Page 31 of Game On

“Hey!” Niall called from somewhere. “Do you feel like going snowboarding? Andrew’s taking the kids and he wants to know if we want to tag along.”

“Can’t,” Jamie said, toeing off his shoes. “I’m not allowed, per the terms of my contract. I can watch from the bottom of the slopes, though.”

“That’s boring.” Niall poked his head out of the living room to pout at him. “I’ll tell him no and that we’ll see them at Mom and Dad’s for dinner later.”

“Sure.” Since he hadn’t stopped for a bathroom break since leaving Vancouver, Jamie used Niall’s washroom to relieve himself before he joined his brother in the living room.

Niall’s house was cute. He’d bought it newly renovated, so it had hardwood flooring, white walls that brightened up the space, and a modern kitchen. The basement was finished too, and he had a mini apartment down there, complete with a bedroom, bathroom, and sitting room.

In the first-floor living room, Mona lay in her dog bed when Jamie returned from the bathroom, her favourite chew toy in her mouth. Photography gear was spread out over the cream-coloured couch and armchair, Niall’s camera bag having apparently thrown up all over the room.

“What are you doing?” Jamie asked, falling into a stretch to relieve the ache in his right knee from four hours of driving. He’d wanted to get from point A to point B as fast as possible, so he hadn’t stopped halfway to stretch and get the blood flowing like he should’ve.

“I was photographing a local craft market yesterday, but I only took one of my lenses. I’m trying to get all my equipment back into the bag, but I can’t figure out how I did it in the first place.” Niall scowled at the lens in his hand. “I tried twice and I can’t get it all to fit. Anyway. Hi. How was the drive? Are you hungry?”

Jamie chuckled. “Hi. Fine. And yes. I had a protein bar, but that was hours ago.”

Niall grimaced. “Why would you subject yourself to a protein bar?”

“This one was pretty good. Peanut butter and jam flavoured. They’re small-batch bars made by a family-owned company on Hornby Island.”

That caught Niall’s interest. “Really? Got any more?”

“In my bag. I’ll leave them with you.”

Niall owned several souvenir shops in the Okanagan, but in his spare time, he worked with small business owners to capture what he called the personality of the business. He did headshots, product photography, and events, tailoring his photos to whatever the client needed, whether that was photos for social media, a website, a portfolio, or even a proposal.

“Cool,” Niall said. “Thanks. What do you want to do for lunch? I’ve got frozen pizza in the oven as well as leftover spaghetti and meatballs. Or we can?—”

“Hello” came a new voice over the sound of the front door opening. “Nye, is Jamie here yet?”

Jamie rose and met his sister at the door, Mona following behind him.

“Hey, you.” Holly lit up when she saw him.

Jamie grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her off her feet.

She laughed and hugged him back. “You’re squishing me.”

“Please. You’re made of sturdy stuff.” He set her back down and tugged one of her blond chin-length waves. “I like the new style.”

Holly made a face. “It’s too short.”

“It’s cute.”

“I was going for classy and sophisticated,” she said, dropping a kiss on the top of Mona’s head.

“Well, you got cute and fun, which is way better if you ask me.”

“Ugh.” She shoved past him, carrying a large rectangular piece of what appeared to be plywood. “What do you know? You don’t know anything about women.”

“Can’t argue that.” Jamie trailed behind her to the living room, Mona’s nails clicking on the hardwood as she followed. “What is that, anyway?”

Holly turned the plywood around to show him the painted side and rested it against the back of the couch. “It’s for your housemate.”

“Damn, Holls.” Niall whistled. “That’s gorgeous. Why does Dorian get one and not me?”

“Because Jamie asked.” Holly turned to him. “What do you think?”

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