Page 150 of The Maxwell Brothers
Reese smiled sadly. “How is Dad?”
The two of them never had a very close relationship to my uncle—Dad’s brother. After their mom passed away when they were kids, he spiraled out, burying himself in work. Kimberly and Reese were at our house most of the time.
“Oh, you know. Just… Dad. He’s happy when I visit, though.”
"How long are you here for?" I asked Kimberly.
" Just a week, and then it's back on the other side of the pond for me."
"You do like it there, huh?"
"Yeah, it's a different experience, and I love it.”
Reese winked. “I can tell. You’re starting to dress French.”
I had no idea what Reese was talking about.
“Awww, thanks, sis. I do miss all of you, though.”
"Oh good, I was waiting for you to say that," I said, feigning being wounded.
She grinned, taking my arm and leading me out of the shop.
“I have a feeling that Operation Cheer Up Tyler isn’t necessary anymore,” Kimberly said.
Reese tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. “Yeah, I think he’s got the worst behind him. Seems back to his old self.”
“And so are you—sort of.” Kimberly was looking at her sister. “You can always come to stay with me for a while, and we’ll find you a Frenchman. Or two.”
Reese burst out laughing. “Oh, Kimberly. I’m tempted to take you up on it, but I promised Gran I’d look after The Happy Place. The manager is going on maternity leave soon, so I can’t take off.”
Twenty minutes later, we stepped inside the office building on LaSalle Street. We took the elevators directly to the top floor and headed straight to the bar.
Travis, Declan, and Luke were already sitting at one of the tables. No one had drinks.
"This feels so surreal," I said, "being able to hang out with you guys spontaneously during the season."
Reese laughed. "The perks of being benched."
"Ouch, that still hurts."
"Yep. Sorry. No more joking about that."
But this did give me a view of how my life would look once I was done with the ice. Most hockey players retired when they reached thirty. I knew I had one or two seasons left before retiring, but I sure as hell wasn't ready to say goodbye right now.
I took advantage of the fact that Luke was next to me and Reese was out of earshot to check how things were going with our cousin.
"Did she tell you anything about why she’s feeling off?" I asked. On the way here, she kept asking about Travis and me, avoiding talking about herself.
"It's been a few days. I need more time. I'm not a miracle worker."
I cocked a brow. "What are you talking about? No one was subtle with me when you all intervened."
He patted my shoulder twice. "Brother, you need the balls-to-the-wall approach. Reese needs subtlety."
That sounded like bullshit, but what did I know? He was the people whisperer of the family.
“Okay, good, you're all here," Travis said when I sat down. "I was just waiting for everyone to arrive. I'm having a party, and you're all invited."
