Page 53 of Lucky Shot
“What makes you think she wants to play poker with us?”
“Better than sitting out there by herself,” he fires back.
“Debatable.”
For a few moments, the table is quiet as we look at our cards and start playing. Shep is the first one to break the silence.
He puts in his ante and says, “What kind of questions are you answering for a romance author?”
“Hockey stuff. The character in her book was a baseball player and her publisher asked her to change it to hockey.”
“Interesting,” he says in a way that makes me believe he really does find it fascinating.
“Hockey romance is big,” D-Low says.
We all look to him.
“What? I follow BookTok.” He shrugs it off.
“Of course you do,” Penn says.
“What’s her name?” D-Low asks.
“Ruby Madison.” I shift uncomfortably.
“I haven’t heard of her.”
“She’s a big deal,” Dad pipes in. “ANew York Timesbestseller.”
“Impressive,” Travis says.
“Mhmmm.” My dad purrs his agreement.
“Maybe she is more your type,” Travis says to me, a frown tugging the corners of his lips down.
I don’t ask why he thinks that, but I do question the relief I feel at his statement.
14
RUBY
Nick’s house is quiet as I pad up the back steps. I try to walk softly but not like I’m creeping up on them. If at all possible, I’d also love to come and go unannounced.
Several extra vehicles are in the driveway like maybe they’re having a party. Except all I can hear is Aidan’s guitar.
I step into the kitchen, relieved to find it empty. The song ends and I freeze but there’s no movement. He’s probably switching between songs. Quickly, I go to the sink and check under the counter, that’s where I keep my cleaning supplies, but come up empty. I try the cabinet to the right of it and then the next. Pretty soon I’ve opened and closed every single cabinet and I’m getting more frustrated and perplexed with each one.
“How is a girl supposed to stress clean?” I ask to the empty kitchen.
“Dad keeps all that stuff up high, so I don’t accidentally drink it.”
I whirl around to find Aidan standing across the kitchen staring at me. I’m not sure how long he’s been there.
“Hi,” I say breathlessly. I angle my body and point to the upper cabinets.
“That one.” He motions to the one on the far left.
As promised, the cleaning supplies are here. Bottles of all kinds, lined up with their labels facing out. I pull down the multi-purpose bottle and turn back to Aidan. “Do you often try to drink cleaner?”
