Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Summer
Adeline
Sorry, I can’t do lunch today. But maybe we can talk tonight?
Me
Of course! But lips still zipped, okay?
Adeline
Definitely!
After dinner with the Kershaws last night, I had returned home to an empty apartment. Addy was with Lars and Mabel while Rosie spent the night with her mom’s family. So many times, I was tempted to text Hatch, call him, even go over to his place. I wanted to know if he had talked to his dad.
I wanted to be his person.
But I also worried about giving him the wrong idea. Rather than show weakness, I worked on a couple of reports and sent them to Lauren.
Just after lunchtime, I walked into the living room to find Rosie and Franky sitting on the sofa with a bowl of Pirate’s Booty and a bottle of wine.
“Oh, sorry, looks like you guys want some sister time.”
Franky waved me in. “As someone who has recently undergone a dramatic life change, I would appreciate your take.”
I shot a quick look at Rosie, who raised an eyebrow. “Want a glass of wine?”
“I have to work this afternoon, so no, thanks. How are you, Franky?”
“As you’re probably aware, Sean has turned me down. Which is surprising because I made it clear I expected nothing from him but his genetic material.”
“Right, but fathering a child isn’t something that everyone can take with a grain of salt. He might want to be more involved. Look at how Lars stepped up.”
“Only because it was forced upon him by the biological mother. All I want is a spoonful of spunk. It’s hardly too much to ask.”
“Why not use an anonymous donor?” Rosie asked.
“They all lie. Sure, there are questionnaires, but I’d prefer to be able to run my own background checks, so knowing the identity of the donor is key. Sean and I have no feelings for each other, but it appears he’s more emotional about this than I thought.”
“Surely there are other candidates,” I said. “You have a list—did no one else make the grade? Even one who might be temperamentally unsuitable?”
She narrowed her gaze. “You’re referring to Jason Isner?”
I shared a glance with Rosie who picked up the baton. “He’s the only one on the list you struck through. Yet you had him on the list in the first place.”
“Purely from a scientific method standpoint, to ensure an absence of bias and that the choice wasn’t pre-determined.
I listed all the ostensibly eligible men of my acquaintance.
He’s one of them—excellent physical pedigree, family history known, and not anyone I would ever expect to feel obligated to me. ”
“Sounds like a winner, so what’s the problem?
” I wondered if Franky’s self-esteem precluded her from going for a hunk like Jason.
The guy might only be half-brother to Theo, but he definitely had more than fifty percent of the Kershaw charm.
Muscles, too. “What did you mean by ‘temperamentally unsuitable’?”
“He once called me …” She took a sip of wine. “A name.”
“What name?” Rosie barked, ready to go to battle.
“It doesn’t matter. While he might otherwise meet my requirements, that exhibited a cruel streak that I would not like to be part of my child’s genetic make-up.”
Something about this sounded off. “When did this happen?”
“When I was seventeen.”
“Twenty-one years ago!” Rosie yelped. “When Jason was … thirteen?”
“Correct.” She sat up straighter. “It’s set the tone.
Any time we meet, he makes it clear he finds me to be a weird egghead type.
I once overheard him tell Sean he doesn’t understand how we’re friends.
Suffice it to say, I wouldn’t take his genetic material if he begged me. And I certainly won’t be begging him.”
Okay, then. A couple of minutes later, Franky excused herself to go to the bathroom. (A snail-free space, I hoped.)
“Poor Franky,” I murmured. “Maybe it’s good Sean said no? Give her time to think if this is really how she wants to do it.”
Rosie shook her head in wonder. “That Jason business is wild, isn’t it? I wonder what he said, though he probably doesn’t even remember … because he was thirteen!”
I giggled and covered my mouth. “Sorry, but it’s kind of funny-sad to still have a beef with someone from childhood.”
“I know!” Rosie laughed, too. “I’ll have to ask Hatch if his uncle even remembers this shocking name-calling.”
The mention of Hatch provided the perfect opening. “So, I hope you don’t mind, but Addy mentioned that you had a thing for her brother.”
“Conor?”
“No, Hatch.” Weird that Conor was her first thought, though.
“Oh, that’s old news. I’ve known him all my life—we were born a week apart—and people used to joke that we were the Rebels’ arranged marriage.
Hatch and I were always, eww, no. We hated the teasing.
But then a while back I started to … not hate it?
” She shook her head. “I’d see him with other girls and wonder what it might be like.
To be honest, getting away for a year of world travel really helped. ”
“Well, you had no shortage of man adventures on that trip.”
“A woman in her prime has needs!” She cackled. “I can’t be waiting around for Hatch Kershaw to notice me. Also this last year, he’s been kind of moody and withdrawn. I thought maybe he had some girl he wasn’t telling anyone about, but if he had, he’s not fessed up.”
Maybe that business with Ava had hurt him more than he let on.
Rosie continued. “Anyway, I realized that we wouldn’t be compatible. At all. I need a guy with a more outgoing vibe.”
“Hmm, like you?”
“Right. Don’t get me wrong. Hatch is one of my closest friends and I want only the best for him, but frankly, I don’t think he could handle me.”
Rosie exhibited main character energy, for sure. “Not sure any guy could.”
“I am a lot of woman.” She leveled a hard-nosed gaze at me. “So, are you doing a sisters-before-misters check-in before you go for it with Hatch?”
“What? No! We’re not—I mean, we haven’t—” I sighed. “Oh fuck it.”
“Knew it!”
I covered my face in my hands. “I don’t know how it happened.”
Oh, don’t you, Summer?
Argh, Shelby Mae!
“I saw how he looked at you over dinner. And he’s always acted so weird around you.” She pulled my hands away. “That’s you in the photo that’s doing the rounds, isn’t it?”
“You’ve seen that?”
“Yeah, but honestly it’s not obvious. And the Motors cap? That shit’s as good as Clark Kent’s glasses.” She added a knowing wink that had me giggling. It really was absurd that more people hadn’t seen that photo and caught on to the facts.
Franky came back in and assessed the situation like we were slugs in her lab. “Everything okay?”
Rosie looked at me, seeking permission. I nodded.
“Summer’s got a thing for Little Lord Hatchling.”
“Little Lord Hatchling?” I loved it.
“When he was a kid, we used to call him the golden child and the puck prince, but I liked Little Lord Hatchling.” She looked positively gleeful. “So you were in Saugatuck? How did that happen?”
I filled them both in on my church getaway and lakeside bolthole, skimming over the more salacious details. Not that I could get away with that.
“So, was it good?” Rosie asked. “The sex, that is.”
“It doesn’t matter.” My cheeks were on fire.
Rosie turned her thumb down. “Boo!”
Franky retook her seat. “I’d rather not know about the sexual prowess of a boy I used to babysit. Also, I can see this causing problems with Dash and the team dynamics.”
“It won’t. Hatch and I will not be taking it any further.”
Rosie looked aghast. “Why not?”
“There’s no future in it. I vowed not to get involved with any more hockey players. I’m choosing my career first.”
Franky squinted. “The delivery career? Because that doesn’t seem incompatible with a professional athlete.”
“No, I want to work as an analyst or a scout for a franchise. Those jobs are team-specific, so I won’t be following any guy if he’s traded.”
Rosie looked skeptical. “And does Hatch know this?”
“Of course he does.”
Hatch might claim I was his end game, but even he couldn’t fight the forward momentum of Project Summer.
“Hey, Ken, it’s Summer. So, I’m calling to verify my afternoon schedule.”
Kennedy hummed. “Didn’t I send it to you?”
“Yes, you did. So I need to do a grocery run for Hatch Kershaw. And when I’ve delivered that, I need to pick up his dry cleaning but not before five p.m. It’s only two p.m. now, so I don’t have anything on the schedule in between?”
“Yep, that’s it! You can take it easy in the break, grab a coffee, run some of your own errands. Whatever you want. It would be easier if you could pick it up earlier, but Hatch was steadfast about the timing.”
“Okay, thanks. Just wanted to be sure. Oh, one more thing. Did Hatch request me?”
“He did. Said you did a great job the last time, and he wondered if you were available. Is that okay?”
“It’s fine! Just curious.” I clicked off and considered Hatch’s grocery list.
Triple crème brie cheese
Maple syrup
Salt n’ vinegar chips
We could have ourselves a real party.
Armed with my small batch of groceries, I found Hatch waiting outside his door, looking every inch as delicious as the man of my dreams. His Rebels tee bunched at the sleeves, and the outline of his pecs made my fingers itch. He smiled as I approached, and a pure giddiness overtook me.
“M’lord.”
“Wench.” His lips curved. “Do you have a minute?”
How about a lifetime?
Really, Shelby Mae?
“I—what’s that smell?” Something fragrant and delicious wafted from his apartment.
“Care to see for yourself?”
“Sure, Granny, what big cooking smells you have.”
He grinned and ushered me inside. I went easy. But then I was a weak, weak woman where this man was concerned.
Hatch startled beside me because I’d just let out an ear-piercing shriek.
“What’s wrong?”
“Lord, this is beautiful!” I grabbed his arm, needing something to keep me upright. “It’s like something in a fancy hotel.”