Page 106 of Crossed Sticks

“But I…”

“Remember those built-in oak shelves in the study? They’re just waiting for these.”

“I guess they are. Thank you, Luca.”

“No worries. McKinley’s books were one of the first things we bonded over, and I can’t think of a better souvenir from this trip.”

He nodded at the starship on the table. “That’s a pretty good one, too.”

I set the stack of books down and cradled Harp’s face in my hands. “It’s okay to have nice things. We came here to celebrate our relationship, so let’s treat ourselves and not worry about it.”

“One condition.”

I chuckled. “What is it, Blanton?”

“Kiss me, sweetheart.”

And boy, did I ever.

Harper

The week passed in a whirlwind, and on our last night in Maine, we went out for a nice dinner. I couldn’t even pronounce the name of the restaurant Luca had found in Bar Harbor, much less anything on the menu.

“What looks good, babe?” he asked, hooking an eyebrow.

“Hm. The raggledegoop looks promising, and I’m sure I’d love the wazzydupple.” I rolled my eyes. “I should’ve taken French instead of Spanish.”

“Nah. You’ll be our translator next year when we go to Spain.”

“I’d rather go to Mexico.”

“Hell, let’s do both. We’ll have the whole summer off.”

“I still think you should let me buy dinner. The goalie of the national champion Buffalo Steamrollers shouldn’t be paying for his own meal in a fancy restaurant.”

He shook his head. “If I remember right, the Steamrollers’ goalie got treated to the fanciest spot in Buffalo—by his sexy boyfriend, the night after we won.”

A thrill shot through me at the memory. “God, I’m still so proud of you. It was a blast raising hell in the stands, cheering you on.”

“Just like I’ll be doing next year when the Warriors win the Cup.”

“Don’t know about that, but we’ll give it our best try.” I looked at the menu again, as if I could understand anything there.

“Harp?”

I glanced up.

“You had the fifth-most points in the entire league last season. Because of you and what you inspired your teammates to do, the Warriors made it to the playoffs for the first time in twenty years.”

“But I wasn’t?—”

“You’ve got to learn to take compliments, babe. Be proud of yourself, because those are outstanding accomplishments. Remember what Nick said to you at the awards banquet?”

I didn’t answer because I was afraid I might cry.

“Nick looked at you and said, ‘They used to call me the new next one. And now, you’re the one who’s already arrived.’”

Fuck, even hearing it made me teary. “That was really nice of him.”

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