43 He’s doing me a solid
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
He’s doing me a solid
RILEY
I jogged down the stairs, full of nervous energy. Tanner and I were having dinner with dad tonight. We were due at his house in fifteen minutes.
I’d forced myself to dress a little nicer. Dinner at dad’s wasn’t a casual affair. There was no eating on the couch with the hockey playing in the background. It was a three-course meal seated around his oversized dining table in the formal dining room with ceilings so high the clink of cutlery echoed in the silence.
Dad wasn’t a formal guy in any sense. I wasn’t sure why he pretended.
I peeked through the drapes, but there was no sign of Tanner yet. Just like formalness wasn’t dad’s ammo, promptness wasn’t Tanner’s.
Parker was on the couch, a blanket draped over her lap and a trashy Netflix movie playing. I envied her. I’d love nothing more than to join.
“Quiet night?” I asked.
She paused the film. “Ryan will be here soon.”
“You don’t need chaperones this time?”
Parker coyly shook her head. “No, we’re good.”
I smiled knowingly. “Got it.”
Outside a car horn tooted. That would be Tanner.
I scooped up my bag. “I won’t be back until eleven.”
Dinner likely wouldn’t go that long, but I’d convince Tanner to hang out for a while to give Parker and Ryan privacy.
As I opened the door I spotted Ryan walking up the drive. He did a double take when he passed Tanner’s car, and Tanner looked equally as surprised to see Ryan. Damnit. What were the odds of this timing? And what were the chances of this getting back to Will?
Reaching the door, Ryan smiled at me. He was dressed in a white tracksuit which should look terrible, but it somehow suited him perfectly. I wouldn’t have the confidence to wear all white. It would be stained within thirty seconds. Case in point, there was foundation on my turtleneck.
“Hey, Riley,” he said. “Are you heading out?”
“Hey, Ryan. Yeah, you and Parker have the house to yourselves. Have fun.”
“You too.”
His words came out a little unsure, like it was taboo for him to wish me a good time with Tanner Holbeck. The rivalry between Phil-U and Allentown was one for the record books, though something told me this was more about loyalty to one of his best friends than hockey.
“What the fuck is Ryan Murphy doing at your house?” Tanner barked the second I opened the car door and slipped into my seat.
He hadn’t wasted a second getting straight to the point.
“He’s sort of dating Parker.”
Edging his car into reverse, Tanner’s eyebrows hit the roof. “I didn’t know hockey player was her type.”
“Me either.”
Unlike most girls on campus, Parker had always seemed impartial to athletes. She didn’t go out of her way to strut past them at parties, and she’d never seemed particularly phased by Tanner which was refreshing.
The few times I’d gone to an Allentown party with him, I’d witnessed the attention he received. He was like the equivalent of Levi Holloway of Allentown. That much attention was too much for anybody’s ego. Though for all the attention my brother received, I’d never known him to date anyone. Maybe he was a casual guy like many div-one athletes. To be honest, I’d rather not know.
“Are you going to have to play nice with Caufield now that Parker is dating one of his best friends?”
I grimaced. “About that.”
Tanner slowed to a stop at a red light. His knuckles tightened around the steering wheel in anticipation.
“Long story short, Will and Tripp O’Connor kind of replaced you and Lucas for my final assessment.”
Tanner’s lips thinned. “Give me the long story, Ri. Are you back with Caufield? Is that how Parker met Ryan?”
“No, I– ”
I didn’t want to lie to my brother, but I also didn’t want to give him the full truth. How did I explain mine and Will’s arrangement? No, we’re not together. But I am sleeping with Will to improve his hockey game. One of which will be played against you next week. Good luck.
I reached forward, shifting the heater vents to face the floor. I was suddenly overheating.
“I’m friends with Holloway’s girlfriend. She didn’t know the history. That’s all.”
Tanner was extremely protective, which I knew came from observing the way dad treated our mums. He didn’t want me to receive the same treatment from any guy. I got it and I loved him for it, but Will wasn’t the guy I’d allowed Tanner to paint him as. In Tanner’s eyes, Will was only defined by his final action.
“I know you hate Will, but he’s doing me a solid, Tanner. It’s too late in the semester to try and look for other athletes.”
Tanner exhaled. “If it wasn’t for what he did to you, I honestly wouldn’t hate the guy.”
I stilled. “What do you mean?”
With his focus on the road, Tanner shrugged his beefy shoulders. “Most players as good as him are assholes. He’s not. Not even slightly.”
Tanner indicated left, pulling into dad’s expensive estate. Nerves muddled my senses, and they were only partly due to the impending family dinner.
“Caufield is a clean player and he never takes cheap hits,” Tanner went on. “He always keeps things above board, so when he beats you to the puck or out plays you, you can’t get mad because you know he was simply better.”
“You’re a good player too,” I told Tanner.
He chuckled. “I know. I’m not saying I think Caufield’s better than me. I’m saying rival to rival, I kind of have a lot of respect for the guy.”
I wasn’t expecting that, and I wasn’t expecting it to tug on my heart as much as it did either. Was I surprised Will was a respected player in the league? No. Was I surprised how happy that made me? The answer should’ve been yes, but it wasn’t.
“But don’t worry, Ri. I will always hate him on your behalf. You’re my sister. That comes first over any hockey man crush.”
I sighed. Tanner didn’t need to hate Will for me. I didn’t even hate him. In fact, it was the opposite. It had always been the opposite. And the scary part was, I think it always would be.
*
Within fifteen minutes we’d gone through all the surface level conversations – school, running, hockey. Now we were sitting silently around the dinner table while we waited for dad’s girlfriend to finish in the kitchen. I’d offered to help, but she’d ushered me into the dining room with a polite smile.
“I spoke to Richard Donohue,” dad said.
My attention sharpened. “What did he say?”
“That he’s been impressed with you so far and he thinks it’s a waste you haven’t been in his program all year.”
A compliment and a scolding rolled into one. That was on brand for dad.
“He mentioned you’ll be at Saturday night’s game.”
I nodded. That was the plan.
“And that he’ll be extending an invitation to the on-the-road Allentown game.”
That was news to me. Usually I resented dad’s insider gossip. Right now, it was a major perk.
Tanner levelled me with a playful glare. “You better not be rooting against me, Ri.”
I picked up my glass of water. “Never.”
With the clearing of his throat, Dad shifted both the conversation and his stance. His eyes zeroed in on Tanner. It was my brother’s turn.
“I spoke to Marcus Lak.”
Tanner’s eye roll wasn’t hidden well at all. In fact, I don’t think he’d even tried.
“Dad–”
“He’s going to call you next week.”
Marcus Lak was a renowned sports agent, currently representing this year’s best rookie in the NHL. He’d represented dad back in his athletic prime and dad still considered him to be one of his best friends. One of his only friends was more like it, which was even sadder given dad used to pay him.
“Firstly, I’m not allowed to talk to him. You know that,” Tanner said. “Secondly, I don’t want to talk to him. You know that too.”
I braced myself for the argument that always followed this conversation. Dad wanted Tanner to go pro. Tanner didn’t want to. That was all there was to it.
“It’ll be informal and off the record. Marcus simply wants to chat and see where your head’s at.”
“How about I tell you and you can relay it to him? My hockey career ends with college.”
Dad exhaled impatiently. “Tanner, if it’s a matter of not being good enough, let me reassure you that you’re–”
Tanner defiantly crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s a matter of wanting to choose the people I love over hockey. A concept I’m sure you can’t comprehend. ”
The silence that settled over the table was even more unsettling than it had been before. You didn’t need a knife to cut the tension. A nail file would do.
Tanner was looking anywhere but at dad, and dad was levelling Tanner with a disappointing scowl that felt contagious being in the same room as.
When it came to dad and Tanner’s arguments, I undoubtably had Tanner’s back. And while I still did now, it didn’t mean I agreed with him. On this one I agreed with dad. Tanner wanted to keep playing hockey. I knew he did. It was sad watching him throw it away as a fuck you to our father.