Chapter 4
FOUR
Rain
“Does this outfit look like I’m going on a date? Because this isn’t a date.”
I held a plaid, button-down shirt over my chest and turned to face down my toughest critic. And one of my very best friends.
Caity Lopez gave me a look that expressed exactly what she was thinking. Which, of course, she then had to put into words because she couldn’t help herself.
“No one would think you were on a date wearing that shirt and those jeans. Not even in St. David. Have a little respect for the fact that you’re going to be spending time with a guy who isn’t your brother.”
I sneered. “Ugh. You suck.”
Caity flipped me the bird. “But I’m right. I’m always right. Besides, Brian Fiskers is a fucking sweetheart and the kind of guy you wanna climb like a pole. I mean, those arms alone make me want to lick them.”
I stared at Caity, who lounged on my bed just like she had when we were teenagers trying to decide what to wear to the school dance. Not that Caity ever had to ask my advice. She could make a plain white t-shirt and a hand-me-down pair of jeans look designer.
With waist-length, wavy red hair, cinnamon-colored eyes, and a body with curves for days, Caity had grown up with four older brothers who’d beaten down any guy who’d so much as looked in her direction in high school, but they’d also taught her how to fight for what she wanted.
And what Caity wanted, Caity got.
“Wait. Do you have a thing for Brian?”
Holy shit. Did she? Had I totally missed the fact that Caity had feelings for Brian? And why did I feel like I just took a punch to the stomach?
Caity rolled her eyes, huffing out a sigh. “Please. You know me better than that. Not my type. Too quiet. Besides, I know you’ve been lusting after him for years.”
“I have not.” The words automatically popped out of my mouth. “He’s a friend.”
Caity made a rude noise that sounded like a cross between a snort and a hack. “Yes, you have. And you want him to be more than just a friend.”
“No, I haven’t. And no, I don’t.” My nose wrinkled. “Well, not lusting.” As Caity laughed, I tossed the shirt I was holding at her. “So I like the guy. Doesn’t mean I’m lusting after him.”
I didn’t know why I was lying. I did lust after the man. Though I’m not sure it’d been years. Okay, definitely not more than a couple of years.
“Just admit it,” Caity said. “You want the guy. And there’s nothing wrong with that. You’re allowed to like guys. Even guys who play for your daddy’s team.”
My heart shriveled a little inside. “Yeah, like that ever worked out well for me.”
Caity grimaced. “Damn. Sorry. I forgot. But you were too good for that douchebag anyway.”
With a sigh, I turned back to my closet. “That douchebag is now playing for the NHL, and he and his wife just started a charity for sick kids. Or something like that.”
Not like I was following Rodney Chisholm’s career or anything. I followed him on social media like I followed all the former Devils who’d actually made it to the NHL. There weren’t many of them, but Roddy had had something special. And he’d broken my twenty-one-year-old heart when he’d left.
“Okay, so maybe he outgrew his douchebag tendencies. You’re not still pining after Chisholm, are you?” Caity’s voice held disbelief. And a little bit of worry.
“No, of course not.” And I wasn’t. I pulled out a sweater and held it up as I turned around. “I’ve been over him for years. But obviously I didn’t learn my lesson the first time. I’m not going to make it a third.”
My second strike had been dating Mo, another hockey player, who’d turned out to be an actual asshole, instead of just a young cocky player who’d had a few missteps but had turned his career around. Like Roddy.
At least I’d managed to keep the affair with Mo secret from almost everyone.
“Still don’t know what you saw in that dick.” With a sigh, Caity pushed off the bed, came over to stand beside me at the closet, and started rifling through my clothes.
“Oh hon, we need to schedule a shopping trip and soon. The team has a competition in Philly in January. You should come with us. We definitely need to update your casual wardrobe with something that isn’t jeans, white shirts, or plaid.”
I stifled a grin. “What do you have against plaid? And you know I can’t. The winter festival is in January, and I have too much to do.”
“I don’t have one damn thing against plaid. If it’s flannel. And on a guy. Oh wait. What’s this?”
Reaching toward the back of the closet, Caity grabbed a shirt I’d pretty much forgotten I’d had. Cream silk, a little lower cut than anything I wore for work, and a splurge I’d made the last time I’d gone shopping with Caity. I hadn’t worn it more than a couple of times since then. Mostly because I didn’t really have an occasion to wear it. It wasn’t something I could wear during the offseason, which meant the summer. And during the season, I wore clothes that kept me warm in the arena, which meant jeans or chinos and t-shirts and sweaters. And flannel.
Okay, maybe I was in a little bit of a rut.
“Wear this.” Caity shoved it at me. “You should want to look good for yourself . Doesn’t matter where you’re going or who you’re going with. When you look good, you feel good.”
“When did you become a life coach? Fine.” I took the shirt out of her hand and flounced away toward the bathroom with an exaggerated huff that made Caity laugh.
“And if you want to look good for Brian,” Caity shouted after me, “there’s no shame in that, either.”
Caity left with a hug, a smack on my ass, and the admonition to have fun. Or had it been a threat? You could never tell with Caity.
I walked out my front door fifteen minutes later to meet Brian at the Tea Room. The pub was only a few minutes from my home by car, and I was, of course, going to be early. I was always early. For everything. Daddy always said if you were on time, you were late, and my brain had metabolized that at a young age.
I took my time weaving through the small development where my house stood. St. David sat in a little valley created by the surrounding hills, covered with old-growth forests. A few farms remained in the valley, the fields brown now. In the summer, corn and soybeans thrived, feed for the dairy farms in the area.
The town came into sight after I crested one last rise. I could just see the outline of the arena on the south side before I started to descend a little. And in the distance, I could barely make out my parents’ home on the other side of town, a huge old mansion that they’d bought more than thirty years ago and renovated at the same time they’d built the arena that housed the hockey team. It sat right at the edge of town, a beautiful old wooden lodge where I’d spent all my life until moving into my own place a few years ago.
I passed a few larger houses along the side of the road before the businesses began. The heart of St. David’s business district was all of about four blocks long, but the buildings could star in their own Hallmark movie, they were so damn cute.
The town had been built more than two hundred years ago, just a little cluster of buildings to support the farmers in the area, but in the fifties, some corporation had built a factory outside of town and St. David had expanded into what it was now.
Most of the businesses along Main Street were closed now, except for the pizza parlor, diner, and the Tea Room, which was where I was meeting Brian. My stomach gave a little flutter before I reminded myself that his niece would be there too. No fluttering allowed.
I found a space in the lot behind the building, zipping my puffy jacket before I got out of the car. The temperature hovered around forty degrees and was supposed to drop to about thirty later tonight. Shivering in the cold, I hustled for the door, head down against the wind whipping through the valley—and walked straight into someone’s back.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”
Low, male laughter reached my ears as a large hand cupped my elbow when I tilted to the right.
“It’s okay, Rainy. No problem.”
Brian stared down at me, his mouth holding a hint of a grin.
I nearly sighed in complete and utter appreciation of his handsomeness. Even the little bump on his nose where it’d been broken, probably more than once, made me want to trace it with my finger in sheer appreciation. Luckily, I noticed the smaller shadow by his side before I did anything ridiculously stupid.
Drawing in a quick breath, I took a step back as I smiled at the girl.
“Hi, you must be Maddy. I’m Rainbow. It’s nice to meet you.”
The young girl looked up at me, her eyebrows arching as she looked between me and her uncle. It took a second, but finally she said, “Hi.”
I couldn’t tell if she was shy or distant or just disinterested, but I planned to cut her some slack considering the circumstances. She’d had to uproot her entire life in the past couple of days. I couldn’t even imagine.
And holy crap, she looked enough like Brian that people might think she was his. From the auburn hair to the hazel eyes to the shape of her face.
“Well, why don’t we get inside before we freeze.” I smiled a little too brightly, trying too hard to be friendly and probably looking like an idiot. “I’m ready to eat.”
Brian had the door open before I’d finished speaking, waving Maddy and me in ahead of him.
“I called ahead and asked Mitzi to save us a table in the back, where it’s quiet.” I waved at the Tea Room’s owner, Mitzi Naugle, who’d spotted us from across the room and began to weave through the tables on her way to us.
“Brian! It’s really good to see you again. How’ve you been?”
For the first time, Brian smiled, a real smile that reached all the way to his eyes and lit them up, making my mouth dry.
“Good to see you too, Mitz. It’s been a while.”
Mitzi wrapped her thin arms around his broad shoulders, having to reach up onto her tiptoes to do it. My eyes widened in shock, because Mitzi didn’t give out hugs to just anyone. She was a tough old lady, though I would never say that to her face because… Well, she might spank me like I was six. Or make me wash dishes in the kitchen, like she’d made most of the teenagers who’d lived in this town when they’d screwed up.
You really didn’t want to get on Mitzi’s bad side. She was sixty-something, as far as anyone could tell, and showed no sign of slowing down any time soon. And no one would dare suggest it.
Stepping back, she gave me a nod then turned her attention to Maddy, who looked like she was trying to hide behind her uncle.
“And who’s this?”
The other thing about Mitzi was that she could charm birds out of the sky when she wanted. She had a way with kids that was uncanny. They trusted her implicitly.
Except Maddy seemed to be the exception to the rule. She shrunk even closer to her uncle, one thin hand reaching around his arm. To Brian’s credit, he didn’t force her to be sociable, and Mitzi didn’t push herself on the girl.
“My niece, Maddy.” He put his arm around the girl’s shoulders. “We’re moving to town for… well, a while.”
Mitzi’s smile never wavered. “Well, welcome to St. David, Maddy.” Then she transferred her attention back to Brian. “Glad to have you back. The team could use a little age and wisdom this year.”
“Well, I don’t know about wisdom, but the age thing might come back to bite me.”
Mitzi’s laughter filled the room, where only about half of the tables were full. It was a Monday and Christmas was a week and a half away. The drinking crowd would show up around eight or so. Until then, it’d be quiet.
“Son, when you’re my age, we’ll talk. Until then, suck it up.” Mitzi jerked her head to the left, glancing at me. “The table you asked for is set up. You know where it is.”
“Thank you, Mitzi.”
“No problem. I’ll send Chrissy back to take your order in five.”
Mitzi moved back to the bar, and I started walking, nodding and smiling at the couple in the corner, who were season ticket holders, and waving to the family celebrating a birthday on the other side of the room. I’d seen the family at games occasionally, though not often.
“Just give me a sec,” I said to Brian, “I’ll be right back.”
I made a quick detour, digging into my purse for the ticket vouchers I always kept there.
“Hey, happy birthday, Colin. I just wanted to stop and give you a little present.” I smiled at the little boy wearing the party hat then glanced at his parents and held up the vouchers. “Tickets for a Devils’ game. Good for whenever you can use them.”
The tickets also came with free snacks and drinks, but I didn’t mention that. People sometimes took it as an insult.
While the parents thanked me, Colin asked if I wanted cake, which, at any other time, I would’ve gladly accepted. “I didn’t eat yet, but thank you, Colin. Have a good night.”
With a little wave, I headed toward the back room. Brian and Maddy were already seated at the table I’d asked for. I saw Maddy say something to Brian, saw him nod in response, but as soon as I got close, she went silent, her gaze flashing up at me for a second before looking back down at the table.
I slid into my chair, trying not to show the nerves that started to bang around my stomach.
“Did you guys get a chance to look at the menu?” Which was stupid, because Brian had been here before. Countless times. “Well, not you, of course.” I waved a hand at Brian, probably looking like an idiot, and addressed my next comment to Maddy. “The burgers are great, and the chicken pot pie is the best in the state. Although it’s not really a pie. It’s the Pennsylvania Dutch pot pie so it has noodles and not pie crust.”
And now I was rambling. This was off to a great start. Maybe I should just get down to business. At least I had a list I could follow.
I reached behind me for my purse before I realized I’d put my coat over top of it and had to rearrange things before I could dig notebook out of it.
“So, I made a list because?—”
“Of course, you did.” Brian full-out smiled at me for the first time and the bottom dropped out of my stomach. “You’ve got a list for everything, don’t you?”
I attempted not to wrinkle my nose at him, though if he were one of my brothers, I would have kicked him under the table.
“Lists help me stay organized.” I hope that didn’t sound as prissy as it had in my head. “And not forget anything. And I made a duplicate for you, so you don’t have to take notes.”
Now he actually chuckled, and I wanted to sigh at the sound. I was pathetic.
“I appreciate it. I know there’s a lot I need to do to get Maddy settled here.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Maddy shift in her seat, bending her head so her long hair covered her face even more.
“I’m sure moving in the middle of the school year is tough. Where were you going to school before, Maddy?”
I didn’t want to not include her in our conversation, but I also didn’t want to poke at her and make her even more uncomfortable than she already seemed. She surprised me by answering, though she didn’t look at me.
“In Allentown but I did remote for a couple months.” She shrugged. “I told Uncle Bri I could homeschool again. Not a big deal.”
I glanced at Brian to see him shake his head, just once. Got it. Not something Brian wanted to do.
“Well, I think you’ll like our school. I’m sure it’s a lot different than a big city like Allentown. My graduating class had about a hundred and fifty kids. There are a few more kids now, but it’s really not that big. I’m sure you’ll fit right in.”
Ugh, why couldn’t I stop saying stupid shit? I know I would’ve hated if anyone told me I’d “fit right in.” I’d only just met this girl. I had no idea what she was like and what her interests were.
“Sorry, that was a stupid thing to say.”
Now I had the attention of those sharp hazel eyes, so like her uncle’s. And I thought maybe I might’ve gone up a little in her estimation. Maybe.
“Did you like going to a big school?” I asked.
Maddy thought about it for a few seconds, before shrugging. “Not really. Most of the kids were stupid and didn’t really want to learn anything.”
Which implied that she had. Good to know.
“Yeah, I had some of those kinds of kids in my school but, because it’s small, they didn’t dominate. Know what I mean?”
She thought about it for a second then shrugged and looked down again. Obviously, I was going to have to do a little more work with Maddy before she opened up to me.
“If you want, I can go with you tomorrow to help you get signed up.” I glanced at Brian. “I mean with both of you. It’s really not that involved, but sometimes it helps to have someone else there to help with the forms if the office staff is busy.”
“I’d appreciate that,” Brian said. “I don’t want to screw up some form and have them send you to the elementary school.”
Maddy looked up long enough to roll her eyes at her uncle, though I thought I spied a little bit of a smile now.
“I think they’ll be able to figure out where I belong by my age.”
“I don’t know, kid. I could accidentally put the wrong birth year or something. I’m not sure I like the thought of you going to the high school.”
Her head tilted to the side. “I’ll be in the high school?”
“Actually,” I said, “you’ll be in the junior high, but they’re the same school, so…”
Now I had her attention. “Really? That’s kinda cool.”
Since I didn’t want to disabuse her of that thought, I just nodded. “It also means you get to pick what classes you want to be in, and sometimes you can choose upper-grade classes if there’s room.”
Now I saw real interest in Maddy’s eyes, and I bit back a triumphant grin, even as I wanted to pump my fist in the air. I’d discovered my first clue about Maddy. Then she shrugged and looked away again, as if she didn’t want to be excited.
“Probably all the interesting classes are full already. Doesn’t matter. I won’t be here that long anyway.”
Now I was at a loss, and I looked over at Brian, who didn’t look like he knew what to say either. From what he’d told me, it could be six weeks to two months..
“Well, I know the principal,” I said. “I can ask to talk to her tomorrow and?—”
“No.” Maddy broke in, her eyes wide and a little frantic. “You don’t need to talk to the principal for me.”
I opened my mouth to say it was no problem, that I knew the principal, and she was a really nice person, but something in Maddy’s expression made me pause and regroup.
“I don’t want special treatment.”
Her mouth flattened with determination, and she reminded me more of her uncle with every minute.
“Sure. No problem, but you’ll probably meet her when we get you registered tomorrow. Like I said, it’s a small school. She likes to get to know all the kids.”
And I’d lost her again. It was like she’d flicked a switch and shut down.
I hated to lose. And though this definitely wasn’t a game, I hated knowing Maddy was so closed off. When I looked at Brian, his expression as he stared at his niece showed pained frustration. I just wanted to reach over and squeeze his hand, tell him it would be okay. But I couldn’t do that in front of Maddy because… Well, just because.
Time to switch tactics.
“So, Brian. I had a few thoughts about your living situation.”
I didn’t get to say anything else because our server appeared out of nowhere, head bent over her notepad. Which just meant I hadn’t been paying attention.
“Hey, Rain, how are ya tonight?”
“I’m good, Chrissy. How are you?”
The blonde, who’d graduated a few years behind me in school, shrugged, looking harried. Couldn’t blame her. This was her second job, after the bakery, where she made some of the most delicious pastries in the state, and before her third job, which was working at the arena on game nights.
“Busy. Can’t complain. No one listens anyway. What can I get you guys to drink?”
After we ordered sodas—and she did a double take at Brian—she nodded and hustled away.
I glanced back at Brian and found him staring at me. Our gazes locked for several seconds before I blinked, feeling my cheeks start to get hot.
Stupid response. Didn’t mean anything.
I snorted silently. At least I could admit to myself that I still had a few (ha!) lingering feelings for the guy.
But then Maddy shifted in her seat, like she couldn’t get comfortable, and my mind immediately went back to the problem of how to get this girl to relax. To make her feel like she belonged. Because she clearly didn’t feel comfortable, and it was kinda breaking my heart.
“So,” Brian said, “you have a suggestion for our living arrangement? That’d be great, ’cause the hotel’s not ideal.”
“Right, right.” I snapped back into focus, my brain practically whirring like a plane propeller. My mom had made the analogy when I was a kid, and it’d stuck. “So, player housing is full, and we can’t bunk you with another player for obvious reasons. Mom and Dad are renovating the guest house, so that’s out, and I’m not sure you’d want to stay that close to Dad during the season, anyway. He’d always want to talk hockey and you’d be right there, like a sacrificial lamb.”
Brian’s brows arched, just slightly enough that I noticed how much darker they were from his hair. Huh. Anyway, I just shook my head and kept going.
“And let me know if you think this totally won’t work for you, but Mrs. Travers converted her garage into an apartment that no one’s renting right now. A couple of the Yingst kids had been living there while on rumspringa , but they went home a couple of months ago, so the place is empty. And I know Mrs. Travers is kind of, um, grumpy some of the time, but the garage is detached, so it’s not like you’d be living in the same building.”
I stopped to take a breath because I realized I needed to. Damn it, I’d been running at the mouth again.
“What’s rumspringa ?”
I turned to Maddy, smiling because she’d perfectly repeated the Pennsylvania Dutch word. “It’s the time when an Amish teenager can be away from their family and live in the modern world and use modern things like cars and cell phones and computers without getting in trouble.”
Maddy’s brows rose in a perfect imitation of her uncle’s. “Seriously? That’s like a real thing?”
“Yep. The Yingst kids decided to go to school here for a couple of years. The youngest was a really good hockey player. The school team was sorry to lose him. And honestly, it’s good for Mrs. Travers to have someone living so close. She hates to admit it, but she’s getting old, and she could use some help sometimes. Not that you’re there to take care of her. She wouldn’t let you anyway. But sometimes she needs help getting packages and stuff inside her house and when her neighbors offer, she tells them she can do it herself, and no one wants to tell her she can’t. If you’re living there, you can just do it, and she might not yell at you for it. Then again, she probably will, but you’ll learn to ignore her.”
That faint smile was back on Brian’s lips, the one that made me feel giddy. Such a stupid word, but damn, it was descriptive as hell.
Chrissy saved me from making a complete fool by gazing longingly into Brian’s eyes when she returned with our drinks and took our order for dinner. Since I knew the menu by heart, I ordered my usual, fish and chips. Maddy went for chicken fingers and French fries and a side of applesauce, which made me smile, because it was exactly what Krista, my brother Rowdy’s almost-daughter, always ordered. She was seven. It made me think that Maddy wasn’t as old as she fronted.
Brian went for the tried-and-true burger with a side of alfredo noodles and broccoli.
Maddy looked at him like she was seeing a new side of him, and he shrugged. “I start practice tomorrow with the team. I’ll burn it off in two hours.”
He wasn’t wrong, but it was obvious Maddy found this unusual behavior. Which made me wonder how much time she’d actually spent with Brian before he’d taken custody.
When Chrissy left again, I waited all of two seconds before asking him what he thought of my idea.
Shrugging, he sat back in his chair. “Honestly, we don’t have a lot of options so I’m open to whatever you suggest.”
Since I was used to my brothers and dad, who never failed to question anything I suggested, my shock must have shown on my face, because Brian’s grin grew, making my eyes widen even more.
“That’s it? You don’t have any questions?”
“No. I trust you, Rain. If you say this is the best option, then that’s what we go with.”
I didn’t honestly know what to say to that.
Brian put one hand on the table and started to drum his fingers. “So what else’s on that agenda of yours?”
Mentally going through the list I’d made, I picked an easy one. “I need your sizes for your uniform, but you can just text me those, and I’ll have them ready for you tomorrow. We have a home game Friday night, which is nice, so you don’t have to travel right away.”
He flashed a quick look at Maddy. “Gonna need to figure out something about those travel weekends.”
“Actually, I have a plan for that too, if it’s okay with you. Maddy can stay with Mom. My mom,” I added, when Maddy looked up at me with a question in her eyes. “My mom doesn’t go to the away games anymore.”
Maddy’s mouth flattened. “I don’t need a babysitter. I’ve been staying by myself for years.”
“Mads.” Brian’s quiet voice made Maddy’s head jerk around to him. “I need to know you’re okay when I’m gone. I’ll be away for two or three days at a time. I’m not leaving you by yourself that long.”
I could tell Maddy wanted to argue. And I had the sense that Maddy had been taking care of herself for so long she thought she was more capable than she should be at twelve.
Brian and Maddy stared at each other for several long seconds while I bit my tongue against the urge to say something. I wanted to tell her how wonderful my mom was, how she loved to have company and would make her feel like family. Luckily, I didn’t open my mouth and insert my foot, because I had a feeling Maddy wouldn’t appreciate the contrast with her own mom. Or the reminder that her mom wasn’t around.
Yeah, I was making assumptions, but I’m pretty sure I wasn’t wrong.
I didn’t want to stare at Maddy, so I kept my focus on Brian—and saw the absolute resolve in his expression. He wasn’t going to budge on this. And he shouldn’t. No matter what the conditions Maddy had been living in before, Brian wanted her to know he was taking care of her now. That was the kind of guy he was. The really good kind. My stupid heart fluttered.
“I can take care of myself.”
The stubbornness in that young voice reminded me of myself at Maddy’s age. I’d had two bossy older brothers constantly ordering me around. My mom had told me it was okay to do what I wanted to do, as long as I was safe and didn’t hurt anyone. She’d wanted me to be able to stick up for myself, but with two older brothers and my retired-military dad, I felt like I had to constantly fight for my place as an independent person. Not as a little girl who needed protecting.
“I get that.” Brian nodded, his voice still calm. “But I need you to do this for me. Because I won’t be able to concentrate if all I keep thinking about is you all alone.”
Maddy’s mouth pressed into a taut line, and the silence stretched out between them for several long seconds before Maddy’s eyes rolled so hard I swore I heard them rattling.
“Fine. We can see how it goes.”
And now, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut any longer. “You don’t have to stay with my mom all the time. You can stay with me if you want. I mean, my place isn’t as big as my parents’, and I don’t have a hot tub, but I’ve got Wi-Fi and a TV, and I can cook. Kind of.”
That “kind of” was important because I didn’t cook a lot. And I didn’t cook as well as my mom, but I could make a mean mac and cheese.
Maddy gave me a look that implied she would be rolling her eyes at me if her uncle weren’t there. But Brian’s sly smile made my heart trip over itself. It was doing a lot of that tonight. Luckily, I thought I was doing a good job of hiding it, but I swore my bones wanted to melt into liquid with the warm and gooey feelings I had for him.
“Thanks,” he said. “We’ll figure something out by next weekend.”
“Of course. After that, the league has a few days off for the Christmas break, and then the games that next weekend are away but they’re not overnighters.” I turned to Maddy so she knew I wasn’t cutting her out of the conversation. “And if you’re interested, the town holds a winter festival at the beginning of February. The team does a lot of volunteering to help with setup and activities. We could always use an extra hand.”
Maddy shrugged, not meeting my gaze, arms crossed over her chest. “Not really my thing.”
“Sure. No problem.” I smiled, totally ignoring her scowl. Then I switched my attention back to Brian. “I don’t know if you remember, but the players are asked to volunteer a few hours at the festival. At the nighttime skates, especially.”
Brian nodded. “I forgot about that. I’m sure I’ll have time to volunteer. Your dad still play Jack Frost?”
I grinned, shaking my head. “Actually, we have a new Jack Frost this year. Dad said he was getting too old, even though he secretly really loved it. But the cold was getting to be too much for him. So Dad roped Rowdy into taking over.”
Brian shook his head, grinning. “Rowdy’s really stepping into your dad’s shoes, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, he is.”
Brian’s gaze narrowed. “And you’re okay with that?”
“Of course.” The words were out before I even thought about what to say, my smile already in place. “That’s been the plan for years. Why wouldn’t I be okay with it?”
Brian sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his broad chest. I had to force myself not to stare because, damn it, the man had a chest I wanted to pet.
“Because this is your team just as much as it is your brothers’.”
No one had ever said that to me. I mean, I knew Dad and Rowdy appreciated everything I did to make the team run, but to have someone else say it…
“Thanks. It’s nice to hear.” Momentarily struck mute, I tried to get my brain to move past the fact that Brian had realized something I didn’t think a lot of people did. This wasn’t just my job. I loved the Devils just as much as my brothers and my dad did. It was my second home.
Seconds later, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Maddy look between the two of us, gaze narrowed. This kid saw way too much.
Shaking my head, I smiled again, this time making sure to include Maddy. From the look on her face, though, she wasn’t buying it.
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re cool about helping out. I appreciate it. I know some of the guys think it’s stupid, but I think the carnival gives the community something to look forward to in the dead of winter instead of just hibernating. And hockey. Of course.”
“Of course.” Brian’s comment was dry but amused.
“Seems like hockey is the only thing this town has going for it,” Maddy said. “Guess you’re outta luck if you don’t like watching grown men beat each other up.”
If I hadn’t seen the grin Maddy aimed at her uncle, I would’ve thought that was a dig. And maybe it was, but Brian reached over and ruffled her hair, and her grin widened reluctantly.
“Guess after a few weeks of living with me, you’ll be happy to see me take a few knocks to the head.”
The mask Maddy wore most of the time slipped and the love for her uncle shone through so brightly at that second, I swore I got a toothache from the sweetness.
“Nah. I love you, Uncle Bri.” Then she paused, and her grin got that wicked edge to it. “But that could change in a heartbeat, so watch your back.”