Page 117 of The Shots You Take

“It’s a video game thing,” Lucy sighed.

“Oh. No thanks.”

“You might like it,” Cole argued. “It’s like being captain of a hockey team except it’s, like, a whole army. Well, depending on the game.”

“You couldgarden,” Lucy said in a singsong voice. “Like yourboyfriend.”

Adam blushed again. “I regret telling you anything.”

“I’m glad you told us,” Lucy said. “We’re all worried about you.”

“Worried about me? And who’s ‘we’re all’?”

“Us. Mom. Ethan.”

“I’m sure Ethan isn’t losing any sleep over my love life.” God, were they really all talking about him over at Maggie’s house?

“Ethan said that change can be hard,” Cole said.

“Very insightful of him,” Adam muttered. He liked Ethan, really, but he didn’t like Ethan weaving theories about Adam’s happiness. Or lack thereof.

“Why do you even live here? Isn’t it super boring?” Lucy asked.

“I want to be close to you. And your school.”

“But you don’tneedto be.”

“It would be cooler to visit you if you lived downtown,” Cole said.

“Yeah!” Lucy said excitedly. “Oh my god, if you had a penthouse downtown, that would rule.”

“I’m not buying a penthouse in Toronto! I’m a hockey player, not a baseball player.”

“Well, it could just be a regular apartment. But a cool one.”

“You guys would be okay with living with me sometimes if I had a cool apartment then?” Adam asked flatly.

“Yup,” Cole said at the same time Lucy said, “Totally.” Then they both laughed, so Adam laughed too.

Later, they watched a movie together and Adam thought seriously about selling the house. Maybe the kids were right: maybe they’d all be happier if he lived somewhere more exciting. In this neighborhood he was basically providing a weird satellite version of Maggie’s house, and of course the kids didn’t like living here.Adamdidn’t like living here.

But the only place Adam wanted to live right now was a cranberry-colored house by the sea, and that wasn’t going to happen. Not soon, anyway.

He texted Riley: Lucy and Cole think I’m uncool and depressing.

A minute later, Riley wrote:You’re not depressingwith a winky face emoji.

Adam laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Cole asked. Adam glanced at the screen and saw that a child actor was crying. So he couldn’t use the movie as an excuse.

“He’s texting his boyfriend,” Lucy said with a smile.

“Ugh,” said Cole.

Adam wrote:The kids are roasting me because they think I’m texting my boyfriend.Then he erased it, because he didn’t want Riley to know he’d told his kids about him. And also because he was scared that Riley would deny it in some way. Laugh it off as ridiculous.

But as far as Adam was concerned, hewastexting his boyfriend.

---