Chapter 32 #2
Rowan says, “Bring a pillow and a blanket.”
“I always bring a pillow.”
“Maybe some tissues since you’re going to cry the whole way,” I add.
Stanley looks up at me. “I’ll bring extra since you’ll be crying about leaving Lucy for two days.”
I grin, pulling the fork out of my mouth when I glance down at Lucy. Her eyes are bright as she looks back at me.
Percy shakes his head. “I don’t want to hear about the road trip, let’s talk about Blue.”
Blue shakes his head. “We’re not speaking of practice.”
I shrug a shoulder at him. “We are now. Tuesday. The rush drill. You missed your coverage.”
Stanley says to him, “You were standing in the slot like you were waiting for a bus.”
Blue scratches his face and shakes his head.
“You were. I thought we talked about this. You got it down, and then it went back to shit. You’re just in your head too much.”
This is true. I take another bite of food and say, “I don’t know why Coach keeps pushing it on you.”
Rowan says, “Because he should have it down by now.”
“I don’t want to run the play,” Blue says.
Stanley barks back, “That’s not your call to make, so work on it.”
Blue is a good player, but sometimes he gets in his head too much and it changes how he plays. I wish he could leave his shit at the door, but his career isn’t on the line like mine is. I have to pick up his slack on the ice, and that’s fine.
Stanley takes a big bite of food and says, “Who is Melly?”
Blue’s fork pauses for a half-second. He puts it back in motion and brings a piece of fish to his mouth and chews. He swallows.
“What?”
“Melly. She texted you last night.”
Blue looks at him. “Are you looking through my phone?”
Rowan and I make eyes to each other. Busted.
“The notification was on the lock screen. I read four words.”
Blue chews his food, and I feel the tension rising.
“So, who is she?”
The table is looking at Blue now. Lucy is watching with her glass of water at her mouth. Percy has set his fork down. Rowan has stopped chewing. I am tracking Blue’s face and he’s trying to play it cool, but I know he’s pissed.
“She’s someone I grew up with,” he murmurs.
“Continue,” Percy says.
Blue looks over at him and says, “There is no continue.” Blue picks his fork back up and eats.
Stanley starts in on Percy. He’s doing too many shootouts in practice and not enough on the rush.
Percy, polite, defends himself in two short sentences.
Rowan agrees with Stanley. Percy says something in French that doesn’t translate.
Stanley demands a translation. Percy does not provide one.
Stanley appeals to me. I tell Stanley I don’t speak French either.
Stanley appeals to Lucy. Lucy, dry, says she took two years of French in high school, and she is pretty sure Percy just called Stanley a small ferret.
The table stops.
Stanley stares at Lucy and then at Percy. “A small ferret?”
“à santé.”
“What?”
“à santé, Stanley.”
The table is laughing. Lucy is laughing, and I wish I knew what the fuck à santé means. Stanley is, for the first time all night, the one being roasted, and he has accepted his fate.
“So,” Stanley says because this man cannot be quiet for one moment. I look at him. “Lucy. Two nights in a row, huh.”
“Stan,” I warn. It’s fine to poke and prod the guys, but not Lucy.
He replies, “I am simply observing. The Hawthorne House rules state—”
“Stan.” I say it louder this time, not in the mood for his shit. I don’t want him to make Lucy feel unwelcome here.
“—that any overnight guest exceeding two consecutive—”
Blue with a fork full of salad, “Stan, cut it out.”
“I am the unofficial enforcer—”
Rowan says, “Stan. Eat your food.”
Percy turns to Lucy and says something in French. She covers her mouth and laughs. I look at Percy, and he’s giving me a you’re welcome face.
Stanley turns back to his plate, dropping the conversation.
I look at Lucy. She’s covering her mouth and laughing. Her shoulders are doing the small shake they do when she is trying not to laugh out loud. Her face is pink.
I look at Blue. I look at Rowan. I look at Percy. None of them are looking at me. Blue and Rowan have, in two short lines each, are on my side.
Lucy has been quiet for most of the last twenty minutes — listening, laughing, taking it in — and the room falls silent when she opens her mouth to say something.
“Rowan,” she asks. Rowan looks up. “How did you learn to cook?”
The room goes quiet like it always does when Rowan talks about his grandmother.
He tells Lucy that his grandmother lived in the apartment over their garage when he was small and how her apartment smelled like bay leaves and onions year-round.
She started teaching him when he was six because she could not stand watching his mother burn meat.
He mentions that she was a good woman, and he honors her through food.
Nobody interrupts, makes a joke, or a comment.
When he’s done, Lucy is watching him carefully. “That’s amazing, Rowan. This is the best chicken I’ve ever had.”
The room is, for one full beat, quiet.
Rowan, pleased in the way he is always pleased when someone compliments his cooking, looks at her across the table. “Thanks, Lucy. You are welcome at this table any time.”
Stanley says with his mouth full, “Reeve. Did you hear that?”
“I heard it.” I chuckle.
“Lucy, you have to come back tomorrow night for dinner. It’ll be the last at this table until Sunday,” Rowan says.
I look over at Lucy and grin. Looks like I’m not the only one handing out dinner invitations.
She looks at Rowan with a smile. “Really?”
He nods.
“Okay, yeah,” she says looking at me. I grab her hand under the table.
When we’re done eating, we clean up. Stanley loads the dishwasher because that is Stanley’s job in this house even though he resents it. Blue washes the pots and pans in the sink. Percy puts the leftovers in containers. Lucy and I clear the table and wipe it down.
She brushes past me at the kitchen island twice. The second time she does it she puts her hand on my back for a beat. By the time the kitchen is mostly clean, I lean over to Lucy and whisper, “Go upstairs and take a shower, babe. I’ll be up in a second.”
“Are you sure?” she asks.
I nod. “Take all the hot water.”
She smiles. “You’re so bad.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet,” I say back, and then kiss her lips. She walks up the stairs.
I stay at the island and clear my throat once Lucy’s out of sight. “Guys,” I whisper.
The kitchen doesn’t stop.
“Guys.”
Stanley looks up.
“I have something to talk to you about.” I wave my hands. “Quick.”
Stanley puts a dish down. Blue dries his hands. Percy puts his phone face down on the table. Rowan closes the fridge.
Stanley takes one look at my face and rushes over. “You’re not pregnant, are you?” he whispers.
Percy comes over. “Are you?”
Rowan watches me, and Blue shushes them.
“No, we’re not.”
Blue says, “Let the man talk.”
The room quiets. I look at the four guys I’ve lived with for years. They’ve seen every good and bad thing about me. I would lay my life down for these guys.
Here goes nothing. “I’m asking permission from the Hawthorne House––” I look at each of their faces, “to ask Lucy to be my girlfriend.”
They’re all staring at me, speechless. Stanley opens his mouth and then closes it when he realizes I’m serious. Blue, Percy, and Rowan are staring at me.
“Reeve,” Stanley mutters. “That’s our number one rule of the house.”
Blue says quietly, “You have Vancouver, Reeve.”
I nod.
Rowan says, “You have Vancouver.”
Stanley says, “Do you understand that?”
I nod. “I understand.”
Blue says, “Do you know what I would do to be drafted to Vancouver?”
“I’m not thinking that far ahead yet, boys. Just taking it day by day.”
“What does Lucy think about it?” Percy asks.
“The draft?” I ask.
More than one head nods. “She said it’s cool.”
“It’s cool?” Blue asks.
I shrug. “She didn’t say it’s not cool. She didn’t say much about it. I told her that I’ll be leaving, but––” I run a hand through my hair now. “Is she going to reject me because I’ll be out of here in six months?”
They each shrug and say they don’t know in their own words.
When they’re silent again, I say, “I can’t let her go. I don’t want to, so I’m coming to you guys to make sure I make the right choice here.”
The kitchen is quiet.
Rowan asks, “Is this because of your sister?”
I look at him. “What? No.”
Percy says, “Don’t jump into anything fast because your sister kicked her out, man.”
I spread my fingers in front of me. “Everything is fine with my sister now.”
Blue asks, “Since when?”
“Since tonight.”
Another silence.
“Fuck, is that what it seems like?”
Stanley sits back on his stool. “Kind of, cap.”
“I wanted to ask her tonight.”
They shake their head. “Don’t do that.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s too soon.”
Blue pats my back. “Wait until after the games this weekend, if you still feel the same, then ask.”
Percy nods. “Agree.”
Rowan tilts his head. “Can’t disagree, cap. Give it some space. Let the girl move back in and figure it out with G first.”
My mind’s racing, thinking about this. I come to the conclusion that they’re right. “Okay. I’ll wait.”
Stanley grabs both my shoulders. “That’s my boy.”
I pat his hand. “I broke rule number one, boys.”
They look at each other and then at me.
I inhale. I broke the number one rule and now I’m fucked.