Page 9 of Here and Now
“Not yet.”
“Aren’t you a teacher?” Kai asks Miles.
“I’m the principal of the high school, but I often go to the elementary school to check on this twerp”—Miles ruffles his nephew’s hair—“and help out there since the principal just had a baby.”
I smile when I see the obvious love he has for his nephew. “I’m not a twerp,” Ethan says.
“You’re worse, but I have to be nice, or your mother will never let me hear the end of it.”
Ethan grins. “I’ll tell her everything you say.”
“And I’ll go to the lake house and you’ll be without a coach,” he warns.
Ethan sighs heavily. “Fine. Hey, Kai, do you want to go meet the other kids?”
Kai looks up at me. “Can I?”
I nod. “Go ahead.”
“Be on the ice in two minutes!” Miles yells after them before turning to me. “The things we do for the people we love. Do you have siblings?”
Not wanting to be rude, I force a smile and keep my demeanor friendly. “I have a brother.”
His eyes narrow just a tinge. “Older or younger?”
“He’s older.”
“Tell your brother we have a club and he’s welcome to join.”
I pull up a little straighter. “A club for what?”
“Older brothers with sisters who, no doubt, drive us bonkers,” Miles teases and then winks.
I laugh, shaking my head. “I’m pretty sure it’s the younger sisters who need the club. Let’s not pretend older brothers are easy to handle.”
He offers a wolfish smile and lifts both hands. “Me? I’m an angel. Ask anyone.”
I laugh. “Quinn would say the same.”
“Sounds like your brother is a smart man.”
“He’ssomething.”
My brother is a smart man, a former Navy SEAL, and my biggest protector. He’s who found Ember Falls and moved us here. He’s been the one keeping me and Kai safe since I left Chicago. As much as he loves me, he would also say I drive him crazy, but the feeling is mutual.
Quinn loved to get me into trouble when we were little.
Miles extends his hand. “We’ve met, but not officially. I’m Miles Anderson.”
I take his offered hand and shake it. “Penelope ... Walker.” I almost forgot and said Miller.
A few weeks ago we moved here to outrun my past, and when we assume new identities, it always takes time to remember the new last name. The one thing I’ve asked my brother is to always keep our first names the same. It’s way too hard to explain to Kai why his name would change.
“It’s nice to formally meet you.”
His warm hand engulfs mine for a few seconds longer than normal, and I feel sparks in my belly. A warm sensation fills me and I pull my hand back, tucking my hair behind my ear as I try to hide the heat in my cheeks. “It is. And you’re coaching the team?” I ask, my voice shaking, and I hope he misses it.
He speaks and we start to walk toward the rink. “I’m filling in. This isn’t my normal gig. Ethan’s father, Doug, broke his leg and apparently was unwilling to try to coach ice hockey on crutches.”
