Page 49 of Player Problems

Adopting cats together was enough to convince me they’re two conversations and a good round of sex away from moving in together

eighteen

HOMECOMING SURPRISES

Isla hops out of Baylor’s truck, waving down my grandma and sister with a huge smile on her face. My lips twitch and they turn, spotting my effervescent best friend in the crowd. Wide, excited smiles on both their faces.

My grandma’s smile fades as her eyes land on me in Baylor’s black truck. I wave with a small grimace. I should have given her a warning that my car was in the shop, but I was hoping she wouldn’t see me driving the truck.

Confusion and worry mar the lines on her face as the corners of her lips turn down. She turns away from me, looking over her shoulder and scanning the crowd around us.

Rayne spots us and shouts my name, her little hand waving wildly in the air. I wave back and exit the truck, locking it behind me and looking over my shoulder as I drop the keys in my bag.

My grandma catches Rayne’s hand before she can take off in the crowd to reach me and Isla. We trade looks as my grandma pulls Rayne back into her side and hurry our steps to reach them where they are.

“Hi, Grandma,” I greet, leaning down to press a kiss against her cheek. “And if it isn’t my favorite sister,” I tease, rubbing myhand through Rayne’s hair as she bands her arms around my waist.

“Where’s your car?” my grandma adds, an odd lilt in her voice.

I’m glad I warned Isla that I wasn’t planning on telling my family the truth as she pulls Rayne’s attention to her, dodging my grandma’s. Isla sucks at lying, and one look from my grandma and she’ll be spilling the whole sordid tale. Stress my grandma and siblings really don’t need.

“Someone hit my car in the parking lot,” I tell her, guiding our crew to the entrance of the game. “At least they weren’t di—“ I cough, catching myself and my grandma raises a brow. “Disrespectful,” I amend, making Isla and Rayne giggle. “They left a note and their insurance has it covered.”

My grandma raised me for most of my life and knows all my tricks and tells. The way she’s studying me and weighing my words reminds me a little too much of high school and I’m one heavy sigh away from trauma flashbacks of being grounded after getting caught in a lie.

She shifts her gaze to Isla and it takes everything in me not to curse. Isla twirls my sister’s hair in her fingers, pointedly not meeting my grandma’s stare.

“Isla,” she drawls, forcing my best friend to lift her eyes. “Is she working too much?” I sigh, part in exasperation and part in relief. She wasn’t suspicious about the car, just if insurance is really covering it. Unfortunately, I still don’t have a good answer for that.

Isla’s responding smile is a little sad, but still genuine. “She works hard, but she’s happy.” My love for my best friend grows a little more with her words. Her understanding of what my grandma needs to hear and what I need her to not know.

I order and pay for the four of our tickets as my grandma sighs in relief, admitting, “I worry about you girls.”

Isla bumps her shoulder. “You don’t have to, we have big strong hockey players around to protect us now.”

I shake my head as the three most important women in my life giggle together and Isla tells my family about Wells. Even getting my grandma to agree to come to a hockey game this season.

We pass the entrance and find seats in the bleachers near the fifty yard line, half way up to the top. In the middle of the crowd where my grandma likes to be. Used to the noise and chaos.

She nudges me with her elbow. “Does that truck belong to one of these sexy hockey boys?” she asks, the excited curiosity only a grandma can have when she thinks she smells love in the air. And when did they become sexy hockey boys?

“It does, in fact,” Isla answers, taking far too much joy in egging on my grandma.

I groan and Rayne laughs, moving to sit closer to me. “Can I meet your boyfriend, Ryn?” I glare at Isla who just smirks back. Look at what she’s done now. Gotten sweet, love-sick-with-the-idea-of-love, Rayne all excited for something that doesn’t exist.

“Oh, yes,” my grandma agrees, cutting off any of my protests. I’m going to get Isla back so hard for this. My grandma pats my thigh. “You deserve someone who will take care of you. Who will show you what real love looks like. What it feels like.” A wistful, mournful note enters her voice and I lean against her shoulder, grabbing her hand with mine. Her eyes look misty and far away as if remembering something unpleasant.

“I already have that, Grandma.” She focuses back on my face, but the moisture only grows. “You and Grandpa taught me what love really is. The way you sacrificed so much for me and the kids. How you both always put us first and found a way to soothe our fragile hearts after losing Mom. You’ve shown us more love than most people experience in their lifetimes.”

Her smile is soft and sad, heartbroken at the mention of my mom. “I do love you, my sweet Ryn. But that’s not the love I mean.” Of course, it always comes back to romance with this one.

I scrunch my face in protest, but huff a laugh at her persistence. “You and Grandpa also showed me what true love looks like romantically.” How they would go from fighting to laughing in the span of minutes and they shined brighter when the other walked into the room. It was the two of them against the world, no matter what problems they faced. Once upon a time, I wanted that. I wanted it desperately when I saw how they clung to each other in their grief and stress. I wanted someone to hold my hand, kiss my tears away, and tell me it was going to be okay. That I was going to be okay because they had me. That desperate desire turned into a broken heart and a ruined friendship. Left only the familiar feeling of failing to be good enough. I no longer had the time to wait around for someone else to hold me together, to make me feel better. Not when we lost my grandpa too and I became the one to hold this family together. “One day, I’ll find it,” I promise her. “But right now, I have more important things to focus on.”

She sighs in defeat. “So it’s not a cute hockey boy’s truck?”

“Oh,” Isla giggles, “Baylor is most certainly cute. Want to see a picture? You’ll love him.” She pulls out her phone and shows a picture of Baylor and Wells together as she tells my grandma about both guys and explains to her how they play on the same line.

My grandma hums her approval at both of them before dropping her voice to a whisper. “Have any shirtless pics?” she asks and winks at Isla, making her giggle. She holds up her phone again and I roll my eyes when I see she actually does have a shirtless pic of both of them. When did she even take that?

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