Page 5 of Slash & Burn

“We can’t all lay around this summer like you, Lex.”

She scoffed. “I’m not going to be laying around. I have an internship three days a week at a physio in Portland. I’m going to spend more time on the ferry going back and forth than you will with a book in your hand.”

My mom went to move past her into the kitchen, but paused. “And you’ll be better off for it. If you want to open your own PT practice someday, you need to put in the work.”

When my parents had told me they were pregnant again, I was almost fourteen. Lexi was the definition of an ‘oops’ baby. At first, I’d thought she would be the perfect gift. Someone else to entertain my parents, share the load of their expectations. But once she’d popped out with those chubby cheeks and curly blonde hair, I’d probably gone overboard trying to shelter her from those very expectations. These days she seemed to be doing just fine on her own.

“I’m just saying. Most college juniors are working at REI.”

With a wide grin my mother nodded. “And you are far from most.”

When she slipped past Lexi and we were alone in the living room my little sister leveled me with an annoyed glare, which made me laugh. She threw her apple core, hitting me hard in the chest, and then disappeared around the corner before I could hit her back. Little punk.

Clearly when Coach had read off the details of the league’s latest community outreach program, I’d only been half listening. It wasn’t that I didn’t care, I’d just had enough to worry about. Fitting these appearances around my physical therapy program, training sessions, and trips back to Boston for team skates was already going to be a challenge.

Half my teammates were on flights, jetting to vacations they’d been dreaming of all season. And here I was, back in Maine.

It would have pissed me off if the payoff wasn’t so good.

With my gym bag hanging off my shoulder I strode into the town library to meet my counterpart for this program, but my mind was already on the workout my PT had sent over that morning. We’d been ramping up my strength sessions now that my shoulder was almost healed. Playing it safe had been frustrating the last few weeks, but I was ready to test it out.

“I’m here to meet…” I stalled, tugging at my pocket for my phone as I stood at the front desk. The young woman behind it was watching me with an amused grin on her face, her lips quirking to the side like she was holding in a laugh. “I’m here for the reading program.”

“Oh, I know who you are,” she finally let out, her cheeks going a shade redder.

“You do? Okay great.” I stopped scrolling through my emails and smiled at her, watching the effect it had. I came back to Holden Cove regularly enough, so I was used to the locals being extra sweet to me. And even if I never abused their kindness, I wasn’t above enjoying some of the attention. “Can you help me find the person I’m supposed to be working with?”

“Sure thing. Right this way.” She came around the counter and led me toward the back of the library. I was a solid foot taller than her, and found myself crouching my head a little as I slipped through the shelves.

A few kids were sitting at a table and they nudged each other and whispered as we went by. I gave them a wave and they froze, their eyes going even wider.

“You can wait right here,” she said, her dark reddish hair falling into her eyes as she spun to point at a wooden bench.

“Thank you.” I’d just sat down when I heard footsteps coming down the hall and turned to see a woman approaching who was entirely too hot to be a librarian. Long brown hair, lush, full lips, and a set of curves begging me to run my hands over them. She was like the librarian from an eighties hair band video—pure temptation for any teenage boy.

And a thirty-four-year-old man apparently; my dick’s reaction to the sight of her reminded me I wasn’t any more immune to the allure of a beautiful woman than a hormonal teen.

But then she lifted her eyes and my stomach dropped out.

“Jilly-fish?”

With a startled look on her face, the woman stopped short and I was certain I was right. Even as she shook her head slowly from side to side, I knew she wasn’t sayingno. She was just as shocked as I was.

“Grady?”

“Holy shit,” I whispered, realizing too late that I was gawking. I closed my mouth and tried to smile while my mind flipped through the memories I had of Joey Jordan’s little sister.

When Joey and I were in high school she’d been a gangly, quiet book worm type, always slipping in and out of the room like a ghost. She’d been so quiet about it, I once joked with Joey that she was like a little field mouse, barely noticeable until you went to the cupboard and saw the cookies were gone.

I shook my head, trying to recover. “How are you? I didn’t know you worked here.”

Her expression was still frozen in shock as she shrugged one shoulder and said, “Yeah. I decided to forgo the career in Formula 1 racing for the quiet life.”

A chuckle rumbled out of me, even as her own expression flattened. Her delivery was so deadpan I thought she was telling the truth for a split second. But then she sighed and shook her head.

“You probably don’t remember this, but I’ve always sort of liked books.”

“Oh, I remember,” I said back, probably a little too quickly and with way too coy a grin.

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