Page 21 of Forging Chaos

I stand there with my mouth hanging open, irrationally wondering if my mom somehow knew what I did to ruin the book I came here to replace.

I eventually realize that’s ridiculous and wheel my way over toward her. And she clutches at her chest like she’sabout to faint. “Odin! You’re out and about!” Mom clamps a hand on Aunt Emma’s shoulder, and my aunt pats it supportively.

“I do leave the house, Mom. Come on.”

She shakes her head. “Of course you do, sweetheart. It’s just all those stairs. And you’ve been so grouchy when Dad and I have tried to call or stop by. Did you find the soup Dad left you?”

“Yeah. Thank you.” I stare at the floor for a beat. “I know I’ve been in a mood. But I’ve also been leaving the house more.”

“Well, what brings you in here? Did you come to help set up for the event?” Mom points at a sign, which informs me that Aunt Emma will be in conversation with Chloe Petals here at the bookstore, talking about the crossover between nonfiction sports books and the historical romance Chloe will soon release about Pittsburgh rowers in the 1800s. Mom, an Olympic gold medalist in rowing, is apparently the host of the event.

“I had no idea any of this was happening,” I admit, fidgeting with my scooter, wondering how our entire family is going to fit in this tiny bookstore, let alone members of the public.

Aunt Emma grins. “We’ve sort of kept this one tight. I know the Stag herd is supportive, but this is more for our rabid fans. Well. Mostly Chloe’s rabid fans.”

And then the name clicks. Chloe Petals wrote the very book I’m here to replace. Chloe Petals is Mom’s friend Chloe, whose real last name is definitely not Petals. I snap my eyes to the smiling woman stacking books by my aunt. I point at her. “You wroteThe Redcoat.”

She laughs. “I sure did. But you’re not the demographic I was expecting. You’ve read it?”

My cheeks heat, which is really saying something because I’m always the guy who has no problem running to thepharmacy for condoms for my football teammates. “I read parts of it. I actually need to replace my friend’s copy because I…spilled something on hers.”

Chloe beams and turns around, reaching into one of the boxes. “Here you go, kiddo. On the house. Oh! Should I sign it?”

“I don’t mind paying for the book.”

Mom waves a hand and nudges Chloe with her shoulder. “Yes, sign it and tell the friend Odin’s mother wants to meet her.”

“You already did,” I start to explain, the words out of my mouth before I realize the impact that will have. Mom and Aunt Emma clap their hands and Chloe wiggles around like she hit the lottery. They always act this way when one of my brothers or cousins brings home a date, which is why I don’t do that.

“When did I meet her?” Mom taps her chin. “I would remember if my son introduced me to a special someone.”

I sigh. “Don’t call her aspecialsomeone, Mom. And you know Thora from the student law clinic, apparently. She’s my research partner from class.”

“Oooh, Thora,” Chloe coos. “That’s a great heroine name.”

Mom squints at me. “Didn’t you say you have a project together in a class? Sweetie, I thought you were doing a medical withdrawal? That paperwork is pretty important for NCAA eligibil?—”

“Mom, I got it under control, thanks.” I don’t mean to snap at her, but everyone is always up in my shit about all of this. To Chloe, I explain, “My friend is Thora, T-H-O-R-A, and she’s a huge fan.”

Chloe scribbles something in the book and snaps it shut, handing it to me. “In that case, you should bring her to the event. It’s sold out, but I happen to still have my two guest tickets to give away.”

My brows fly up. Thora will bust an ovary if I bring her tosee her favorite author in real life. I look at the date on the poster—this coming Thursday. We’ll be done with our presentation by then. I realize that I’ve been sort of dreading the end of our time hanging out together, and this is definitely a way to extend that. Maybe she will wear that dress…

“I’d love that, thank you,” I blurt as Mom and Aunt Emma exchange glances. It’s no use trying to tell them there’s nothing particular going on there. Thora is moving to another country in a few months.

She’s also the only person in my life right now who didn’t know me as Future Pro Football Player Odin Stag. It’s refreshing, having her give me shit and fight with me, just for me. And it helps that she’s cute as hell. I can already see her sitting ramrod straight in her seat, hanging on Chloe’s every word during whatever conversation they’re going to have.

I kiss Mom on the cheek, accept an arm squeeze from Aunt Emma, and salute Chloe with the book as I roll out of the store to find Thora, who is just now exiting her store with a huge plastic bag of clothes.

A smile splits my face, and I don’t even care about the uneven sidewalk as I make my way toward her. “Listen,” I start. “I never got to tell you my confession, but it’s all good because I already made up for what I did.”

She leans against the brick wall of the thrift shop, seemingly intrigued. “I forgot that you were telling me you did something bad.”

“Oh, I’m bad, sugar.” I wink at her and hand her the book. She glances down at it, confused. I lower my voice. “I ruined your book last night, but I got you a signed copy as a replacement.”

She drops her bag of clothes on the ground and opens the book, chin dropping, eyes popping wide. “It’s signed and personalized? Where did you get this??”

I hook a thumb behind me in the direction of thebookstore. “That’s not all, though. There’s an event here on Thursday.”

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