Page 82 of Last Boy

“Oh, thank fuck. I was worried that she’d hate it, and you’d say hell no to the Bay Sharks, and we’d never hear from you again,” he blurts out before holding his hand out. “I’m Logan. Logan Sterns.”

Looking down at his hand, I take it and shake it. “Sterns?”

“Yep.” He nods. “And, yes, Link Sterns is my brother. No, I’m not as much of an ass as he is.” He releases my hand. “I’m the super-cool, extra-chill brother. Who’s also wayyyyy more fun.”

“I’m Poppy,” I say softly, already liking his energy as Walker’s teammate.

“Oh, trust me, I know.” His grin spreads, and he glances at Walker. “This dude probably said your name twenty times during our tour. I was beginning to get a complex that I was boring him to death.” His eyes float to mine again. “He says you’re a dancer?”

My face feels hot, and I suddenly wish I were one of those girls who wore makeup more often. If I had, it would have covered the heat of my cheeks right now.

“Y-yes, I do.” I clear my throat. “I mean, I am. A dancer.”

He seems completely unfazed by my total awkwardness as he nods slowly. “Cool. Just so you know, rumor has it, Casco Bay College—that’s about a ten-minute drive from here—has a pretty well-respected dance program.” He shrugs. “Just in case you didn’t want to travel back and forth to see this fella.”

“Rumor has it, huh?” Walker grins. “Sounds to me like you’ve got some personal experience with dancers who go there.”

“What can I say? I like ’em sassy. And dancers—no offense, Poppy—well, they are full of sass.” He grins before gently swatting the back of his hand to Walker’s shoulder. “I gotta run, man. Got a holiday fundraiser tonight, and I can’t be rolling in, looking like this.”

He holds his hand out to Walker, and he takes it. They collide their chests, patting each other’s back.

“I hope to see you real soon.” Turning toward me, he winks. “Good luck, Poppy. I’m sure it’ll all work out. Oh, and don’t worry about the cold; that’s what heated seats are made for, right?”

“Right.” I laugh, knowing damn well I can’t afford a car. And if I did, it might have a dented door or the exhaust falling off, but it certainly wouldn’t have heated freaking seats.

He struts off, and it’s clear that man has enough self-confidence to fill this entire building and then probably flood the streets outside. But for whatever reason, I get a good feeling about him.

“Well, he’s—” I begin to say to Walker as he wraps his arms around me.

“Nothing like his brother, who could literally suck the fun out of every game?” he guesses with a chuckle. “Yeah, I’ll believe it once I see him on the ice. But as overkill as he might be, Link’s a hell of a team captain and a damn good teammate.”

“Whatcha think anyway?” I ask, looking up at him. “Good vibes and all that?”

“I want to know what you think,” he answers, his eyes narrowing. “Are you vibing with Maine? Or is it too fucking cold and too far away from Georgia?”

“First off, aside from Jake, fuck Georgia,” I blurt out, not holding anything back. “And, yes, as a matter of fact, I am. But this isn’t about me. This is about you and your future.” I stand on my tiptoes, pressing my lips to his before stepping away from him, waving around the building. “Could you see yourself starting your NHL career here? And wearing the Bay Sharks colors.” I scrunch my nose up. “Which are what exactly? I’m sorry. I should have researched. I don’t actually know what they are.”

The corner of his lips turns up as he jerks his chin toward the countless jerseys on the walls and the huge-ass Shark painted in the center of it all.

“Dark blue and light blue?” I guess before slowly bobbing my head up and down. “You know what? I like it. I like it a lot.”

“Me too,” he mutters. “And, yeah, I really could see myself here,” he says, looking around at everything. Almost like he’s taking it all in, not believing it’s real. “But I’m not leaving you behind. Not in a million years.”

Despite our time apart, Walker has gone above and beyond to make up for it. It’s my turn to be there for him. To be the unwavering support system that he deserves. But I’m scared to leave my brother.

“Maybe you won’t have to,” I whisper, stepping toward him. “I took an Uber to Casco Bay College while you met the coach and your teammates. And, well, I sort of loved it. It’s not huge, which I like—”

“You don’t usually get to say that, do you?” He winks, and I roll my eyes before punching him lightly.

“Shut up. As I was saying, I really liked it there. It was so different from Brooks.” I tuck my hair behind my ear. “Which I liked.”

There’s no mistaking the shock on his face as he slides his hand into my hair. “You did?”

I nod once, blinking slowly. “I did. But even if I apply to transfer and get in, there’s still a lot to figure out. I need to sort everything out with Jake because I can’t just leave him behind. Especially since—” I pause, that familiar dread settling in my gut. “Ron will be out of prison someday. And I bet that it won’t be that far from now either.” I swallow. “I can’t leave Jake behind with Ron on the loose.”

“We will figure it all out, Poppyseed.” He leans down, pressing his lips to my forehead. “I promise. Every decision from here on out, we’ll make together.”

I smile as that warming sensation spreads across my chest, heating my body. No one else has ever been able to give me that feeling. Ever.

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