Page 2 of The Prince and the Puck
We’d be facing the Cruisers on Tuesday, and tomorrow would be the only day off we’d get this week. That meant tonight was my favorite night of the week, the only night when I could really relax—stay up late, play video games, and maybe even sneak one little drink in.
I was just about to pour a couple fingers of Scotch when my phone rang. One look at the screen and I decided to pour myself a whole hand instead of just two fingers. I capped the Scotch and took a healthy sip before answering.
“Hey, Dad. Mom.”
“Son.” My parents had never been big on affectionate greetings. This was their version of gushing.
“How are things?” I asked, sinking into the dark brown leather couch that faced the big screen on which I’d be playing video games later. For now, I had a tape of our last game going with the volume off.
“Much the same, Declan,” Dad said. Mom was a bit more conversational, though.
“We miss you, honey.”
“I miss you guys too,” I said, though it was hard to decide whether that was really true. I hadn’t seen my parents in person in almost five years. I missed the idea of them, but I wasn’t sure if I really missed them. “How’s Lamb?”
My mother released a frazzled sigh at that. “He is…Lambert. About the same. Adequate, I guess?”
“Barely,” Dad added.
My older brother had been a bit of a handful since he hit puberty, and neither age nor maturity had seemed to do much to calm him down. I would have said it was pretty much impossible to get into too much trouble back home—the place was restrictive, to say the least—but Lambert always seemed to manage.
“I’m sure he’ll straighten out soon,” I said, but even I wasn’t certain. I hadn’t talked to my brother since the last time I was home, when he made it pretty clear that his acting out was all my fault. I left him wearing the mantel of responsibility. Literally. I didn’t like the distance between us, but he’d rebuffed every effort I’d made to reach out. And lately, I hadn’t made many.
“We have watched your latest games,” my father said. “I don’t feel like you are playing enough to warrant?—”
“Dad.” I didn’t want to hear this again.
“I just wish you were here, Son.”
“This was decided years ago. You let me go.”
“We didn’t know it would be forever,” Mom said.
“It’s not,” I told her, exasperated with the same conversation we always seemed to have. “But I’ll play as long as I can. And then I’ll figure out what’s next.”
Dad coughed then, unleashing a horrendous gravelly cacophony over the line, and Mom’s concerned voice said, “Erik. Dear…” There was some muffled sound then, and Mom came back on.
“Maybe we’ll see you soon,” she said, sounding tired.
“Maybe,” I said, knowing it was extremely unlikely. I didn’t have time in the season to travel that far. And my parents were certainly not coming to see me.
“Be well Deckkie. We love you.” Mom didn’t wait for me to respond before ending the call.
And that was why I didn’t love chatting with my family. There were certain…extenuating circumstances surrounding my life that I preferred not to dwell upon, and talking to Mom and Dad brought them all back. I couldn’t help but feel like I was shirking some kind of responsibility to them, staying away. But they’d agreed to this when I was ten, allowing me to move to the United States to live with my Uncle Jericho in Colorado. They allowed me to follow my dreams, away from the restrictions of the life I was born to.
And as far as I was concerned, there were no take-backsies.
I took another sip of the Scotch, scowling at the glass and thinking better of the enormous pour I’d given myself. Once I’d swapped it for a cup of tea instead, I settled myself again and started my game, doing my best to put any thoughts of whatever was or was not happening at home out of my mind.
CHAPTER 2
LIZZY CANFIELD
PR AND ESPIONAGE. SAME THING.
I was exhausted.A twelve-hour plane ride was not my idea of a good time. Add to that the fact the town of Wilcox was not exactly a major hub, and that meant another lengthy car ride. At least that had been arranged ahead of time. All I’d had to do was get off the plane and everything else was handled.
There were a few perks to my job.
