62 I’m open to anything
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
I’m open to anything
WILL
The weekend had been chaotic. As much as I’d had it in my head to sneak into Riley’s room each night, I was way too exhausted.
Fort Collins University had busted our asses. They’d managed the win Friday night, but we’d stolen it back Saturday. But not without giving it our all. It had taken everything out of me. Even Levi hadn’t come away unscathed. There was a decent shiner beneath his left eye.
Now it was Sunday and the team had just left for the airport. I was waiting out the front of the hotel for the valet with Levi. His parents had dropped one of their many cars off so we could make the trip out to where Levi would be playing next year. He’d lined up a stack of places we were due to look at.
As expected, Rick and Deb Holloway had been at both of our games this weekend. My parents? Nowhere in sight. They’d booked a last minute interstate trip to visit relatives. Mum had promised the timing was a coincidence and profusely apologised, but I wasn’t convinced.
“Before the girls come down, there’s something I want to talk to you about,” Levi said.
I braced, preparing for him to burst the happy bubble I’d landed myself in.
“Something’s up with Lana.”
I selfishly breathed a sigh of relief.
“I don’t know what,” he went on. “But it doesn’t sound like she’ll be going back to Boston anytime soon.”
“Is everything okay? ”
She hadn’t seemed off to me, she’d seemed her normal, extroverted self. But then again, I hadn’t exactly been around much this past week.
Levi shrugged. “I’m still figuring that out. I said she could crash with us for a few more weeks. Is that okay with you?”
“Of course. However long she needs.”
“Thanks, man. I was considering cancelling this part of the trip so she wasn’t alone for too long, but Ryan promised he’d keep an eye on her.”
I literally had to bite my fucking tongue. I’ll bet Ryan had.
I silently reminded myself to stay out of it. Lana was an adult and so was Ryan. Whatever they did wasn’t anyone’s business. I doubt Levi would see it that way though if anything else happened.
Once the girls and the car arrived, we set off. The drive was just over two hours. Grace controlled the music, of course, while her and Riley talked animatedly in the backseat.
I loved how well Riley got along with Hughesy. Not that it was hard to get along with Hughesy. She was as laidback as they came.
When I was a kid envisioning mine and Levi’s futures, it’d always consisted solely of hockey. Riley and Grace weren’t something I had ever predicted, but it was something I was glad had happened.
Levi slowed as we approached the first house. So far it had ticked the boxes. A nice area. A nice street. Maintained houses on either side. And it was less than a ten minute drive to Levi’s training facility.
The Bobcats had sorted out my accommodation in Texas. It was a four-bedroom, three-bathroom house, with a sauna, pool, and hot tub for recovery. I had agreed to live with another teammate who was set to arrive in Texas at the same time as me. Going from living with all of my friends to nobody would’ve been too eerie.
“Holy shit,” Riley gaped, peering out the window. “All of these houses are huge.”
Grace’s eyebrows lowered. “I thought we were looking at apartments, Levi.”
Levi pulled into the drive, where a sportscar was already waiting.
Cutting the ignition, he turned over the seat to look at Hughesy. “Let’s check it out first and then we’ll know what we’re dealing with.”
Once inside, Levi and I indifferently looked around the modern entry, whereas Grace and Riley’s eyes were as wide as saucers.
It was clear that Grace and Levi had grown up differently. Mine and Levi’s fathers had started a security company, which had grown more than either of them had ever expected. Now they employed over six-hundred people and operated across twelve states .
Because of that, Levi and I had grown up very spoilt, with homes much too big and everything we needed at our disposal. We were lucky, I understood that. Now Grace had the opportunity to get a taste of that lifestyle. Though I think before she agreed to it, her and Levi were going to need to have a very open conversation.
We met the real estate agent in the kitchen. While she then proceeded to take Levi and Grace on the full tour Riley and I hung back, giving them a semblance of privacy. We didn’t need to know the ins and outs of the place.
Riley slowly ambled onto the back patio. The yard offered plenty of privacy, with hedges and trees grown well above the fence height. There was lots of greenery, which was maintained to perfection. If this was the house Levi and Grace chose, they’d definitely need a gardener. I’d seen how Levi cut grass.
“This place is insane,” Riley whistled.
The wind roused, floating her signature scent my way. I could smell it everywhere again. On my clothes. In my car. In my bed. I moved closer to her, hugging her from behind.
“Though it’s probably pretty modest for Holloway.” Turning in my arms, she looked up at me, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth. “And fairly modest for you too, right?”
My forehead furrowed. “Are you trying to bring something up, Dover?”
“No.” She averted her gaze. “Maybe.” She blinked nervously. “Grace told me about Levi’s family home. I’m guessing yours is quite similar.”
Almost identical. They were in the same gated community.
“My family home is, but it belongs to my parents. I don’t own a house.” I squeezed her ribs. “You do though.”
She chuckled lightly. “I own a shoebox in comparison to this.”
“If you live there, it’s got to be the best damn shoebox in the world.”
She playfully rolled her eyes. “Sweet talker.”
She walked back into the kitchen area where the heat was pumping. Grace had to be happy about that part at least. Our heat at home never got turned off nowadays, which gave Tripp an excuse to wear even less.
Riley paced around the room, checking out the rest of the space. It was bright in here, with white walls and light hardwood floors, and plenty of large windows.
“Have you got accommodation in Texas yet?” Riley asked.
I nodded.
“Will you be living alone?”
“Nope. With another guy from the team.”
I didn’t know what to make of the thoughtful look that flashed across Riley’s face. With Riley and me, it didn’t feel like we were freshly dating. It was more like we’d picked up straight where we’d left off, and that was almost a year in.
In freshman year we’d dodged talking about our futures. I’d known mine would involve hockey in one way or another, and I wasn’t confident Riley was committed enough to follow wherever that would lead. I had no idea where her head was at now. Maybe she had plans to move elsewhere after graduation. Maybe her future was just as set in stone as mine. And maybe they were going to be worlds apart. I was afraid to ask, but I also had to know.
I casually voiced the question. “Have you got any jobs lined up after graduation?”
Riley stopped pacing. She slipped her hands into her coat pockets. “Not exactly. In a month or so my course counsellors will post a list of available graduate jobs. I’ll apply to the ones that appeal to me most and hopefully use Richard’s recommendation to get there.”
I leant against the back of the sofa. We were standing on opposite sides of it.
“Are those jobs all in Philadelphia?”
“Most,” Riley answered. “But not all of them.”
I swallowed thickly. “Are you open to potentially moving?”
Riley nodded. “I’m open to anything. I can lease out mum’s – I mean, my house if I move interstate.”
Being so close to campus, she’d easily be able to get tenants. And she could use the income from that to pay her rent elsewhere.
It was too daunting to ask her to consider Texas. It didn’t seem entirely fair either. My choices had landed me there. Riley deserved to decide her own future. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want that future to include me.
Grace bounced down the steps, her eyes as wide as dinner plates now. She caught Riley’s gaze and subtly shook her head. I was guessing this was a no.