Page 6 of A Scoring Chance

“No one.” I lean around the end cap to check if the coast is clear, which it isn’t. Annamarie spots me with a wave and startsheading right for us. Damn Alise for making me stop here for some chit-chat. I could have grabbed the few remaining things I needed and been on my way back to Momma’s. Instead, I’m stuck in this aisle, waiting to be accosted by Annamarie again.

“Tell that to someone you didn’t grow up with. Who. Are. You. Hiding. From?” She enunciates each word of her question, daring me to ignore it for a second time.

I could lie again and say no one, but when Alise asks a question a second time, there’s a strong possibility she already knows the answer. However, she wants you to tell her. Telling the truth is a big deal to Alise. Choosing to lie to her on purpose, especially if she already knows the truth, is a death wish for everyone involved.

“If it's Annamarie, then you better plaster on a smile because here she comes.” She motions over my shoulder, an amused smile on her face.

“You’re loving this, aren’t you?”

“I’m going to enjoy every minute,” she whispers before addressing our new companion. “As I live and breathe, Annamarie Sutton.”

“Alise,” Annamarie sneers. “How’s your disease?”

Not this again. I don’t know why she is so bothered by Alise wearing headphones. She's been wearing them ever since grade school. Her brain sometimes has a hard time processing everything that's going on around her—sounds, smells, and even some textures. Something that is fine today could be a trigger tomorrow. It was hard to wrap my head around when we were younger, but now it's stranger for me to see her without her headphones than not.

“I don’t have a disease, and you know it. I have ADHD and sensory processing disorder; you knew that already, but we both know that. You used my headphones as an excuse to get away with murder in high school because everyone was afraid of yourdaddy taking his huge donations away for making his princess mad.”

“We all have rules to follow, Alise. You ignored them for your made-up disease.”

I open my mouth to put her in her place, but Alise squeezes my arm gently. She’s always fought her own battles, and now isn’t any different. Besides, trying to explain anything to Annamarie is pointless. She’s decided Alise is wrong, but in her opinion, she’s right. There’s nothing you can do to change people's minds. Alise and Annamarie won’t ever get along. They’ve been on the outs since they met in kindergarten when Annamarie threw yellow paint all over Alise’s favorite sundress. Growing up, I never understood how anyone could be so mean to someone they didn’t even know, but as I got older, it made sense. Alise has something that every girl in Redwood Falls wants, a chance to be around the Hendrix brothers.

“Cooper, I knew we were going to run into each other again with Redwood Falls being such a small town, but I didn’t expect it to be this soon.” She giggles, caressing my forearm.

“It’s a small store, and we practically came in together. It was bound to happen.”

“It sure is. Especially after she put her groceries in the car and came back inside,” Alise responds sarcastically, motioning toward Annamarie’s empty cart. “What a coincidence that you also forgot your purse.”

I bark out a laugh but quickly cover it with a cough just as my phone rings. Alise lets go of my cart and takes a step back. “Saved by the bell.”

“I’ll let you answer your call in peace, unlike some people.” Annamarie gives my arm a squeeze before leaning forward and planting a kiss on my cheek. “Let me know when you want to get that drink, Cooper.”

“Sure thing.” I pull my phone out and check the caller ID, then groan loudly.

“It’s Scott, isn’t it?” Once I nod the affirmative, Alise continues speaking. “You can ignore him. He’s only calling to talk you into coming to practice tonight.”

I turn and look at her, my eyebrows pulled down in confusion. After all these years, the information Alise Moore just magically knows shouldn’t surprise me, but it always does. Before I can even ask how she possibly knew why he was calling me, she continues speaking.

“I work for the hockey club. How the heck else do you think Auntie knew you were going to be spending the next few months in town? You can thank me later.” She winks at me before patting my cheek softly. “I’ll see you at the rink later.”

Scott Kyle is the last person I want to talk to right now. He’s one of my former teammates from high school and the head of the hockey club here in town. His crowning achievement is his assist that helped our team win the state championship my sophomore year, and he lets no one forget it.

I swipe to accept the call.

“How’s my favorite hockey player?” Scott says, not even waiting for me to say hello.

“Hey, Scott. How are you?” I deadpan as I push my cart down the aisle, searching for anything else I might need. Running into Annamarie a second time in less than twenty minutes wasn’t part of the plan. I need to get the rest of the items on Momma’s list and get out of Dodge.

“Good. Good. Even better now that Cooper Hendrix is coming to coach for us.” He chuckles, and I barely resist the urge to roll my eyes.

“Yeah. I’m sure the club will love all the money I bring in with ticket sales.” Fuck. That’s not what I should’ve said, but ‌would itreally matter? Scott needs me just as much as I need him. “But I’m excited to get started.”

I’m lying through my teeth, and we both know it. The last thing I want to be doing is coaching peewee hockey here in Redwood Falls. I’d much rather be on the ice with my brothers and teammates this season, but we can’t always get what we want. I just need to suck it up and make the best of the situation until Remy can find a loophole or a miracle.

I continue pushing my cart through the store, grabbing the rest of the items on my list before stopping at the freezer section to grab a container of my favorite ice cream. Memories from my childhood course through my mind. Visits to Scoops, the ice cream parlor in the center of town, after hockey games. Win or lose, my dad always got Beau and me two scoops of our favorite ice cream. We’d sit on the benches around the fountain in silence. It was nice, something I’d thought we’d be doing for years. Something I imagined my dad would do with my kids someday, but that’s never going to happen.

“Cooper?” Scott’s voice brings me back to the present. “Are you still there? If you’re busy, I can call back later or stop by your mom’s place on my way home from the office.”

“No,” I snap back before taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly. “It’s all right. Just thinking about getting back to the house for dinner.”

---