Page 53 of Shift Change

He shrugged, chewing his bottom lip. “Not for me. For Nana. She’s still driving a rusty Oldsmobile that barely made it to the store last time I was home. Once we meet with that financial guy you mentioned, I want to get her something reliable.” He looked over, wearing a shy smile that hit me square in the chest.

“That would be an amazing thing to do for her.”

“She always took care of me,” he said quietly. “Worked her ass off to keep me fed and get me to practice. She made sure I had what I needed and bought me new gear instead of used whenever she could. Since she retired, she doesn’t have much to live on. I’ve wanted to help her for years, and maybe now I can.”

The warmth I felt had nothing to do with the heater. Traffic came to a halt again, and I looked over. “You’re a good man, Chuck.”

He glanced away, then back. “Got you fooled.”

“The appointment’s next Tuesday,” I reminded him. “They’ll help you set everything up, and you can get her whatever kind of car she wants.”

His face lit up. “Think an Audi would be good for her?”

“Hell yes. Audis are good for anyone.” I hesitated, but what the hell? “You should get one too. Your SUV is on life support, and you deserve something nice. You made The Show, bud. Celebrate it.”

His smile dimmed. “I don’t know. I probably shouldn’t go nuts. Don’t want to end up broke right away.”

I knew that feeling too well, staring at all those zeroes on my contract and wondering if it was some kind of trick, if spending any of it would be tempting fate.

Traffic started moving again, and I eased forward. “No one’s saying blow it all, but you can buy two cars without sweating it. Use your signing bonus if you want. Or you could finance them and pay them off in a year. Either way, you earned this. Your nana deserves a treat, and so do you.”

He let out a long breath and tapped a finger on the door handle. “We’ll see what the money guy says. If he gives me the green light, will you come with me to pick them out?”

“Fuck yes.”

We fell quiet and watched the snow thicken outside. Half a mile later, he cleared his throat. “Speaking of Nana, do you have plans for Thursday?”

It took me a second to remember it would be Thanksgiving. “Not a thing. Want to order a feast? We could invite your nana and go pick her up.”

He flicked his eyes toward me before, then out at the road. The snow wasn’t that interesting, and I wondered what he was thinking about.

Finally, he turned his head. “I promised her I’d go to Ithaca for Thanksgiving. Will you come with me? It’ll be us and her. She’s an amazing cook and always makes enough food to feed a whole team. She’d love having you.”

I glanced at him. “You serious?”

“Yeah, if you want to.” He tried to play it casual, but I heard the hope in his voice. “I told her I’d be there tomorrow. We could call tonight and let her know you’re coming.”

My heart was keeping time with the wipers. I wanted to go, but part of me whispered that maybe I should keep some distance. That voice got tossed straight into Lake Erie. “Count me in if she’s okay with it.”

Damn if the smile he gave me didn’t knock the wind right out of my lungs.

* * *

We pulled into a gravel driveway beside a small white house with a crooked chimney and a front porch big enough for a swing. The yard was buried under a soft layer of snow, and the trees stood bare, their gnarly branches stark against the gray sky. It was the kind of street where all the houses looked like they’d been best friends since the 1950s.

Dog beamed at me. “Welcome to where the magic started.”

I snorted. “Hard to believe such a nice-looking place could crank out a menace like you.”

“Fuck off, Holcomb.” He smacked my arm, and his smile grew even wider. “You’ll love Nana.”

The front door swung open, and out came a woman in a red sweater and jeans, with her silver hair in a messy bun, looking like she’d stepped out of a Thanksgiving ad. Chuck had told me she was seventy-three, but left on my own, I’d have guessed sixty. I glanced at him, then back at her, and immediately noticed they shared the same bright, mischievous smile. Something told me she wouldn’t hold back on giving the other team hell when she came to a Warriors game.

“Come on.” Chuck was out of the car before I even had my seat belt off. “Nana!”

She threw her arms wide, and he barreled up the steps and scooped her off her feet. She laughed so hard it echoed in the cold air while he spun her around like she weighed nothing. I grabbed our bags and went to join them.

When he set her down, she turned her brilliant smile on me. “You must be Nate. I’m so happy to meet you. Chuck’s said such wonderful things.”

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