Page 45 of Tempting the Goalie
“Meat pie, mashed potatoes, and petit rolls from the bakery,” Eric says. “Oh, and maple-glazed sausages.”
“You’re making us all look bad,” Daddy says to Eric.
“That’s nothing new.” Eric laughs.
“I’m starved, so bring it on,” Phoenix announces, taking a seat at our long breakfast island. We have a kitchen table but for some reason, when we eat together, we usually gather at theisland, which has exactly six stools, one for each of us. There used to be a seventh, but Daddy got angry one day and chucked it outside on garbage collection day when we were younger.
We all sit around and enjoy a good meal. My brothers take jabs at each other, as usual. They all ask me a hundred questions about my life. How are classes? Do you enjoy them? What happened with that boyfriend of yours? The last question comes from Phoenix and everyone turns silent.
“Oh, you know hockey players,” I answer absently like it’s no big deal.
“What happened?” Asher asks, zeroing in on me.
“Don’t you know, dumbass?” Eric responds.
“If I knew, I wouldn’t ask. Do I have to go beat his ass?” Asher offers. Trouble may be his middle name but if I ever needed him, I know he’d drop everything and come to me.
“No,” I answer. “I should’ve known better. Luc warned me.”
“Yup, we need to kick his ass,” Daddy says. “No one hurts my girl and gets away with it.”
“I’m fine. Honestly.” I shift on the stool and shovel some meat pie into my mouth. “I wasn’t that upset to find out he cheated. I felt betrayed but my heart didn’t hurt, which means I wasn’t that invested,” I assure my family. If there was one trait the Thorne boys got from Dad, it was being protective about those you loved. I knew without a doubt that each of my brothers would come to my rescue, but I didn’t need rescuing.
“Okay, Bean,” Daddy says. “If you’re fine, you’re fine. You seem fine.”
“She looks happy,” Asher notes. “Is there someone else?”
I almost choke on my mashed potatoes. I don’t lie to my family. It’s always been one rule Daddy likes to enforce, that and to always be there for one another.
“Can’t a girl just be happy with her life? Does happiness always have to involve a guy?” I ask, and I shovel some more meat pie in my mouth.
“Someone’s hungry,” Asher jokes, since he’s sitting beside me,
I shove him. “Shut up, idiot.”
“I restocked the shed with your pottery stuff,” Phoenix says.
“Thanks, that was thoughtful of you,” I say to my eldest brother, who gives me his version of what a broken smile would look like. The shed used to be Mom’s. She’s the one who made pottery out there when she wanted breaks from life. It took me a few years after she left to even step a foot into the shed. I was angry the first time I entered and threw some stuff around, but then it became a place I felt close to her. I started making my own pottery and I found it relaxing to have my fingers running through the clay. It was my private little haven, and I only did pottery when I was home.
A knock comes from the front door. “Who could that be this late?” Daddy asks.
“I’ll get it,” Phoenix offers.
My brother opens the front door, and I hear Luc’s voice. My heart skips a beat and I put my fork down.
“It’s Chabot. Can you two not be apart more than an hour?” Asher asks.
“Why are you such an idiot? I barely see Luc at school. We basically live different lives,” It’s the first lie I’ve told my family. That may have been true before we hooked up but since that night everything has changed. We see a lot of each other now. No pun intended.
I hear Phoenix invite him in. When Luc walks into the kitchen, I try to keep my cool. My brothers and Dad all shake his hand and they have a million hockey questions for him.
“Sign any contracts?” Eric asks.
All I can focus on is Luc’s arms in the wifebeater he’s wearing and the basketball shorts that are slung low on his hips.
“Not yet. But I’m hoping something will come through soon. I have an agent working on something,” Luc says and his gaze cuts to mine.
“Want to go for a walk, Izzy?” he asks.
