Page 39 of Cold Comeback
"GPS, little brother. Amazing invention." She looked past me at the Halloween explosion that was our living room, where the guys had frozen like she'd caught them in a team-building exercise gone wrong. "I was expecting... bedlam."
"This isn't chaotic enough for you?"
She stepped inside, taking in the decorations, the lingering smell of carved pumpkins, and the sight of five hockey players covered in various amounts of orange pulp.
Her expression changed. The prepared-for-emergency look faded, replaced by something I couldn't quite read.
"Gina, meet the guys." I gestured around the room. "Guys, my sister Gina. She's the responsible one in the family."
"Debatable," she said.
Pluto stepped forward, still holding a beer can with a glow stick taped to it. "Micah Kowalski, better known as Pluto. Love what you've done with his hair."
"It's the same as it was in high school." She ruffled my hair like I was twelve.
"Some things never change," Linc agreed. "I'm Linc. That's Bricks, Knox, and our captain, Gideon."
I watched Gina glance back and forth between Gideon and me, picking up on something I hoped wasn't obvious.
"Pleasure." Gideon offered his hand.
"Likewise." She shook it, then looked back at me with that expression I'd learned to fear—the one that meant she was putting pieces together. "So, this is the famous team house."
"Home sweet dysfunctional home," Knox said.
"I brought emergency supplies." She hefted the bag. "Antacids, bandages, and the lucky Penguins cap I stole from you in high school. Also, some bail money, because… well, history."
"Bail money?" Bricks squeaked.
"You clearly don't know my brother's track record."
Prickly sensations crawled up the back of my neck. "Gina—"
"But I'm not seeing any immediate need for intervention." She turned in a complete circle. She saw Pluto's crooked grin and how Gideon stood close enough to my shoulder that it felt protective. "You all seem to have things under control."
"Barely," I said.
"That's more control than I've seen from you in years."
We spent the next hour showing Gina around, letting her interrogate my teammates with the thoroughness of a concerned sister who'd spent too many nights fielding panicked phone calls. She asked Pluto about his coupon system, complimented Linc's creative approach to home decor, and somehow got Knox to crack a smile while complaining about the property taxes.
When Gideon mentioned the heating issues in my room, she turned to me with raised eyebrows.
"The curse strikes again?"
"Apparently, but Gideon will help me figure it out."
"That's nice of him."
Gideon spoke quietly and carefully. "Team captain duties."
Later, while the guys set up for what promised to be an epic movie night debate, Gina pulled me aside in the kitchen.
"Thatch."
"Yeah?"
She leaned against the counter, studying me with the expression that meant she was about to say something important. "I haven't seen you this…yousince that road trip in juniors, when you made me pull over at midnight so you could skate the outdoor rink in Duluth. You were laughing so hard your helmet kept slipping."
