Page 22 of Grace on the Rocks

Chapter 10

It was awkward, to say the least. She didn't remember Justin at all even though they supposedly hung out all the time as toddlers. Without consciously trying, Emma attempted to look for any resemblance of her mother in her cousin and her uncle but Emma realized she had forgotten when her mother looked like. She knew her mother's eyes were dark blue and she had a slight dimple in her chin and she had wheat-colored hair but the spirit that surrounded these characteristics, that made her mother special, was unknown to Emma. Her uncle and her cousin had the same matching blue eyes and Justin had dark blond hair, but other than that, their faces were unknown to her.

When her father suggested she take Justin to the game, Emma's brow shot straight up. Her father never missed a game. Then again, her long-lost uncle never dropped by unexpectedly. Perhaps they had things they needed to discuss. As such, Emma bit her tongue about how Justin was the last person she wanted to go with, and instead, went upstairs to shower and change. She decided on a pair of skinny jeans, boots, and a loose scoop-neck shirt paired with a form fitted motorcycle jacket. She blew her hair dry and left it down and only applied her usual minimal makeup. Justin was sitting on her couch, watching television but not really paying attention as their parents spoke in hushed voices in the dining room. By this time, her father and her left, so she called out to Justin and the two headed outback to the garage where Emma's car was parked.

Once the two were buckled in and on the way to Sea Side, Emma glanced over at him. She didn't like to make conversation if she didn't have to. She was bad at it and usually ended up saying something embarrassing. However, she felt it was her duty to at least try to instigate conversation with him, to pretend to be warm and accommodating when all she wanted to do was hang out with a book and some Oreos.

"You a hockey fan?" she asked as she pulled to a red light.

"I'm into football and baseball, mostly," he responded. He seemed friendly enough, if a little reserved, which was understandable. "But I'm definitely open to being a hockey fan. I've never been to a game before so this is a first for me."

"Oh, really?" Emma asked with a small smile. "You'll have fun, then. There really is something different about being at a live game compared to watching it on television."

“Listen,” Justin began, turning his body so he could face her. Emma didn’t look at him. Not only did she need to concentrate on what she was doing, but she didn’t want to look at him. She already knew what he was going to say and he didn’t want to hear it. “My dad shouldn’t have shown up at your place without warning. It’s just, Aunt Annie” –

“I don’t care,” Emma said. Now, she locked her brown eyes with his blue ones. “I get that she had her demons. My father tried to explain it to me once, when I was younger. The thing is, she will never understand what I went through when she left. I stayed up for her for months, like some kind of dog, waiting for their master to come home. I didn’t understand what I did to make her leave – and before you tell me it wasn’t my fault, I know that. But when you choose to become mom, you accept certain responsibilities that go with it. Abandoning your child for whatever reason is unacceptable. And I don’t want to see her again. I don’t want her in my life again. And I wish you and your uncle and that person and everyone else would just leave me and my dad alone. Because you know what? We survived. We don’t need anyone else. We made it, just us. And now, because she’s ready, she wants to come back? Well, she doesn’t get that right to just decide that. I’m not ready. My dad isn’t. And I don’t know if we ever will be.”

By the time she finished her lecture, she pulled into the Sea Side parking lot. She was able to catch her breath and let her words sink into Justin as she handed her parking pass to the attendant. By the time she parked, Justin still hadn’t said anything. When the engine was turned off and Emma unbuckled her seatbelt, Justin cleared his throat.

“You’re right,” he told her. “I’m sorry, I” –

Emma brushed him off. “It’s fine,” she said. “You wouldn’t know. And I’m glad for that.” She forced a smile. “Let’s just enjoy the game, okay? I don’t want to talk about my mom anymore.”

“Fair enough,” Justin said with a curt nod.

* * *

Emma would have enjoyedthe game, save for the fact that Vince and his father were seated a couple of rows behind her and her cousin, and there was no way Vince didn’t notice her. She pretended to not have seen him as she walked down the steep, concrete stairs, leading Justin to their seats. But she did. He was ridiculously tall so it was hard not to notice him, and he must have gotten his height from his father for the same reason. Plus, he knew where she sat.

Was this some kind of ploy to ask her out again or mere coincidence? He was a Gulls fan, his father even more so, and they came from money as well.

Emma started to feel her head start to throb. Could this day get any more dramatic?

The game was actually an intense, low scoring game. It was zero to zero for the duration up until Matt Peterson scored with five minutes left in the game. Kyle was just as brilliant, always standing on the crease of the opposing net, getting into the gritty places most players would shy away from. It wasn't long before she completely forgot about Vince and Eddie and even Justin. Instead, she focused all of her attention on Kyle and she just lost herself. Her heart did that little flutter, except every time she saw him, it got harder and harder, as though it needed to be noticed.

Like her body's feelings for him had changed, somehow.

Oh, shit.

This was not good. She was supposed to be celibate, not crushing on some hockey player who had no interest in her whatsoever. She wanted to leave but she couldn't. Especially not when he gave Peters the little drop pass that inspired him to shoot the goal.

She never should have responded when Kyle came over to her that day on the beach. She should have never agreed to that date. She never should have agreed to just be friends. There was no way men and women could just be friends, and those that could were just exceptions to the rule. Attraction would rear its ugly head at some point, and four weeks after that date, Emma was starting to realize that she didn't look at Kyle as just a friend.

When the game ended and the team lined up to high five each other, Kyle - his helmet on the bench so nothing inhibited his view - shot a glance at Emma, a small smile on his face. She wasn't sure how she appeared to him, didn't know if she smiled or not. However, his eyes slid over to Justin and there was something that flashed in those crystal blue orbs, something... she couldn't quite put her finger in. But he didn't seem happy. Maybe curious mixed in with an edge. Which didn't make sense because he just wanted to be friends. Nothing more.

When the stars were announced, Thorpe, Kyle, and Matt skated on the ice and dispersed their sticks. Emma waited until they were gone and Matt was being interviewed before she started to lead Justin out of the aisle and up the stairs. By the time she got out of her section, Vince was waiting for her at the top of the stairs.

"Hey, Ems," he said, pulling her into a big hug. "Funny running into you here."

It took everyone in Emma not to roll her eyes at his lame attempt at a joke. He knew she was a Gulls' fan thanks to her father. Hell, he was there when she told her girlfriends she had had a date with Kyle underwood. If anything, she would be the one telling him that because while he was a fan, she had never seen him at a game before. Especially not this close.

"And who is this?" Vince was friendly enough but Emma could tell there was a jealous edge to his tone. He probably didn't even realize it.

Was it wrong that a part of her wanted to pretend Justin was more than her cousin? Just to show Vince that she wasn’t interested?

But no. That would be weird.

“This is my cousin, Justin,” Emma said. “He and his dad stopped by unexpectedly so I decided to take him to the game with me.”

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