Page 10 of Just One Season
“She’s way younger than he is, huh?”
The barista hands them their drinks and Savannah takes a sip, fiddles with her lid, then hands it back to the woman who reaches for a bottle of flavored sweetener.
“Yup.” Atticus gulps from his coffee cup and raises his left eyebrow at me meaningfully. “They live just around the corner from me in a penthouse apartment.”
“Should we run away? Or go say hello?”
But at that moment, Paul turns toward us and meets Atticus’s eyes.
“Fuck,” Atticus says under his breath without moving his lips. The couple walks toward us. We were obviously doing a shit job hiding.
“Good morning, Atticus. Off to the arena soon?” Paul says.
“Yes, of course, Mr. Harrison.” Atticus stands up straighter. “On my way now. Have you met my sister, Lucy? She’s covering a PR maternity leave at the Blizzard.”
Paul turns his gaze to me, and Savannah tentatively smiles and says hello before staring down at her phone.
“Nice to meet you, Lucy. Richard told me to watch out for his daughter.”
Oh my god.I can’t get away from him. The idea of my father asking the Blizzard team owner to keep an eye on me makes my toes curl.
“Nice to meet you. I assure you, I don’t need to be watched.” I throw in a smile. I’m thirty-three years old. I don’t need a chaperone.
“I keep telling him to come out here to see a game in person,” Paul says, not acknowledging the fact that Atticus playing here should be enough reason for Richard to come to Fort Collins. “But I suppose he’s more interested in soccer.”
Atticus’s shoulders tense. Our father has never come out hereto see him play. Even though I think I have it bad with Dad trying to control my life, providing me a constant narrative that I can’t survive without his help, Atticus has it worse. Our father barely acknowledges his existence.
“Yes, I think you’re right. Maybe you can finally convince him.” I cock my head and give Paul a big smile.
Atticus lets out a quiet scoff just for me to hear.
“I’ll have to let him know I met you. Welcome to the Blizzard, Lucy.” With a nod at Atticus, Paul leads his wife out the front door of Deep Roots Cafe.
“Dad asked him to watch out for me?” I stare at their departing backs.
“I’m lucky Richard doesn’t give a shit about me, because Paul might have been reporting back for years.” Atticus gently elbows me.
“This is why I have to go to England. I can’t escape.”
Something clicks in my brain. I thought I was getting away from my father by being in Colorado, but really, there’s always going to be someone watching and reporting back.
I can’t fail here.
I can’t prove my father right, that I can’t do things on my own. That I’m not good enough.
Once we’re sure Paul and his wife are gone, I follow Atticus out the bookstore exit to the street and back toward his apartment.
“Hey, you should hang out with the guys at some point.” We’re back at the door to Atticus’s place.
“Socialize with a bunch of hockey players? Pass.”
“These are good guys, Luce, I promise. And we’re normally pretty boring. We mostly sit around and watch a movie and then go to bed early and sober so we can get up and work out again.”
“I have no interest in hockey players.”
“I’m not suggesting you date them.” Atticus rolls his eyes. “Just make some friends or something. I worry that Raleigh andJanuary live so far away. I can’t let you get sad and lonely in Fort Collins.”
“I’ll think about hanging out.” I sigh deeply. “But don’t worry about me. I’m doing fine.”
