Page 9 of Frozen Play

He shrugged. “It’s…meant for showing off. Not my thing.”

While I’d sure as hell love to have the kind of money this place came with, it wasn’t comfortable. “It’s not somewhere you can wear a ratty T-shirt and belch your beer.”

A bark of laughter escaped him. “Exactly. Remember that time Riley got his hands on some beer and we all got drunk?”

“You three did. You wouldn’t share with Quin and me.”

“You’d have been what, twelve?”

“Okay, that would have been wrong. But you guys weren’t that old either.”

“Riley must have been sixteen. He was learning to drive that summer. If your dad had caught us…”

“Quin wanted to tell.”

“Yeah, I can believe that. How did you stop him?”

“I told him it would be better to blackmail you guys in future.”

Phin chuckled. “And did you?”

“I made Riley drive me around that winter once he got his license.”

Phin shifted on the couch. “I loved coming up here for the summers. I’d forgotten a lot of those stupid things we did. But they were fun. A lot more fun than this place is now.”

“That’s why we were all so pissed at you. It’s like you forgot us.”

“I’m sorry. Things changed so much with my family, and I didn’t fit in. I avoided a lot.”

“But Quin fits in.”

His lips tightened. “Quin is a big fan of Lina. A fan of being rich too.” Sounded like he wasn’t close to his brother anymore.

“And doesn’t want to be with the poor people.”

Phin focused on me. “What did he do?”

“Nothing that bad. He just cut me—us off.”

“Were the two of you…”

I was glad of the dark, since I felt the blush on my cheeks. “I had a crush on him back then. He was different than the other guys I knew. From the big city of Toronto, and only here for the summer. But we hadn’t kissed or anything. I thought maybe…but I was completely wrong.”

“What an ass.”

“He’s allowed to choose his friends.”

Phin scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Fuck. We really were horrible. I disappeared, because I ignored everyone for hockey. Lina took your cottage, and Quin cut you off. No wonder you hate us.”

“Hate’s a strong word.”

“Yeah, but the way you looked at me when you stopped to tow me?”

I couldn’t really argue with that. “Okay. There might be a picture of your face in the garage that we’ve used as a dart board.”

“What, seriously?” Someone sounded upset about that.

“We were pissed. And not very mature.”

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