest community outreach program, I’d only been half listening. It wasn’t that I didn’t care, I’d just had enough to worry about. Fitting these appearances around my physical therapy program, training sessions, and trips back to Boston for team skates was already going to be a challenge.

Half my teammates were on flights, jetting to vacations they’d been dreaming of all season. And here I was, back in Maine.

It would have pissed me off if the payoff wasn’t so good.

With my gym bag hanging off my shoulder I strode into the town library to meet my counterpart for this program, but my mind was already on the workout my PT had sent over that morning. We’d been ramping up my strength sessions now that my shoulder was almost healed. Playing it safe had been frustrating the last few weeks, but I was ready to test it out.

“I’m here to meet…” I stalled, tugging at my pocket for my phone as I stood at the front desk. The young woman behind it was watching me with an amused grin on her face, her lips quirking to the side like she was holding in a laugh. “I’m here for the reading program.”

“Oh, I know who you are,” she finally let out, her cheeks going a shade redder.

“You do? Okay great.” I stopped scrolling through my emails and smiled at her, watching the effect it had. I came back to Holden Cove regularly enough, so I was used to the locals being extra sweet to me. And even if I never abused their kindness, I wasn’t above enjoying some of the attention. “Can you help me find the person I’m supposed to be working with?”

“Sure thing. Right this way.” She came around the counter and led me toward the back of the library. I was a solid foot taller than her, and found myself crouching my head a little as I slipped through the shelves.

A few kids were sitting at a table and they nudged each other and whispered as we went by. I gave them a wave and they froze, their eyes going even wider.

“You can wait right here,” she said, her dark reddish hair falling into her eyes as she spun to point at a wooden bench.

“Thank you.” I’d just sat down when I heard footsteps coming down the hall and turned to see a woman approaching who was entirely too hot to be a librarian. Long brown hair, lush, full lips, and a set of curves begging me to run my hands over them. She was like the librarian from an eighties hair band video—pure temptation for any teenage boy.

And a thirty-four-year-old man apparently; my dick’s reaction to the sight of her reminded me I wasn’t any more immune to the allure of a beautiful woman than a hormonal teen.

But then she lifted her eyes and my stomach dropped out.

“Jilly-fish?”

With a startled look on her face, the woman stopped short and I was certain I was right. Even as she shook her head slowly from side to side, I knew she wasn’t saying no . She was just as shocked as I was.

“Grady?”

“Holy shit,” I whispered, realizing too late that I was gawking. I closed my mouth and tried to smile while my mind flipped through the memories I had of Joey Jordan’s little sister.

When Joey and I were in high school she’d been a gangly, quiet book worm type, always slipping in and out of the room like a ghost. She’d been so quiet about it, I once joked with Joey that she was like a little field mouse, barely noticeable until you went to the cupboard and saw the cookies were gone.

I shook my head, trying to recover. “How are you? I didn’t know you worked here.”

Her expression was still frozen in shock as she shrugged one shoulder and said, “Yeah. I decided to forgo the career in Formula 1 racing for the quiet life.”

A chuckle rumbled out of me, even as her own expression flattened. Her delivery was so deadpan I thought she was telling the truth for a split second. But then she sighed and shook her head.

“You probably don’t remember this, but I’ve always sort of liked books.”

“Oh, I remember,” I said back, probably a little too quickly and with way too coy a grin.

Her brow quirked up and I dropped my eyes to the floor. Joey would murder me in a second and no one would find my body if I even attempted to flirt with his little sister.

“Well, then this is pretty predictable, huh?” She turned and headed down the hall she’d come, tilting her head for me to follow. “How did you get stuck with this lame gig? Aren’t you the all-star, hot shot, hero of your sports team?”

I cringed at being called a hero and was about to change the subject when I realized something. “Do you know the name of my team?”

Jill slipped into a conference room, the table lined with packets of paper and stacks of books. She scoffed. “Of course.”

“What’s the name?”

“It was in the program overview.”

“So, then this should be easy.”

Her brown eyes sifted with defiance, and then hesitation. “The Boston…” she trailed off, lips pressing into a line as she avoided my eyes.

“Almost there.”

A huff burst out of her, and she crossed her arms over her chest, leveling me with a smirk that brought me right back to high school. “The Boston Fight-on-the-Ice-for-Money-Men.”

I laughed harder. “Close.” Dropping my bag by the wall, I turned back to pull out a chair. “The Boston Brawlers, Jill. You can say it.”

“I did. I just used more words.”

“Words. Books. You must be in heaven working here.”

Her expression dimmed, and instantly the room felt colder. All the humor disappeared and she let out another sigh before taking a seat across from me.

“I’m not sure that’s how I’d describe it. But one way or another we need this program to be a success. So . . .” She turned her eyes back to the cluttered tabletop. “Everything you need to know is in these packets.” She picked one up, thumbing through it. “The locations, times, agenda—everything. I’ve gotten you copies of every book you’ll be reading, so you can familiarize yourself with them beforehand. And on the last page are any important details that might be useful for when you give your speeches and stuff.”

I was staring at her when she finally stopped and looked back up at me. “I thought this was a partnership thing. If I’m doing the reading and the speaking, what will you be doing?”

The color faded a little from her cheeks and she swallowed. “I’ll be there. I’ll help with the kids and deal with any logistical things that come up.”

I had no problem with cameras or speeches, but this was supposed to be about the league putting in the time alongside the community. If this became about me alone, it would look like nothing more than a cheap attention grab. And making the Boston Brawlers look bad was not part of my plan.

If I was going to get named captain, I had to pull this off right. No other titles or accolades meant as much to me. Top scorer, winning team records, none of it. Not even the Stanley Cup.

Being trusted with the captain spot was the pinnacle for me. It would mean I’d worked hard enough. That I’d given my coaches a reason to trust me and that my teammates believed in me. And I’d have earned every bit of it.

I sat up straighter in my chair. “I’m pretty sure we’re going to need some photos of the two of us. Maybe a few books you read to the kids. This can’t just be about me.”

“Why not? Your team wants the press, the library wants to use the team as a draw for attendance numbers. I don’t see why this can’t be the Grady Holloway Reading Road Show.”

“Don’t you want credit for all this?” I flicked at the packet in front of me. “You’re the one doing all the work.”

Her shrug was half-hearted. “ This is part of my job. Giving speeches isn’t.”

There was an edge to her tone, a brittleness in the words, and her eyes had narrowed where she was glaring at the table. It looked like we’d found our issue.

“You always hated attention.”

It hit me hard when she looked back at me with wide eyes, genuine surprise on her face that I’d remembered. “Yeah.”

I nodded, looking down at the stacks of books. “Alright. I can take the bulk of the speaking and stuff, but you have to be in some pictures or something. I can’t have this look like it’s entirely self-serving for the team. Coach will kill me if I make us look bad.”

I knew better than to be agreeing to this, but the look on Jill’s face was tugging on some sort of protective instinct. Plus, it was a long summer. I had time to change her mind and help her warm up to the idea. I’d get her in front of some of these crowds, one way or another.

“Seriously, you’ll take on that part?”

The appreciation in her eyes landed squarely in my chest and I found myself nodding with a widening grin. “You bet. We’ve got this.”

I had no idea what kind of a team my best friend’s little sister and I were going to make. But I guess we were about to find out.