Page 73 of Good Boy

“Eh, you can pump out a C-plus in your sleep. You’ve always been one of the smart Cannings.”

My eyebrows shoot up. Uh, right. I’m one of the smart Cannings? “That’s very sweet of you to say, but we both know I’m at the bottom of our family smarts ladder.”

“Bullshit,” he argues. “Joe didn’t even learn how to spell his name—all three letters of it!—until he was five. Mom told me.”

I gasp. “Oh my God, really? I am so bringing that up at Christmas!”

“And Scottie almost flunked out of the police academy,” Jamie reminds me.

“Yeah, but that’s because he was getting drunk with all the other cadets every night instead of studying, not because he’s a dum-dum.”

“True.” Jamie’s voice softens. “But you’re not a dum-dum either, Jessie. You know that, right?”

“Right,” I say lightly before changing the subject. “Anyway, are you guys still up for dinner?”

“Aw, actually, no. We ended up going to this Indian place after we didn’t hear from you. Wes was grumbling about how hungry he was and didn’t want to wait.”

“That’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’d invite you over to raid our fridge, but it’s probably better if Wes and I have some alone time tonight. He’s all cranky because his practice was a complete disaster today.”

I frown. “Why? What happened?”

“Not sure. The team wasn’t gelling, I guess? And Blake bombed in practice so bad that Hal changed up the lines. He didn’t even want to come to dinner with us because he was in such a shit mood.”

Surprise jolts through me. Blake Riley in a shit mood? That’s unheard of. The man is a perpetual Susie Sunshine. And he turned down a chance to eat food? Very troubling indeed.

“Weird,” I say absently. “Okay, I’m going to let you go now. I need to forage for food.”

My brother laughs. “Come over tomorrow?”

“Sure.” Now that my last exam is in the can, I have a whole week off before the new term begins.

We hang up, but I don’t get up from my bed. Instead, I pull up Blake’s number and stare at the last messages we’d exchanged. They’re from the home game where I sat with Mama Riley and listened to her lecture me about birth control.

After a beat of hesitation, I take a page out of Jamie’s book and text: You alive?

I’m startled when my phone buzzes right away.

Blake: No, I’m dead.

I snicker to myself.

Me: Want to hang out tonight? Just wrote my final exam.

This time, it takes several moments for him to respond.

Blake: Not in the best mood, J-Babe. Maybe another time.

Undeterred, I type: My mood’s not great either. Let’s be miserable together. I’ll bring the ice cream if you provide the spoons.

There’s an interminably long pause before he answers.

Blake: Yeah, sure.

Okay, so it’s not the most…enthusiastic reply. But hell, I’ll take it.

Chapter 23

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