Chapter 6 #2
“But to expect you to give up a year of your life,” Sarah says. “Not to mention the legal implications.” She shakes her head. “It’s ridiculous. Completely ridiculous.”
“He said he was going to ask someone else. Were you…did he find someone?”
Her eyes widen. “Are you kidding? Absolutely not. As soon as he told me what he was doing, I told him he couldn’t ask anyone else. I would never expect anyone to do such a thing. Not for me.”
Something about the way she says this doesn’t sit right. Why not for her? If anyone is deserving of a little good fortune, she is.
Across the parking lot, a cheer erupts, and I look over to see a kid high-fiving the Jaguars mascot.
When I turn my gaze back to Sarah, she’s still looking that way.
The wind has picked up, and a strand of her dark blond hair is blowing across her cheek.
She lifts her hand and brushes it away as she looks back at me.
“Can I ask you something?” I say.
She nods. “Okay.”
“Miles mentioned that staying for one more year would give you time to get your teaching credential. Then you would qualify for a different kind of visa.”
Her face shifts as I speak, her jaw tightening as she looks away. She looks smaller somehow, like she’s folding in on herself.
“But that’s not what we talked about, is it? Do you want to be a teacher?”
It takes her a long moment to meet my gaze. I wait, because I sense this is a point of particular tension for her. “Miles and I have very different opinions about that,” she finally says. “He thinks teaching would be safer. And he’s probably right. It’s just not what I want.”
“So tell me this,” I say. “If you had another year in the States, do you think you’d be able to qualify for the other kind? The visa you told me about?” I have no idea why I’m asking. But somehow, it feels incredibly important to know.
She looks up at me with those enormous brown eyes, questions flitting behind them I can’t even begin to interpret. But then she nods, a fire sparking behind her expression that makes my chest tighten.
“Yes,” she finally says, her voice steady, confident. “I really think I could.”
“Hey, Sarah!” Anna calls from the neighboring tent. “You ready?”
She nods, then looks back at me. “I should go. And you really should eat the cupcake. It’s delicious.”
I hold her gaze. “I remember.”
This pulls a small smile out of her, and I wonder if she’s remembering the moment like I am. If she’s been replaying our conversations the same way I’ve been.
“Bye, Carter,” she says, then she turns and hurries back to Anna.
I stand and watch her for a long moment, trying to sort out what’s happening in my brain.
Miles reaches Anna at the same time Sarah does, and he has their girls with him.
Olive reaches for her aunt, and Sarah takes her, then extends her hand to Poppy.
I catch her profile as she does. She’s clearly smiling, looking at her nieces with obvious affection.
I really do wish I could help her. But could I actually marry her?
I shake my head as I head back into the tent, not sure what to do with the fact that the longer I think about it, the less ridiculous the idea sounds.
By the time I make it back to Theo and Holly, they’ve finished with the last kid to come through and are picking up the remaining hockey sticks, slotting them into storage barrels that will be carted back to the Jaguars practice arena where the local youth hockey league skates.
“Have you set a date yet?” Theo asks as I crouch down and pick up a stick.
“Shut up.”
“What did she want?” Theo asks.
“To apologize,” I say. “Miles told her.”
“Oh, man,” Holly says. “I’m guessing she was mad.”
“More just embarrassed,” I say. “She wanted to make sure I knew it wasn’t her idea.”
“Well that’s good of her, I guess,” Theo says, then he narrows his eyes. “Wait. What’s happening on your face right now?”
I lift a hand and wipe it across my mouth. “Nothing is happening on my face.” I shove a handful of hockey sticks into his arms. “Put these away.”
He takes the sticks, but he’s shaking his head as he does. “Something is definitely happening. You’re thinking about doing it.”
“I’m not,” I say, but there’s no fire behind my response.
I can’t explain why. Something about the way she sounded. Or how seamlessly she fits with her family.
I also don’t love that her brother is pushing her to teach when she clearly wants something else.
I was lucky enough to grow up with parents who always believed in me.
Not in a way that felt like pressure, like I had to live up to their expectations.
Just in that quiet, steady way that said they knew I could do it.
And they were ready to cheer me on the whole way.
Everyone deserves that kind of cheerleader. I’m sure Miles thinks he’s supporting Sarah by encouraging her to make the most practical choice. But I’m Team Sarah on this one.
Not that it matters. Neither option solves her problem fast enough to let her stay.
“So, wait,” Holly says. “Do you actually like her? Like, like her, like her?”
I sigh and prop my hands on my hips. “I mean, I don’t know her that well. But we definitely…”
“Have a vibe,” Theo says. “They do. I saw it.”
“She is really easy to talk to,” I say.
“And?” Theo prompts.
“And…she’s really talented. And obviously smart.”
“And?” Holly this time.
“And insanely beautiful, with these eyes that just…” I take off the baseball cap I’m wearing and run a hand through my hair, then look at my two closest friends. “Could I really be thinking about doing this?”
Holly shrugs. “The way I see it, if you do it, you get to know her. Spend time with her. See if there’s potential for something real to happen between you. Maybe it will. Maybe it won’t. But at least you tried. If you don’t, she leaves. Then you’ll never know.”
“Do you think Miles would actually be chill with you dating her?” Theo asks. “Like, if you went through with it and it turned into something? He has pretty intense big brother energy.”
“If they’re married, would he even have a say?” Holly says. “I never understand when guys are weird about their sisters dating. Do you want them to be happy or not?”
“I mean, Miles and Carter are teammates,” Theo argues. “If things go south and someone gets hurt, it’d be hard not to let that impact team dynamics.”
Holly shrugs. “I don’t know. Seems like he gave up his right to be mad about anything when he asked Carter to marry her in the first place.”
“Okay, but what if it’s terrible? What if I marry her and three months in, I know it isn’t going to work?”
“I mean, we’re on the road half the time anyway,” Theo says. “You deal until your year is up, then you split and move on, knowing you still did a really nice thing for someone.”
“On the flip side, what if it’s great?” Holly says.
“Maybe you really enjoy each other, and then you’ve got this great relationship you didn’t even have to work for.
I’m just saying, the right kind of love doesn’t come along every day.
If you feel even a fraction of potential with her, I’d do whatever I could to chase it.
” There’s a weight to his words that lands differently, and I know he must be thinking about Claire.
About the kind of relationship he had with her.
“Honestly, when was the last time you went on a date anyway?” Theo says. “Your life will barely change. You’re already looking for houses. Now you’ll have someone living in it while you’re out of town. She could keep your cat alive. Seems like a win-win.”
“You’re buying a house?” Holly asks.
I glance over at my brother. He took the news better than I thought he would, probably because I only sort of hinted at the real reasons behind my decision. How do I tell him he’s the most important person in my life while also admitting I really need some space?
“He thinks I’m a terrible neighbor,” Theo says, and I’m relieved to hear the levity in his voice.
“You are a terrible neighbor. This morning, I found the remnants of your smoothie stuck to my kitchen floor.”
Theo grimaces. “You’re the one who gave me a key. It’s not my fault your fridge is always way better stocked than mine.”
“It’s absolutely your fault,” Holly says. “Just go to the grocery store.”
“Thank you,” I say, happy for the validation.
If anyone has earned the right to call Theo out, it’s Holly.
When we were traded from the Appies and called up to the NHL, we lived with him and Claire for six months until we found our footing with the team.
We stayed until right before Charlie was born.
“The point is,” Theo says, “if you’re getting a house anyway, I bet she could help you decorate the place. She’s an artist. She probably has great taste.”
“I’m not marrying her so she can decorate my house.”
“And take care of your cat,” Theo adds, like this will be the thing that tips the scales.
“But you will marry her so she doesn’t have to move back to Canada?” Holly asks.
I can’t believe I’m even thinking it. But I might.